Robert Griffin III couldn't say anything wrong last season. Now it's hard for him to say anything right. Maybe Donovan McNabb had a point in his advice for RGIII to tone down his public comments.
The wrong people are noticing.
In this latest exciting episode, Griffin said during his press conference Wednesday that he tried to draw a penalty against Lions DB Rashean Mathis as Griffin was running out of bounds on a play.
Defenders won't necessarily slow down when they see a quarterback slow down as he is running out of bounds. The quarterback might be trying a double move to gain more yards. Some defenders (and their coaches) are willing to take the risk and accept the penalty rather than risk losing the quarterback.
There is such a thing as a "good" pass interference penalty as when the DB is beat and the receiver will score unless he is interfered with. That's how some DBacks see Griffin going out of bounds.
Griffin said he made a football move after he ran out of bounds in the Detroit game, but Mathis was too crafty to fall for it. I think this was a singular episode.
ESPN reported on Sunday that NFL officials saw RG's comments and have studied game tape of Griffin's runs to prep for the Redskins-Bears game today. That's not the kind of scrutiny we want.
By Friday, Griffin cleaned up his comment on the team web site. "The sideline is your friend," he said. Some defensive backs will pull up (Mathis). Others will take the opportunity to hit you as Cowboys DB Barry Church twice did last week.
DBs aren't worried about Eli Manning running out of bounds. Their concerns are unique to Griffin and a select few others who could hurt them with their legs.
#RGIII hit out of bounds but no flag. Because of his comments this week he may never get another one in life…
— Skinscast (@skinscast) October 20, 2013
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ESPN did not clarify what officials were looking for, or what penalty they might call on whom. It's not against the rules to try to draw a penalty. But officials called an unsportsmanlike penalty on Redskins special teams coach Keith Burns after an official ran into him. Who knows what officials have in mind.
This is a tempest in a teapot, but a tempest easily avoided if only to give the NFL one less thing to look at about you.
There is a reason why they say "discretion is the better part of valor."
RG, shhhh
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