[Elvis]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/03/02/coli ... =si_social

The End is Near for Flawed QBs Griffin and Kaepernick

by Andy Benoit

At the top of the game four years ago, the fall back to reality has been fast and infuriating for Robert Griffin III and Colin Kaepernick. Both players face uncertainty in 2016 and the future doesn’t look any better


Alex Brandon/AP

Carson Wentz and Jared Goff were the two most-discussed quarterbacks at the combine last week. Right behind them were Robert Griffin and Colin Kaepernick. Just four years removed from RG3 winning Offensive Rookie of the Year and Kaepernick piloting an NFC championship team, both find themselves at the center of trade talks. Griffin was pushed there by his team, Kaepernick by his agents. (It’s unknown whether San Francisco will act on his request.)

Griffin, with his astronomical $16.15 million 2016 salary, almost certainly will be released prior to March 9, when his salary becomes fully guaranteed. Kaepernick’s salary is $11.9 million on an embarrassingly team-friendly contract that can be voided with little penalty before April 1. Or, rather, it could have been. Kaepernick’s current injury situation presents complications here (more on that later).
At face value, the idea of acquiring Griffin or Kaepernick seems enticing. Both are young, big-name quarterbacks with prior NFL success. But experienced quarterbacks don’t become available unless they’re flawed. And given these flaws, I believe it’s likely they’ll be out of the league before either wins another 10 games.

The Kaepernick Case

First off, let’s ask why he is requesting a trade. The fresh start he needs seemingly found him when the Niners hired head coach Chip Kelly, whose system is built for a mobile quarterback.

But it’s also a system built on quick decision-making, which is far from Kaepernick’s forte. Kaepernick is slow to process coverages (when he processes them at all) and doesn’t have a great feel for moving around in the pocket. Kaepernick can be hard to catch when he runs around, but too many of his run-around plays are fruitless because they never should have been run-around plays to start.

Too often Kaepernick will look to abandon the pocket the instant he reaches the top of his dropback. Coaches hate this because it nullifies the play’s route designs. It can also create pressure where none existed. If you’re breaking down and moving at the top of your drop, the primary place to move is up in a pocket that hasn’t fully formed, putting you closer to interior pass rushers and compromising the room you have for stepping into throws. Or, you can move laterally, out of the pocket, which puts defensive ends in play. Remember, offensive tackles can’t see the quarterback; they’re blocking under the assumption that he’ll be in the pocket. When the quarterback flees, his technique and his blockers’ techniques are likely to break down. Also, the throwing windows and angles are altered, which often leads to minus results.

And then there is Kaepernick’s poor understanding for why certain plays are called. Case in point: multiple times in recent years, the Niners have opened a game with a simple fullback flare pass to the flat. It’s a play you call to get your QB comfortable and to put yourself in at least second-down-and-medium right out of the gates. There isn’t a more basic concept in pro football. Unfortunately, Kaepernick, several times, has failed to pull the trigger on these throws, opting instead to kick off the game with a randomized, sandlot throw. That he’s repeated this mistake more than once is baffling, especially considering that he threw an interception in this scenario on the first play of the Raiders game two years ago. (The Niners went on to lose that one.)

If a nearly four-year starting quarterback can’t be trusted to even attempt—let alone complete—something like a fullback flare on the game’s first play, then he can’t be trusted. You can’t construct, let alone perfect, a passing attack with such instability.

All of these flaws speak to an ill understanding of basic progression reads and coverage diagnostics, as well. Because if Kaepernick consistently knew what he was looking at on his dropbacks, there’s no way his pocket poise and decision-making would be so erratic. Adding to this: when Kaepernick does play with patience, he has a tendency to be late with the ball or to flat-out leave open receivers untargeted.

Given their flaws, I believe it’s likely both Griffin and Kaepernick will be out of the league before either wins another 10 games.

Could Kelly adjust to accommodate Kaepernick? Perhaps. But that runs counter to the way Kelly historically has done business. Besides, Kelly could argue that his approach makes a QB an inherently quicker decision-maker. By getting to the line and snapping the ball so promptly, Kelly’s offense hinders an opponent’s ability to disguise coverages. The defense barely has time to get set. This creates predictable looks, aiding a quarterback’s sense of passing anticipation.

However, Part B of Kaepernick’s issues is that he has an elongated throwing motion. This isn’t necessarily the worst thing. After all, no one can argue that as a pure arm talent, Kaepernick, when he’s mechanically sound and decisive (which is not often enough), is as impressive as almost anyone in the league. But elongated motions jibe with slower-developing downfield plays, not with the quick-hitting, snap decision-making that Kelly’s scheme demands.

The Niners brass presumably does not believe the advantage from Kelly’s unique approach can offset Kaepernick’s weaknesses. Because why else would Kaepernick be asking for a trade? Unless his advisors are complete morons, Kaepernick’s only rationale for wanting out of the rare offense that caters to his mobility is if he believes he won’t be the one running that offense come September. Kaepernick’s camp is reading San Francisco’s writing on the wall.

Complicating matters is that Kaepernick is still recovering from surgeries on his shoulder, knee and thumb. What makes his contract team-friendly is that it can be voided without penalty any time before April 1. That is, unless he’s not healthy. Presumably, the Niners would love for doctors to clear Kaepernick now, putting the option of cutting him back on the table. And Kaepernick, presumably, would love to stay on the mend until after April 1, making his 2016 salary guaranteed.

But remember, the Niners most likely believe Kaepernick cannot be The Guy. Which means if he is on the roster in 2016, he could very well get the treatment that Washington gave RG3 in 2015. Once he was in Kirk Cousins’s rearview mirror, Griffin became nothing more than a liability. Had he suffered an injury that carried into this offseason, the NFL’s fifth-year option rule would have made his $16.15 million salary in ’16 fully guaranteed. So, Washington, playing it safe and smart, kept Griffin off the active roster.

Kaepernick’s shoulder injury could ultimately keep him—and his $15.9 million cap number—on the books in 2016. Rather than risk swallowing that bitter pill again in 2017, the Niners could entrench Kaepernick on the bench and out of harm’s way.

The RG3 Outlook

Let’s keep some perspective here: if Griffin were a decent player, he would not have been ostracized in ’15. Griffin’s weakness showed up glaringly after he returned from his knee injury in 2013 and worsened as defenses saw more of him.

Headlining Griffin’s problems was that he had little to no pocket refinement (among other issues). It’s not enough to simply make throws from the pocket. In fact, in an offense as well-designed and as heavily predicated on play-action as Washington’s, throws from the pocket can be routine because so many of the reads are clearly defined. But straightforward passing designs and play-action tend to happen on first or second down, when the threat of a run is still there and the defense is in a vanilla coverage. Most NFL games, however, are decided by what happens on third down.
Robert Griffin III’s slight frame hasn't been able to stand up to the hits he's taken when straying outside the pocket.

It’s here where Griffin’s shortcomings really show up. Too often when he moves in the pocket, he covers too much ground, compromising his readiness to throw. This also hurts the pass protection, as the exaggerated movement can put him closer to pass rushers who wouldn’t have been factors. And it lengthens the time it takes to wind up and release the ball.

Adding to Griffin’s physical lack of pocket subtlety and nuance is his limited comprehension of how routes relate to certain coverages. Time and again in 2014, Griffin failed to identify some of football’s most basic route combinations. There were even cases of his defined reads—that is, plays that present just one obvious place for the ball to go—being ignored. Head coach Jay Gruden or offensive coordinator Sean McVay would call a pass and have no idea whether it would be executed correctly. Worse, neither would the receivers. How can you coach a dangerous but frankly emotionally unpredictable guy like DeSean Jackson if he’s getting open but not seeing the ball?

Tying into all of this was a lack of anticipation in Griffin’s passing. In the NFL, you don’t necessarily have to sense receivers being open before they are, but it makes a world of difference if you can. And, naturally, there are a handful of routine plays each game that call for a little bit of anticipation. But Griffin, with his limited understanding of coverage-and-route relationships, never had an opportunity to develop any anticipation. And if you can’t develop it on your own, you can’t develop it at all. Most coaches agree: anticipation is one of the few quarterbacking traits that cannot be taught.

Exacerbating matters for Griffin is that Gruden shied away from the zone-read game that had bolstered him as a rookie. Gruden felt the 6-foot-2, 223-pounder could not endure much beating. Defenses had always been extra physical against Griffin because he had no feel for protecting himself. Most the hits he took had a double-dip return: one from the hit itself, the other from when his body splattered to the ground. Griffin doesn’t have Cam Newton’s size or Russell Wilson’s compactness. He’s a gangly, exposed runner. This realization was the coup de grace to his NFL career.

* * *
In talking casually with dozens of coaches throughout combine week, there were two camps of ideology on Griffin and Kaepernick: in one camp were those who don’t think they can play in the NFL (more coaches felt this way about Griffin than Kaepernick); in the other were those who think they can play but don’t know in which system.

Of course, it only takes one team’s final decision-maker to roll the dice. Which is why we probably won’t see the last of either QB in 2016. But as far as RG3 or Kaepernick being a team’s clear-cut starting quarterback? We’ve absolutely seen the last of that.

[Elvis]

http://espn.go.com/blog/washington-reds ... t-be-right

Repairing RG III's career will take work, but the fit must be right


Could Robert Griffin III handle being a No. 2 quarterback for the rest of his career? A team needs to consider that question before signing him. AP Photo/Nick Wass

John Keim
ESPN Staff Writer

INDIANAPOLIS -- The question isn’t about whether or not Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III will receive another chance. There’s a good reason he will: He’s only 26 years old and still has enough of the talent that intrigued the NFL when he was coming out of college.

That’s Louis Riddick's opinion. But the ESPN NFL analyst, and former NFL front-office member, added: “There aren’t a lot of sustained encouraging signs.”

After the Redskins release Griffin sometime before 4 p.m. Tuesday, another team will sign him and begin the task of reviving his game. Here’s a look at Griffin’s situation from three perspectives without a personal interest in Griffin -- an agent, a front office (Riddick), and a current NFL offensive coach -- and how each would handle it:

The agent

It’s all about finding the right fit, both from the standpoint of a team and a city, said the agent, who has met Griffin briefly a couple times.

“Everyone says come back to Texas,” the agent said. “That’s the last place I would put him. I would want him to be his own person. And I wouldn’t want someone sitting next to him at his locker protecting him from the press [as the Redskins did].

“I wouldn’t want his name on a billboard. I would want him to earn his way into putting his name back on the billboard, which I think he has the capability of doing.”

The agent said he would want Griffin to play where he had to compete for a job. He said Houston would be a good team for that reason, but the Texas aspect makes that not the best fit in his mind.

There’s one team that intrigued him most.

“L.A.,” he said, knowing the Los Angeles Rams need a quarterback. “Listen, they’re a team that needs some excitement. They need some headlines and he can bring them. They don’t have any real primary receivers so it’s not like you’ll have receivers bitching, ‘This guy needs to throw me the ball.’ That worked with Russell Wilson. I would think [Griffin] is a great fit. Would the media be bad? Yeah, but there’s so much going on in L.A. and I think at this point he’s trained to handle it. He’d be a lot more wary of the media because he really took a bath on it. It wasn’t all deserved.”

The front office

Riddick would have plenty of questions. Can a team build a system, especially on obvious passing downs, that can help Griffin? Can they get him to process information fast enough, allowing his talent to take over? Can they do anything to nurse him along, perhaps more outside the pocket (which leads to other issues, such as taking more hits)?

“Two staffs haven’t been able to do that,” Riddick said. “If I’m on a team, why is it going to be any different for us?”

But a big question to ponder for any team: Could Griffin really handle being a No. 2 quarterback? He did so this past season, but that doesn’t mean he wants to continue in that role, or would be OK biding his time again.

“You have to be careful,” Riddick said. “Is he really ready to become a No. 2 for the rest of his career? That’s a very, very, very real possibility that may be who he is. I don’t care how fast he is and I don’t care about his rookie season anymore.”

When Riddick worked in Philadelphia’s front office, the Eagles signed Vince Young, another former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and a two-time Pro Bowler. The Eagles were his first stop after Tennessee, his original team. Backups must learn to survive without a lot of reps or attention; they must be self-motivated to keep preparing as a starter.

“Some guys aren’t like that,” Riddick said. “You have to make sure he’s willing to accept that. And then if he’s not the starter, could it be where teams are saying he’s either the starter or bust? If I was a team that’s how I’d look at it. If he’s not someone you’re considering to be a starter, then no.”

The coach

To help Griffin, this coach would go back to the beginning. The trick is doing something two previous staffs, with coaches whose reputations were built on quarterback play, haven’t been able to achieve.

“I would treat him like he was a rookie and start from scratch,” said the coach, who works for a team without a need at quarterback. “Teach him our core beliefs in the fundamentals and you want to teach those from all the different drops and the play pass and obviously you have to teach him your scheme.”

And then you work on him mentally, repairing his confidence. It has to be tough to go through what Griffin has experienced. He was on the highest of highs after 2012 only to fall fast down the mountain.

“There will be some scars so, yeah, you have to get him over whatever his failures were from his previous team,” the coach said. “As a coach you have to try to eliminate the preconceived notions and get to know a guy and see what he’s about and make your own judgments off that.”

Whoever signs Griffin surely will have vetted him before acquiring him. Plus it’s been hard to miss all that’s transpired with him, the stories about how well liked, or disliked, he was in the locker room and any issues with the coaching staffs.

“But whoever signs him won’t know him,” the coach said. “Everybody talks and they’re digging, but unless you really worked with a guy you truly don’t know and you’re just taking other people’s words. Ultimately you have to make your own judgments.”

The coach said he’d have no issues starting Griffin immediately -- if he proved better than the others. But they also must decide how much they want to change the offense; it’s mostly about how much zone read do they want to incorporate (Griffin was not a fan of this offense) because the third-down offense would remain the same.

“There’s a whole lot of unknowns about whether or not he can do it,” the coach said. “Like whether or not he can really get back to 2012 from a production standpoint. ... Any time you get a guy, and I’m sure Robert has the same mentality, it’s a fresh start, a clean slate. Hopefully that can breathe some life into him.”

[Elvis]

http://www.insidesocal.com/nfl/2016/03/ ... iffin-iii/

Rams: It’s time to go get Robert Griffin III

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Vincent Bonsignore

The long-range quarterback answer for the Rams might have been among the 300 or so prospects at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week. Armed with the 15th pick over all in next April’s draft – and two high picks in the second round – they are well positioned to come away with Paxton Lynch of Memphis or Connor Cook of Michigan State.

Alas, a more immediate, enticing quarterback option that could pack the sort of on-field and off-field glamor punch befitting L.A.’s newest pro sports team awaits in Washington D.C.

But more on how good Robert Griffin III would look in the Rams Blue and Gold running wild at the Coliseum in a bit.

Based on the workouts of Lynch and Cook last week in Indianapolis and the strong bodies of work they assembled in college, their NFL futures seem bright.

But it might take a season or two before either makes his mark.

If they ever do at all.

There is another path available, and it could provide swifter answers to the Rams quarterback quandary.

And that means signing RG3, who most certainly will be released by the Washington Redskins next week.

It’s risky. It’s audacious. It might even be a bit presumptuous.

But it’s also so perfectly L.A.

Sure, the Rams could take the safe route and draft either Cook or Lynch and develop them behind incumbents Case Keenum or Nick Foles their first year in Los Angeles. Then hope in a year or two they are ready to take over.

Safe, yes.

Not so sure about the sizzle factor, though.

Especially when so much splash and upside can be cornered by one courageous roll of the dice.

The Rams showed incredible boldness by pushing all their cards to the middle of the table in their quest to move back to Hollywood. It’s a fearlessness they need to seize and harness and utilize on the personnel side of things as well.

And RG3 is nothing if not a daring move.

One that requires the Rams betting that a full year off and 3,000 miles removed from the Washington D.C. soap opera has left RG3 able and ready to rebuild himself as one of the bight young stars in the game.

And the conviction that by surrounding him with a strong supporting cast that includes dynamic young running back Todd Gurley – the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year – playmaker Tavon Austin, an improved offensive line and a dominant defense, RG3 won’t have to carry the Rams as much as he just needs to compliment them.

The best year of RG3’s career came in 2012 when he and Redskins running back Alfred Morris beautifully played off each other. Operating out of the zone-read offense, the powerful legs of Morris and RG3 combined for 2,431 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns, and their running threat helped open up the passing game for RG3, who threw for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns and compiled a 102.4 quarterback rating.

It was a spectacular rookie season to be sure, one in which Griffin became the youngest player in NFL history to post a perfect 158.3 passer rating while throwing for 200 yards and four touchdowns against the Eagles. He established rookie records for best QB rating and best TD-to-interception ratio. The Redskins made the playoffs for the first time since 2007, and RG3 was voted team captain by his peers and named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Now imagine RG3 and Gurley operating in the same backfield along with the threat that Austin poses? Or all those deep ball opportunities that will emerge on play action passes in which the strong-armed RG3 is so perfectly built to exploit?

Yes, there are a number of reasons why the Rams should steer clear of RG3:

After putting together his Rookie of the Year season in 2012, Griffin’s play slipped to the point he lost his job to Kirk Cousins last season.

The NFL’s immediate and ferocious answer to the zone-read offense RG3 excelled his first two seasons left him a beaten, battered shell of himself.

The last on-field glimpses we saw of RG3 in the Nation’s Capitol revealed a player both physically and mentally drained.

As good as that 2012 season was, it also set the stage for three ensuing years of drama thanks to a late-season leg injury that Griffin obviously returned too soon from. The resulting dysfunction pitted coaches and player and team doctors against each other, with everyone absorbing and deflecting the blame for letting RG3 back on the field too soon.

And it ultimately sent the Redskins scurrying around changing coaches and offensive systems figuring out ways to best protect and utilize their prized young quarterback.

But when the finally settled on Jay Gruden, it created the worst-possible situation for RG3: He was a square peg in Gruden’s drop-back pass offense. But his teammates, Kirk Cousins, was built perfectly for it.

Which is why the Redskins just slapped Cousins with the franchise tag, and why RG3 will soon be out of a job.

For all those reasons, any team – including the Rams – should be wary of the former Baylor great.

But while others see a closed door, I see an opportunity.

RG3 did not play one snap last year, which means his body is as healthy as possible. So many of his problems in Washington D.C. Were related to the injuries – a fact even Gruden supported – so it only stands to reason a healthy bodied RG3 might also be a spiritually sound RG3.

The breath of fresh air created by moving out of the drama of Washington D.C. to the warmth and promise of the Los Angeles Rams might just be the key that unlocks the trapped star still residing in RG3.

It likely won’t require a monumental investment. RG3 is so eager to re-establish himself, he’ll no doubt be interested in a short-term show-me contract that allows him to regain his footing while maintaining the flexibility to tap back into the financial market sooner rather than later.

That makes sense for the Rams, who can then use the 15th pick on a much-needed wide receiver to compliment Austin – and RG3 – and circle back to a development quarterback in the second or third round.

If it works, the Rams might have found the 26-year-old quarterback of their present and future.

If it doesn’t, they can easily and quickly move on.

In this case, the reward is worth the risk.

The Rams need to go get RG3.

[Hacksaw]

There aren't a lot of QB's out there. If the Rams did pick him up for the right price and deal, the risk to reward ratio might just be worth it. Rather take a flyer on a 26 year old recently former phenom, than a 40 year old player coach with and anchor tied to his leg and a pop gun for an arm.
If we miss on Goff or Wentz, I'd support see the Rams doing it on the right deal ,, with lot's of team control..

[maxxx power]

Read the first article. All we need to know, and most likely most all of us already know.

I am NOT in favor of signing either of these guys at all.

I would rather have Keenum as our QB.

Yes, I actually typed that. Lord help us all.

[Stranger]

Just say NO.

[dieterbrock]

I'd take either one over what we have, unfortunately our HC/OC wouldn't be able to use them properly and they would suck they did recently

Geesh, I feel like a broken record.

In any event, I'd take either one over what we have, unfortunately our HC/OC wouldn't be able to use them properly and they would suck they did recently

Geesh, I feel like a broken record......

[maxxx power]

I'd take either one over what we have, unfortunately our HC/OC wouldn't be able to use them properly and they would suck they did recently

Geesh, I feel like a broken record.

In any event, I'd take either one over what we have, unfortunately our HC/OC wouldn't be able to use them properly and they would suck they did recently

Geesh, I feel like a broken record......

You sound like a broken record.

[Hacksaw]

I'd like to see one (not squidward) come here and break some records,,, and not the futility type.

[moklerman]

If it was simply a matter of utilizing the talent they have, I'd be willing to consider it.

But I can't stand Kaepernick and RGIII will never make it as a regular starter.

Where CK is built for running, RGIII is not. He routinely gets crushed on routine plays. He isn't built to take a hit and he doesn't know how to take a hit. Everything else about him just doesn't matter.

Honestly, the book is still out on Keenum whereas the book is in on these two so I agree, I'd rather just stick with Keenum if those are the only 3 choices.