A Hall of Fame quarterback named Fran Tarkenton once hosted a TV show called That’s Incredible. A future Hall of Fame quarterback named Tom Brady could be getting ready to audition for the revival (once his nose heals) when it comes to rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III.
“He’s incredible,” Brady told Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports after Sunday’s coming-out party from the second overall pick in the draft.
Grffin’s teammates sensed it, too, and it allowed them to be more aggressive.
“Sure it did,” linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said, “because if we can continue to put up points like that, our [guys up] front can pin their ears back.”
The Redskins have had a good defense since Jim Haslett was hired by coach Mike Shanahan to install a 3-4 front. Now that the offense is catching up, the Redskins could become one of the most balanced, and thus most dangerous, teams in the league.
And, yes, we know it’s too way early to draw broad conclusions. After six or seven games, opposing defenses will have enough tape of Griffin to try better to confound him. For now, though, he seems to be the real deal, in many ways. The fact that he was able to go to the Superdome and pull out a win against a team that had every reason to be focused and motivated and driven and dominant makes Griffin’s performance in Week One one of the best coming-out parties in league history.