This past Sunday, the Washington Redskins were faced with a harsh reality after St. Louis Rams’ coach Jeff Fisher chose to send out the six players the Rams drafted with the picks from the 2012 pre-draft deal for Robert Griffin III for the pre-game coin toss.
It has been another disappointing season for the Redskins with them currently holding a 3-10 record. The road has been all downhill since Griffin’s remarkable rookie year. Along with Griffin’s poor play and injury issues, it appears there are a fair share of internal issues in Washington.
There have been plenty of inside sources claiming head coach Jay Gruden is finished with Robert Griffin and it appears Gruden is more satisfied with starting Colt McCoy. With this said, McCoy got hurt last week and owner Dan Snyder continues to be adamant on starting the number 2 pick from the 2012 draft.
Rams brilliantly taunt the Redskins with the players they got in the RGIII trade http://t.co/TrJeonmYrJ pic.twitter.com/x8KcwH23A0
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) December 7, 2014
Is it fair to call Robert Griffin III a bust after another rough season? Personally, I wouldn’t judge someone that has this opinion, but he is still relatively young. Having been thrust into a starting job in his first season, he played terrific. Despite his poor performance each of the last two years, I still like his chances to continue to improve. Whether that will be in Washington or somewhere else is a question in and of itself. After all, prior to the 2012 draft and even throughout the 2013 season, there were plenty of knowledgeable football minds who may have preferred Griffin III to Andrew Luck.
The Trade
When discussing the future outlook of the Washington Redskins and Robert Griffin III, you can’t help, but keep going back to the blockbuster trade between the Redskins and Rams that sent the second overall pick to the Redskins in exchange for a bevy of picks. The thinking behind this involved a few factors. First, the Rams already had their franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford (although he’s had his own fair share of injuries) and had plenty of teams interested in the second pick. This would allow St. Louis to be set up for the decade by adding numerous draft picks. Second, on the Redskins’ side, the coach at the time, Mike Shanahan, was looking to get a difference maker at the quarterback position after struggling through various middling options. After this, the rest is history. The Rams have shown plenty of signs of hope for the future this season, while the Redskins appear ready to let the costly Robert Griffin III walk after this season. Now let’s look at those six players Jeff Fisher let do the coin toss, appearing to rub it in the face of the Redskins this past Sunday:
Janoris Jenkins (2012 Draft – Round 2 – Pick 39) – The third-year cornerback out of North Alabama already has seven interceptions in his career, along with an astounding 5 touchdowns. He is a starter for the Rams and has a promising career ahead of him.
Michael Brockers (2012 Draft – Round 1 – Pick 14) – He is another Rams’ pick from 2012 out of LSU and has accumulated sack totals of 4.0, 5.5, and 2.0 over his first three seasons. The defensive tackle is starting this season on the Rams defensive front.
Zac Stacy (2013 Draft – Round 5 – Pick 160) – In his second-year out of Vanderbilt, Stacy showed plenty of promise in his rookie year, putting up 973 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. It has been an up-and-down sophomore campaign that has seen him fall below rookie Tre Mason on the depth chart.
Stedman Bailey (2013 Draft – Round 3 – Pick 92) – Coming in as a college teammate of fellow Rams’ wideout, Tavon Austin, Bailey has earned more playing time this season. The second-year man out of West Virginia has rose in the depth chart over the past few weeks, partially because of injuries, and even put up 100 yards receiving two weeks ago.
Greg Robinson (2014 Draft – Round 1 – Pick 2) – The rookie offensive lineman from Auburn has had high expectations after getting drafted with the number two pick. His pass protection has been solid, while it is clear of the potential he holds in the run game. It has been an up-and-down season, but his immense potential is evident.
Alec Ogletree (2013 Draft – Round 1 – Pick 30) – The second-year linebacker out of Georgia has been a steady contributor throughout his first two seasons with the Rams. Having played and started in all 29 games already, Ogletree has amassed 205 combined tackles.
Jeff Fisher has a good sense of humor, classic troll. #STLvsWAS >> http://t.co/jlFFxVRjAb << pic.twitter.com/gHd0vk488K
— FOX Sports NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 7, 2014
Future Outlook
While these players haven’t necessarily brought the Rams a Lombardi Trophy or proved to be consistent NFL Pro-Bowlers yet, they have showed flashes of potential and a capability of becoming steady NFL players. What can be said confidently is the Rams won the 2012 pre-draft deal. It can be emphasized as it appears Robert Griffin III might be on his way out of Washington in favor of backups Colt McCoy and Kirk Cousins. Despite the absence of former top pick Sam Bradford this season, it has been an impressive feat with the Rams currently sitting at 6-7 being quarterbacked by Austin Davis and Shaun Hill. Although Jeff Fisher’s move from last week may be viewed as trolling the Redskins, it looks like his team is in a much better position right now than the Redskins. Imagine if Fisher and the Rams choose to sign Griffin in the offseason and turn him into the accomplished quarterback we saw in his rookie campaign. It is a possibility, but we’ll have to wait and see.
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