John Madden Calls Robert Griffin III A ‘Tim Tebow That Can Pass’
By Josh Sanchez
Washington Redskins second-overall pick Robert Griffin III was very impressive in his NFL debut this past Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. The rookie put together a performance that led to him being named the NFC Player of the Week. It was the first time in NFL history that a rookie won the award.
Hall of Famer John Madden was asked about Griffin’s performance on SiriusXM NFL Radio and the broadcasting and coaching legend went off on how great he thought RG3 looked in his debut.
“You know, the thing that he did that was so amazing was he reminded me — and I don’t mean to throw names around — but he reminded me of a Tim Tebow that can pass,” Madden said via the Washington Post. “You know, Tim Tebow, when he was playing for Denver last year, he would tend to freeze the defenses, because they weren’t sure if it was run or pass, if he was gonna hand off or run. I mean, he couldn’t pass like RGIII — [Griffin] can throw the ball — but he has a tendency to freeze the defense.”
Madden was very impressed with the rookie signal-caller when watching the Redskins win over the Saints. In fact, Madden was so impressed that he believes there is no one in the league better than Griffin.
“It’s darn near an impossible task to open up and play the Saints in their place,” Madden added. “I mean, no one wins down there, so I didn’t expect him to do anything like he did. But I did want to see him, and I wanted to see what he had. And at some point, I have to admit that I said this, it just came out, I said RGIII’s the best player in the NFL today. That’s what I really thought. Those words did come out.”
It may be a bit much to call RG3 the best player in the league today but Griffin sure did look impressive against the Saints. Could he one day be the best player in the league? Sure but for now Madden is just living in the moment and speaking in hyperbole.