The Washington Redskins have held nine days of offseason practice so far -- a three-day rookie camp and six OTAs -- so they’ve gotten a chance to formulate early impressions of rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III. While Griffin has a reputation is some circles as a running quarterback, Les Carpenter of Yahoo! Sports suggests it is instead Griffin’s arm strength generating the most buzz around club headquarters.
Per Carpenter, members of the Redskins’ organization have nicknamed Griffin’s arm strength, simply, “The Arm.”
“It’s more of running to your left and flicking your wrist and throwing the ball 70 yards,” described backup quarterback Rex Grossman, comparing Griffin’s arm action to Michael Vick’s. “His arm almost comes off like a whip.”
Redskins tight end Logan Paulsen says Griffin’s throws are made on a beeline because they “come so hard they don’t have time to rise or fall.”
“It takes some getting used to,” Paulsen conceded.
Accuracy doesn’t seem to be an early issue, either, for the Redskins’ quarterback investment. “He can put the ball into tight windows,” rookie Kirk Cousins told Carpenter.
OTAs and minicamps are non-contact entities, of course, and to forecast stardom based on them would be silly. But the Redskins certainly seem to like what they see from Griffin early on.
“He’s going to make some impressive plays,” Grossman predicted. “Not just runs, he’s going to make some big plays when everything breaks down.”