RGIII: “Your Confidence Can’t be Shaken by Anything That Happens in Your Career”
In the last few weeks, the world Robert Griffin III had grown comfortable with changed suddenly after being benched by Jay Gruden in favor of Colt McCoy.
That type of demotion after being on top of the world in DC just two season ago may break the spirit of some, Griffin insists he isn’t one of those individuals.
“Your confidence can’t be shaken by anything that happens in your career, so for me, my confidence is sky high.”
“Whatever coach decides as far as quarterback position going forward. I’m just here to help this team win and put in the work I can to help the defense and help the offense get in and out of the huddle and make positive plays. That’s really all I got.”
When asked if the benching had helped him in any way, Griffin said, “Yeah I learned a lot. But that’s for me to know and, uh, me to know.”
Coach Gruden was asked about the improvement from Griffin the last few weeks, he replied,”he hasn’t had many reps other than scout team, you know? It’s a matter of quarterbacks improve hopefully daily on things they’re working on – their footwork, your fundamentals, your accuracy and just their whole position over the game and knowledge of the system. We’ll see. He had some good plays today. He had some plays that I know he wishes he could have back. That’s just the nature of the business. He’s got to continue to improve, see these route concepts, feel the pass rush, get to the protection plans we have and just continue to play.”
Gruden was also asked if Griffin was getting the ball out of his hands quicker now, he replied,“Yeah, that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for a decisive player at the position that will pull the trigger and get the ball out of his hands. We just have got to eliminate the negative plays. We have far too many sacks whether they’re pinned on the offensive line or running backs or quarterbacks – it doesn’t matter. The fact is, we’ve had too many. We’ve got to eliminate the negative plays, and with that being said, we’ve got to have a great familiarity with our system and where people are on the field and some anticipation – get the ball out of our hands quicker. As coaches, we have got to do a better job at calling better plays to help that process.”
Gruden has yet to name the starter for the upcoming game Sunday against the New York Giants. Colt McCoy is nursing a sprained neck and all three quarterbacks split reps in practice Wednesday.
