Washington Redskins: Can RGIII Build Off Of Last Years Success?

After RGIII’s immense success last year, expectations are high for this young and determined athlete to replicate his coveted proficiencies.  Even with his devastating knee injury which effectively condemned any chances the Washington Redskins had of going deep in the playoffs, fans and critics alike expect RGIII to not only be fully recovered but to also excel past the phenomenal foundation he created last season.  Clearly, from the moment he first stepped onto a professional field until season ending injury, RGIII seemed to be destined for a life of exuberant greatness while bringing forth a revolution for a Redskins franchise that has seen better days.  While it may be too soon to suggest that the Redskins are destined for a Super Bowl appearance this season, their underappreciated roster that was valiantly able to win seven straight games last season is capable of being a top contender in the NFC conference.

Although the Redskins haven’t been necessarily abysmal since their last division championship in 1999, their erratic performances since then have caused understandable frustration from committed fans who want to see their team garner the same perennial success they had throughout the early 80’s into the early 90’s.  RGIII’s skill set along with his natural leadership abilities have given the nations capital a reason to believe that their franchise is on the cusp of revisiting their dominant days.  It can be surmised fairly easily that the Redskins lack of expected efficiency is due to not having a sensational passer.  From the memorable presence of Joe Theismann to the short lived tenure of Mark Rypien, the Redskins at the very least had a solid passer who typically had more good days than he did bad.  Since their last Super Bowl championship in 1991, the Redskins have lacked a much-needed playmaker that is capable of confidently leading their organization to hell and back again.  Since Rypien’s departure in 1994, the Redskins have struggled to find an efficient franchise quarterback.  The Redskins have turned over several quarterbacks in the last twenty years, as they have only kept a starting quarterback on their roster for a maximum of three years at a time.

While RGIII may only be a sophomore in the NFL, his rookie season accolades have firmly cemented his fresh legacy into a franchise that has a deep history of prominence and prestige.  The reason RGIII has already received the undying loyalty from the Redskins die hard fan base is because he personifies what it means to be a professionally poised athlete who is dynamically gifted and supremely confident on the field.  Between his impressive accuracy (completed 65.6 % of his passes) and his fearless running attack (7 touchdowns for 815 yards), RGIII has already proven that he has the innate intellect and driven determination to make the right play at the right time. 

The only weak link in RGIII’s game appears to be his recklessness when it comes to running the football at ill-advised moments.  Even with his impressive touchdown-interception ratio (20 touchdown passes to just 5 interceptions), RGIII always seems inclined to look for a running opportunity rather than hitting a open receiver.  Fortunately, RGIII typically has been able to swiftly avoid oncoming defenders in most situations, however each hit that he was unable to overcome took a toll on his tenacity and quickness.  After the Ravens massive defensive end Haloti Ngata directly hit his knee in week 14 of the regular season, RGIII’s physicality began to slowly deteriorate with each subsequent game.  Eventually, his lingering injuries came back to haunt him with a vengeance when his knee finally gave out when the Redskins played the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round of the NFC playoffs.

When all is said and done, the Redskins have unquestionably found themselves a talented quarterback who has an impressive repertoire that can allow him to be both deceptive and decisive in the most critical of game time situations.  If RGIII can concede to being more disciplined in certain situations to avoid compromising his physical well being, the Redskins could be seeking redemption this season by outdoing last years regular season triumphs while finding a way to win in the post season for the first time since 2005.