Mike Shanahan On His New Toy, Robert Griffin III

Here’s the transcript of the Washington Redskins’ Head Coach, Mike Shanahan talking Robert Griffin III after Saturday’s practice:

On his evaluation of Robert Griffin III after the first three days:

Mike Shanahan – “Good.  Like we talked about from day one, every day is a learning experience.  The more reps you get, the better you feel about the system, the better you feel about NFL defenses, your teammates, what they can do, what they can’t do.  You’ve got check-offs, you’ve got nickel, you’ve got base defenses, 3-man fronts, 4-man fronts.  That’s why they say it’s a hard position to play in all of sports.  I really believe it is because there’s so much to learn.  You’ve got to be extremely bright.  You’ve got to really want it bad.  You’ve got to be a good athlete and have all the intangibles.  You’ve got to come to work every day, and that’s what he’s been doing.  He’s getting better every day.”

 

On comparing Robert Griffin III to different successful quarterbacks:

Mike Shanahan – “You know, I’ve been through a lot of different scenarios.  I talk about some of the young guys, hall of famers, that didn’t have any success in their first year, other guys that are playing right now that’s had some success.  You know, one guy can’t get the job done, as I tell our football team.  It’s got to be a collection of a lot people going in the same direction.  And if you do that, then you have a chance to have some success.”

 

On if Robert Griffin III is able to immediately correct his mistakes during practice:

Mike Shanahan – “Yeah, you correct it right away.  But until you put him in that situation, probably two, three, four more times, you don’t know for sure.  And that’s what our job is as coaches, just like teachers.  You’re trying to give him some repetition, give him the right repetition, so it becomes automatic.  He doesn’t have to think.  He can react.  There’s a learning curve there.  Nobody learns it just like that.  It takes some time.  And that’s what you look for—is guys that want to learn, guys that will do anything to get the extra work, to make it automatic for him.  And that’s what he’s been doing.  He’s been working extremely hard—looking at film, practice, drill work.  Everything that gives you a chance to be successful, he’s doing.”

 

On Robert Griffin III has to be reminded to be patient with himself:

Mike Shanahan – “Yes, you are constantly reminding him number of different things. He’s got to do his job and everybody has to do their job around him. So if he can focus on his job and really kind of concentrate on what he is doing, then you have a chance for good things to happen.”

Emmanual Benton is a featured Washington Redskins columnist for www.Rantsports.com. If you enjoy talking Redskins and all things NFL, follow Emmanual on Twitter: Follow @Roccoskins