RG3 > Peyton

Winston-Salem, NC – On Friday, I had a majority of this blog written, but at the time, the Redskins had not made the trade to acquire the Rams’ first round pick (#2 overall) in this year’s NFL draft.  Therefore, the post was originally titled, “RG3 or Peyton?”  Now, if one thing is for certain, sitting idle at the quarterback position for the Redskins this offseason was not an option.  The NFL Draft Class of 2012 is one of the best talent-wise that analysts and gurus have seen in years, especially at the quarterback position.  Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III combine with Ryan Tannehill, Brandon Weeden, and Kirk Cousins to form the most talent-laden QB pack since 2004 .  But Luck and RG3 are special players – both are smart, athletic (did you see both of their verticals and 40’s at the combine?), built with strong arms, and possess intangibles that are found only in elite signal callers.  This class may be comparable to the draft class of 1998, which featured (at the time) the indistinguishable quarterbacks of Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf.  The Colts, just like they will this year, took the safe bet in Manning.  However, it should be noted that Leaf had several off the field problems leading up to the draft.  With the exception of Manning’s rookie year, the Colts have been in contention every year that Peyton has been under center.  The same goes for the Giants and Eli Manning; the Chargers and Philip Rivers, the Patriots and Tom Brady, the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger, the Falcons and Matt Ryan, the Saints and Drew Brees, the Packers and Aaron Rodgers… the simple formula is if you have a great QB, your team is going to be in contention on a consistent basis.

Can RG3 be the 4th QB to lead the Skins to a Super Bowl victory?

For this reason, the Redskins were wise to steer clear of the very tempting (but creaky) Peyton Manning.  The trade that the Skins made to send three first round picks and a second round pick to the St. Louis Rams (drafting second behind the Colts) in order to draft RG3 was completely necessary.  Sure, it will hurt not having a first round pick until 2015, but the Redskins need a “franchise” QB to fit the plan of building a “stable” environment for the first time since the early 90’s.  RG3’s off the field record is crisply clean.  He’s fresh off winning the Heisman Trophy, and if you think he’s selfish, then check out his stud block in Baylor’s bowl game this year in the Alamo Bowl versus Washington.  Mike Shanahan has a strong record in developing quarterbacks; see Steve Young, John Elway, and Jay Cutler.  It’s the Redskins’ time to shine on draft day for once.  The fans are hoping that the days when Snyder and Cerrato were calling the shots with that infamous second round of the 2008 draft – selecting three wide receivers – are long gone.  Naturally, I expect growing pains from RG3 during his rookie year.  While Cam Newton raised the rookie bar this past season, struggles are inevitable during a player’s first year, even among the elite quarterbacks today.  The Redskins could do RG3 a favor and sign one (or two) of the top free agent receivers since the receiving corps heading into this offseason are thin.  Vincent Jackson would be the preferred catch (pun intended).  By signing Jackson, the Skins would be recouping the second round pick in the trade (where they could have drafted a receiver).  

Ultimately, we learned who is calling the shots in the front office with this trade.  If it was still Snyder, then we would have seen Manning donning the burgundy and gold.   It must have been tempting for Snyder to make a move considering the Skins’ cap space is at a staggering $49M.  Washington is used to the style of cutting half a dozen players each offseason just to get under the cap.  Now, we can clearly see that Shanahan and Bruce Allen are calling the shots with this trade to draft RG3 in the first round. The timing of this trade could not have been better.  It shows that the Redskins are serious about rebuilding, and it adds a bit of sparkle for a free agent to sign with Washington.  With free agency set to begin on Tuesday, free agents would be deterred from DC as the present quarterback of the team is Rex Grossman.  Now with this deal, the Redskins have a selling point to lure free agents – RG3!  I like the youth movement of this team, and the amount of depth that is beginning to accumulate on both lines.  Speaking of movement, I like the crusade that steers away from big ticket free agents (busts) as well.  Let Peyton go to either Miami, Arizona, or Denver and play well for the next 3-4 years.  With the Skins’ luck, the situation would probably be comparable to another Mark Brunell or Donovan McNabb signing.  With this trade, Washington can now wipe away this endless slate of terrible, or mediocre at best, QB’s – Gus Frerotte, Heath Shuler, Brad Johnson, Jeff George, Tony Banks, Shane Matthews, Danny Wuerffel, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman, John Beck, etc.  Let’s get that 10-12 year franchise quarterback – something that has been eluding this franchise since Joe Thiesmann!  RG3 to DC!