Robert Griffin III has read the headlines. He has heard the criticism. He is aware of the trade talk and draft talk surrounding the Washington Redskins and his future with the franchise. The quarterback is aware that things on shaky, but do not expect him to comment on it. As the Redskins begin offseason workouts and Griffin enters as the starter, the quarterback is making it clear he intends to talk less this season as his confidence is still high as ever.
"It's not about talking about it; it's about being about it," Griffin said, via the Washington Post. "That's what my goal is this whole offseason. You gotta talk small, play big, take care of the little things so the big things fall into place. The way I look at it is as long as I'm here with the Washington Redskins and they say I'm the guy, then I'm the guy. I'm ready to go."
The question is whether or not Griffin really is the guy in Washington. Head coach Jay Gruden has made it clear that while Griffin enters as the starter, there are no guarantees and the quarterback must improve in order to regain confidence of the team. Gruden has certainly voiced his criticism for Griffin, but continues to support him as the starter.
"Robert ended the season as the starter and we anticipate that moving forward," Gruden said, via NFL.com, "and we anticipate both of them with a good frame of mind and eager to get better. We'll go into the season with Robert as the No. 1 guy obviously, and it's up to Robert to continue to grow and mature as a quarterback and a person and moving forward, we just want to see some improvement. That's up to us as a staff to get more out of him."
According to ESPN's John Clayton, the Redskins continue to eye Marcus Mariota, but do not intend to trade up from the No. 5 pick to get him. If the quarterback is around, the team will draft him. If not, they will move forward with Griffin who is not expected to ink a fifth-year option in the coming weeks. Instead, the team will look to draft someone like Amari Cooper or Kevin White who could help Griffin improve in the season ahead.
