NFL Washington Redskins

Expectations and Pressure Are Ruining Robert Griffin III’s Career

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By @DraftScout_NFL

Robert Griffin III

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Being the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL comes with great expectations, especially when the player taken is a quarterback. In today’s NFL, if a team spends a No. 2 overall pick on a quarterback, they better make sure they are getting a guy that can handle the pressure and become the face of the franchise. The Washington Redskins thought they were getting their next great quarterback when they traded a king’s ransom to the St. Louis Rams in order to move up to the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to select Robert Griffin III; but things haven’t quite worked out the way the team hoped.

Griffin was seen as a transcendent talent back in 2012. Fresh off a Heisman-winning campaign in his senior season at Baylor, Griffin had himself a phenomenal rookie season with the Redskins, winning Rookie of the Year honors. However, toward the end of Griffin’s rookie season, things began to fall apart, both for the young signal-caller and for the entire team. Griffin tore his ACL in a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, signaling the beginning of a long fall from grace for the young quarterback.

Due to his pre-injury excellence, expectations for Griffin going into his second season became ridiculous. Despite his knee not being fully healthy, fans and analysts alike not only anticipated a return to form for Griffin, but expected the young quarterback to play even better than he had in his first season. Facing insurmountable expectations however, Griffin underwhelmed in his second NFL season. Ultimately, head coach Mike Shanahan was fired because of Griffin’s decline, and current head coach Jay Gruden was hired in an effort to allow Griffin to return to his rookie form.

Unsurprisingly, the expectations and pressure placed upon Griffin were once again too much for him to handle. This season has been the quarterback’s worst as a professional, as he once again missed significant time with an injury, and hasn’t played well when he’s been on the field. Gruden certainly hasn’t lessened the pressure on Griffin’s shoulders, saying that the young quarterback isn’t performing at the level he should be. The expectations have become too much for Griffin to handle, and as the pressure continues to mount, it’s becoming clear that the circus surrounding him is ruining Griffin’s career.

Simply put, nobody could go out and perform well when facing the pressure Griffin is from the media, fans and even coaches and teammates. At just 24 years old, Griffin has never been given a chance to learn how to face adversity, and this has led to his downfall. The story of Robert Griffin III is quickly becoming a sad one, and unless everyone stops putting so much pressure on the young man to be great, we are never going to see the same electrifying playmaker Griffin was before the expectations and pressure became too much.

Chris Ross is an NFL writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter, @DraftScout_NFL, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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