Robert Griffin III is the Pro Football Weekly (along with the Pro Football Writers of America) offensive rookie of the year. The awards didn't just stop there as Robert was also named their overall rookie of the year as well. I will be a homer and say he definitely deserved the award over Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. Griffin put up some big time numbers, as did the other two, but did it by playing in technically 14 1/2 games. Not to mention he played the last two games of the season basically on one leg.
Luck and Wilson were both on teams that were going to be in position to make the playoffs with just a decent quarterback. Peyton Manning didn't play last year and the Colts fell to the worst record in the league. The Colts did have a new coaching staff in place, but with their division not being strong, they were going to have a solid chance to win some games. Seattle had Tavaris Jackson at quarterback for 14 games and Charlie Whitehurst for 2 in 2011. They finished 7-9 just missing the playoffs. Their defense had already started to show dominance and they already had an offensive line and running back in place. The Redskins had a ton of holes to fill, $18 million less than everyone else to spend in free agency and uncertainty everywhere minus tight end, linebacker and defensive line.
Griffin lined up versus New Orleans with a rookie 6th round draft pick (Alfred Morris), an unproven offensive line, Garcon as the only "threat" from the receiving core and not to mention he himself a rookie at the toughest position to play in football. He became the first player in NFL history to debut with over 300 yards passing, 2 or more scores and no interceptions. He started the season with a record and broke several more as the season went on. Griffin lost his top target (Garcon) in the first quarter of the first game and didn't have him for much of the next 8 games. Take any teams top offensive threat away and where do they stand? Remember just a few years ago when the Giants lost Plaxico Burress? Maybe we take away Adrian Peterson from the Vikings or Dez Bryant from the Cowboys, how much different would their seasons have gone?
Griffin went on to set team records in yards (3,200), passing percentage (65.6), touchdowns (20), interceptions (5) and passer rating at 102.4. He also set team rushing records with 815 yards and 7 touchdowns. On an NFL scale, he led the league in yardage per pass attempt (8.14) and totaled the lowest interception total for quarterbacks attempting over 300 passes this season. Remember Griffin didnt play versus Cleveland and only played into the second quarter against Atlanta. The NFL and its fans recognized Griffin's performances this season and he was elected as one of the three NFC quarterbacks in the Pro Bowl. He is the first Redskins offensive rookie to have that honor since 1969 (Larry Brown).
Put aside all the injury talk and the what ifs. Robert Griffin III had a solid rookie campaign and already redefined the quarterback position (see the Seahawks and 49ers). More teams will look to a Griffin like quarterback in the near future, which will keep Tim Tebow in the league and have colleges looking for more Johnny Manziel type of players. I am sure Griffin will do nothing but thank and praise his teammates for this honor, but Robert deserves all the glory. This certainly won't be his first or last award in the league and the people at Canton better get ready to receive more Robert Griffin III memorabilia.
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