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Irn-Bru
FanFromAnnapolis
Joined: 20 Mar 2004
Posts: 10628
Location: on the bandwagon
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:20 pm Post subject: Becoming a Redskin: RGIII's journey |
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This is a great article and telling on a number of levels: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/becoming-a-redskin-robert-griffin-iiis-journey-from-texas-to-washington/2012/07/20/gJQAg5LCyW_story_1.html
My favorite parts with some commentary:
| Quote: | | The hectic schedule had some people close to Griffin wondering whether he was spreading himself too thin, but he promised them it wasn't too much and insisted the marketing engine would shut down once training camp started. The goal was partly financial. Griffin hoped to live for the year off his sponsorship income, which could reach seven figures for someone with his national appeal, and put all his Redskins earnings --more than $14 million in bonus and salary--in savings. |
 How many 1st round QBs in NFL history are there that have done that, do you think? I think it speaks a lot about his character; money is not going to be what gets him through the day at this level.
| Quote: | "I've definitely been busy, but I've found my pockets of time to chill out and relax for three or four days, and make sure I can spend some time with my family before I have to go off," Griffin said. "I usually ask myself, 'Am I doing too much?' And usually when I ask myself that, I am. And I haven't asked myself that."
The Redskins and Griffin's agents at Creative Artists Agency did their part to keep Griffin's schedule clear by limiting his media availability. He did almost no one-on-one interviews between the draft and the start of training camp, other than those arranged by sponsors, who traded access to Griffin for exposure for their products.
But from the outside, it appeared as if Griffin was everywhere. He did Leno. He posed for pictures with Snoop Dogg at an adidas event. He won an ESPY, and walked the red carpet. His first adidas commercial, a dark, futuristic spot titled "Do What Light Does," went viral on Twitter. |
For those that have expressed concern that RGIII is doing too much with the media, take note of what's going on here. Griffin is a young man who has learned how to manage his time with laser focus and precision. I suspect he rarely wastes more than a few minutes a day — so even when he blocks off time to relax, it's with a purpose in mind.
I especially love that even though he seems to be everywhere, he's actually had his media availability rather limited by the Redskins so that he can focus on the task at hand. And of course he says it is all shutting down the moment training camp starts.
In sum, the suspicions that he is not properly focused are not justified, and I think we can all relax about how RGIII is handling things. (Read the article to get a sense of how hard he's been working.)
| Quote: | [RGIII] waited patiently until everyone at the dinner table seemed absorbed in conversation, then rose silently to his feet.
It was March 20 in Waco, Tex., in a private back room at the 135 Prime steakhouse, and Griffin and his family were having dinner with the top brass of the Washington Redskins: owner Dan Snyder, head coach Mike Shanahan, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen.
The next day, at Baylor University's pro day, would be the first time Griffin, the Baylor quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, would throw passes in front of NFL personnel before the April 25 draft, for which the Redskins held the No. 2 overall pick.
At first, no one at the table seemed to notice as Griffin — trying to be casual, as if he was merely too warm — stood and began to remove his green adidas hoodie. But then the others caught a glimpse of what he was wearing underneath: a burgundy, official NFL-issue T-shirt, with a large Redskins logo on the front.
The bold statement, which Griffin later acknowledged was "premeditated," sent the room into spasms of laughter and applause. The Redskins' brass seemed shocked, considering the draft was still five weeks away, the 22-year old Griffin had yet to throw for them and there was still some uncertainty over what the Indianapolis Colts would do with the No. 1 overall pick. But they seemed blown away by the gesture. His mission accomplished, Griffin flashed his now-famous, toothy smile and sat back down.
Griffin laughed, he later recalled, but he was dead serious about his message: I want to be a Redskin. |
Ballsy move by RGIII. Remember that he hadn't even had his pro day yet. Yes, the Colts had only been talking Luck, but at that point there were still open questions about who they'd take.
I love it. Can't wait to see this kid play, and of course I won't be vouching for a Pro Bowl appearance (much less his enshrinement in Canton) until he actually does, but every single thing I have ever heard about him or seen from him has been the right move. Every single thing.
I'm still on the younger side, but one thing I have learned from life is that while talent is important in opening up doors, it's the people who work hard that are successful. And rarely do you see someone with a lot of talent who works unceasingly not make it to the top of his game, whether that's engineering, writing, medicine, or playing football.
The people who are betting against RGIII are really just hoping that some fluke hits him. I know which side of that bet I'd want to be on. |
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Irn-Bru
FanFromAnnapolis
Joined: 20 Mar 2004
Posts: 10628
Location: on the bandwagon
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| Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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Also, RGIII's dad is absolutely crazy (in a good way). I laugh at almost every new story I hear about him. This article has a few good ones:
| Quote: | Back in Texas, Robert Griffin would wait for his son's inevitable post-practice phone call. One time, his son told him, "Today, it was a grueling one, but I learned so much. I truly felt I'm elevating my game."
Another time, the elder Griffin was watching clips from practice on the Redskins' website and saw something in his son's footwork that he didn't like. "I called him, and he said, 'Dad, I'm already on top of that.' And I watched some more [clips] a couple of days later, and it was fixed."
During his first visit home after getting the playbook, Griffin pulled it out of his bag to show his mother. "This is my homework for the next year," he told her. Griffin's father may have been the only person outside the Redskins organization whom he afforded a good, long look at it. They went through it, talked about it. Griffin's father took on the role of quizmaster.
"That playbook is Coach Shanahan's vision," he said. "And that's what Robert is going to capture - Coach Shanahan's vision." |
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| Quote: | | "One thing my dad always told me was he would make sure I always had what he didn't have. He couldn't play basketball because he didn't have tennis shoes -- so I had five pairs of tennis shoes." |
And
| Quote: | Griffin and Liddicoat found the house on their own - the plan being to rent this year, and buy in 2013 -- with some direction from the Redskins. Griffin's mother, who had helped her son move into his Waco apartment four years earlier, made a point of staying out of it this time, in deference to Liddicoat. "That's a good thing for them to experience together," she said. "It's gearing towards their future."
Theirs was a highly typical house-hunting experience for new transplants to the Washington metro area, characterized first and foremost by sticker shock.
"Robert's a very frugal kid," his father said. "He was shocked [by the prices]. He called me - they were looking at a place, following the [Redskins' suggestions]. And that harsh reality - everyone who knows him knows he's not going to be some guy spending wildly. But he had to make a choice, and he felt it was important to be close to the [Redskins] facility, so he did it.
"I want him to live at middle class. Now, the rent he's gonna pay is not middle class, but his expenditures away from the rent will be. And that's important to me. If I see something I don't like, he's gonna get it from me." |
 Good man. |
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BigRedskinDaddy
Hog
Joined: 24 Aug 2008
Posts: 505
Location: Hemet CA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:27 am Post subject: |
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I'll tell you what. The more I read about this kid, the less I want him to succeed as a Redskins fan and the more I want him to simply because his kind of character and humility, coupled with that prodigious work ethic, are extremely rare in any profession.
If RGIII isn't too good to be true (and nothing thus far has provided even an inkling of that) then he is truly an exceptional young man, deserving of greatness.
Very inspiring. |
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1niksder
**********
Joined: 27 Mar 2004
Posts: 16578
Location: If I knew ... it would explain a lot but I've seen Homerville on a map, that wasn't helpful at all
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| Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:31 am Post subject: |
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| Great read! |
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Deadskins
JSPB22
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
Posts: 14723
Location: Location, LOCATION!
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| Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 4:06 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for that, IB.  |
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emoses14
Hog
Joined: 15 Jan 2007
Posts: 1506
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Can't. Wait. |
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Chris Luva Luva
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Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 17810
Location: AJT
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| Posted: Sat Jul 21, 2012 1:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | As he flew between Washington and Texas, perhaps a half-dozen times in all, Griffin usually checked a suitcase, but the playbook — along with an iPad the Redskins gave him, with all the plays in video form — boarded the plane with him, safely tucked in a carry-on bag. |
Glad to see the Skins are using any/all tools to aide the learning process. They're really upgrade the organization throughout. |
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Irn-Bru
FanFromAnnapolis
Joined: 20 Mar 2004
Posts: 10628
Location: on the bandwagon
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| Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 11:41 am Post subject: |
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| Chris Luva Luva wrote: | | Quote: | | As he flew between Washington and Texas, perhaps a half-dozen times in all, Griffin usually checked a suitcase, but the playbook — along with an iPad the Redskins gave him, with all the plays in video form — boarded the plane with him, safely tucked in a carry-on bag. |
Glad to see the Skins are using any/all tools to aide the learning process. They're really upgrade the organization throughout. |
And to think just 5-6 years ago they basically had a Lite-Brite for the replay screen in the stadium. |
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Chris Luva Luva
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Joined: 28 Jul 2003
Posts: 17810
Location: AJT
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| Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 1:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Irn-Bru wrote: | | Chris Luva Luva wrote: | | Quote: | | As he flew between Washington and Texas, perhaps a half-dozen times in all, Griffin usually checked a suitcase, but the playbook — along with an iPad the Redskins gave him, with all the plays in video form — boarded the plane with him, safely tucked in a carry-on bag. |
Glad to see the Skins are using any/all tools to aide the learning process. They're really upgrade the organization throughout. |
And to think just 5-6 years ago they basically had a Lite-Brite for the replay screen in the stadium. |
Lol yep.
I really need to proofread before submitting my posts. Lol |
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Deadskins
JSPB22
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
Posts: 14723
Location: Location, LOCATION!
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| Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Irn-Bru wrote: | | Chris Luva Luva wrote: | | Quote: | | As he flew between Washington and Texas, perhaps a half-dozen times in all, Griffin usually checked a suitcase, but the playbook — along with an iPad the Redskins gave him, with all the plays in video form — boarded the plane with him, safely tucked in a carry-on bag. |
Glad to see the Skins are using any/all tools to aide the learning process. They're really upgrade the organization throughout. |
And to think just 5-6 years ago they basically had a Lite-Brite for the replay screen in the stadium. |
More like two or three years, but yes. |
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Irn-Bru
FanFromAnnapolis
Joined: 20 Mar 2004
Posts: 10628
Location: on the bandwagon
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| Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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| BigRedskinDaddy wrote: | | I'll tell you what. The more I read about this kid, the less I want him to succeed as a Redskins fan and the more I want him to simply because his kind of character and humility, coupled with that prodigious work ethic, are extremely rare in any profession. |
Well said, and I totally agree. |
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Red_One43
Hog
Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 4606
Location: D.C.
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| Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Definitely a great read! |
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Hooligan
Hog
Joined: 14 Aug 2004
Posts: 882
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:48 pm Post subject: |
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Man, I love this guy. He's a great kid and a talented, driven athlete. I hope he lights it up because:
RG deserves it for his dedication and work ethic.
The team deserves it. The vets suffered years of mediocre play, but continued to fight. The younger guys are mostly hungry, character guys, and I like when they prevail.
We fans deserve it, because we've suffered as the team suffered, only for longer than most players' Redskins careers and without their salaries 
Because SNYDER deserves it, finally. He did what he should have done long ago: get a legit GM/HC combo and sit back. He should reap the rewards for doing the right thing.
Can't wait! |
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Mississippiskinsfan2
Hog
Joined: 18 Jan 2012
Posts: 290
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| Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:07 am Post subject: |
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With the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft RG3 selects the Redskins  |
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Red_One43
Hog
Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 4606
Location: D.C.
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| Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:35 am Post subject: |
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| Mississippiskinsfan2 wrote: | | With the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft RG3 selects the Redskins |
+1 |
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