Robert Griffin III's journey from savior of D.C. to bench-warmer and object of public ridicule, is a saga that will puzzle Redskins' fans for years to come. Now that the quarterback's time with the team has finally ended, one of his ex-teammates attempted to shed some light on the situation -- or at least his take of what went down.
Chris Cooley, current ESPN 980 radio host and former tight end for the franchise, detailed RG III's failure to bond with Kirk Cousins and other shortcomings. Dan Steinberg of The Washington Post wrote up a comprehensive and compelling account of it all. But here are some excerpts of Cooley's comments:
"From the moment Kirk was drafted, I think Robert had animosity towards him. A lot of people in this area hated that fourth-round pick; I don't think anyone hated it as much as RGIII hated it."
Cooley went on to elaborate on Griffin's relationship with the offensive line and wide receivers, or lack there of:
"The offensive line did not like Robert Griffin, a lot of the receivers did not like Robert Griffin. The offensive line had a problem with Robert, because they were considered for a year-and-a-half or two years a terrible offensive line that couldn't protect a quarterback. A lot of that isn't true. A lot of that was Robert. A lot of the sacks were put on Robert. Want to believe it or not, they were, OK? Football-wise, they were: It was Robert."
"Receivers didn't like playing with Robert, because they didn't get the ball," Cooley said. "It was never consistent, other than a couple in 2012; they struggled with that. So they didn't like Robert. ... "
Ouch. More or less Cooley told the world the two most vital position groups for a quarterback to be in sync with didn't like Griffin. Isn't the first rule of being a quarterback buttering up your offensive line? Happy line, happy quarterback ... or something like that.
But before RG III's name is further tarnished, we should acknowledge that at least one prominent former teammate doesn't share Cooley's sentiments. Three-time Pro Bowler Brian Orakpo came to his defense on Twitter posting:
"Get this BUM Chris Cooley off the radio and tv please ... don't worry still got property in VA when I see him Im'a smack the s--- out of him."
And the saga of RG III continues.