Robert Griffin III recaptures a bit of magic, if not the approval of Redskins teammates
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Version 0 of 1. EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — He sat off to himself, an increasingly common sight these days, even after what would qualify as a promising, hopeful afternoon. Robert Griffin III played most of the Washington Redskins’ snaps at quarterback Sunday, and for a while it appeared he might lead his team to a win. He was moving the pocket, completing passes, pumping his fist like he used to. Then Washington and Griffin lost yet again, victims once again of their own mistakes, entering a quiet locker room after a game for the 11th time in 2014. And that’s when his teammates scattered, many of them chatting with teammates but no player coming near Griffin while reporters were allowed inside. “I consider it a family, a brotherhood,” said Griffin, who was benched earlier this season for inconsistent play. “I enjoy going out there playing with them.” It is, in that case, a dysfunctional brotherhood. No one approached Griffin to offer camera-ready words of encouragement, a shoulder or butt slap, a reminder to keep his head up if he returns next weekend to the starting lineup. Sunday’s game was another loss, apparently nothing more or less, hardly worth remembering during a season that should be forgotten. Griffin seemed to remain the only resident of his own desert island, telling himself and others the things that sounded good but lacked visual support. “He played okay,” Washington Coach Jay Gruden said of Griffin, offering little indication that Griffin’s 236 yards passing and 46 yards rushing were enough to outweigh a tarnished season and, more and more, Griffin’s three-year NFL career. Sure, Griffin would be “in the mix” to start Saturday against Philadelphia because, after all, Griffin is a quarterback on Washington’s roster. “Whatever Coach decides,” Griffin would say a short time later, “that’s what he decides.” Gruden chatted in the locker room with other players, and Griffin’s teammates gathered in small pockets. Griffin, once seen as one of the NFL’s most self-assured and charismatic players, sat mostly alone and didn’t say much. Only a team spokesman flanked him, and after a few minutes Griffin disappeared to dress. Earlier on Sunday, veteran wide receiver Santana Moss approached Griffin and reminded him that he was once one of the NFL’s most exciting players. What was stopping history from repeating itself? All Griffin had to do, even after being benched this season by the second coach in as many years, was believe it. “Robert came out there and played like a guy who has been taken out of something that he loves to do,” Moss said after the loss. “And he wants to show that, ‘Hey man, I still have it.’ ” For a while, it appeared Griffin had rediscovered the magic of 2012, moving the pocket in a simplified offense and finding open receivers. He scrambled occasionally, showing little of the hesitation that has defined his third NFL season, and punctuated a go-ahead touchdown pass to Chris Thompson by pumping his fist and pointing toward the sky. He turned on his once-dazzling speed and ran for 23 yards on one play. On another, after what appeared to be an eight-yard touchdown dash, Griffin was ruled to have fumbled as he dived into the end zone. Griffin’s promising first half was left buried under that mistake, a call that led to an eruption on Washington’s sideline and the ejection of Moss, along with zero points and little confidence as halftime began. Still, Moss said later that he liked what he saw from Griffin. “He came in fighting,” the wideout said, “and that’s all we can ask of him.” Griffin seemed more confident than he had been since before an ankle injury in the season’s second week, but that was no reason to celebrate. Darrel Young, Washington’s fullback and one of Griffin’s few outspoken allies, wouldn’t go so far as to single out Griffin as a player who needed a solid performance. “We all needed it, the way the season is going,” Young said. As the locker room emptied, Griffin re-emerged, pushed down his braids and walked toward a door. He talked into his cellphone as he headed toward a postgame news conference, where Griffin offered hopeful words, despite a voice that made him sound more beaten down, insisting that the latter part of this season remains about having fun with his teammates and working together. “I’ll be there for these guys,” Griffin said, and a moment later the questions stopped, Griffin left the stage and returned toward the locker room, where he turned a corner and saw that every other player had already left. 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