November 18, 2014
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
After a rough start to the reason, the Redskins were hoping to bounce back on Sunday, their first game back from the bye. But instead of appearing refreshed and unified, they looked downright bad. After an embarrassing rout by the 1-8 Bucs, the Redskins exited the field to a chorus of boos, looking more fractured than ever.
Washington fell behind early, after the Buccaneers scored a field goal and then intercepted Robert Griffin III for a pick-six and 10-0 first quarter lead. Down 13-0 late into the second quarter, the Skins showed signs of life when they scored their first touchdown of the game with a minute left. Unfortunately, it would also be their last.
They were shut out in the second half, with Tampa Bay outscoring them 14-0. Griffin’s numbers were dismal; he completed just 23 of 27 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown. He was also sacked six times, and as a team, the Redskins turned the ball over three times. It was a bad day all around.
The poor performance ignited rumors of a divided locker room and sparked renewed debate about whom the Redskins starting quarterback should be. Griffin’s post-game press conference and subsequent comments by coach Jay Gruden seemed to only confirm speculation of unresolved tension.
“We’re 3-7, and everybody knows that, and everybody in that locker room knows that,” Griffin said. …”It takes 11 men. It doesn’t take one guy, and that’s proven. If you want to look at the good teams in this league and the great quarterbacks, the Peytons and the Aaron Rodgers, those guys don’t play well if their guys don’t play well. They don’t. We need everybody. I need everyone of those guys in that locker room, and I know they’re looking at me saying the same thing.”
As Griffin tried to deflect responsibility for the loss, and his performance, his coach did not seem too pleased, telling reporters that his quarterback needs to focus on himself, not his teammates.
“Robert needs to understand he needs to worry about himself, No. 1, and not everybody else,” the coach said. “It’s his job to worry about his position, his footwork, his fundamentals, his reads, his progressions, his job at the quarterback position. It’s my job to worry about everyone else. And yes, everyone else needs to improve. There’s no question about it. But it’s not his place. His place is to talk about himself, and he knows that. He just elaborated a little bit too much and he’ll learn from it.”
Not long after Gruden’s comments became public, Griffin took to his Facebook page to clarify what he said, saying that his comments had been “taken out of context.” He said he would never throw his teammates under the bus. He also said he takes responsibility for his performances, and vowed to play better.
As the Redskins fall to 3-7, their problems continue to outweigh their potential. With six games left in the regular season, only time will tell if they able to salvage what’s left, or if they will continue to fall apart.
