Early August is not the time for staying medium. And the first-ever sort-of-real sort-of-fake quarter of replacement-ref NFL football for Robert Griffin III was not the time for staying medium, either.
Thus, many people said many enthusiastic things about RGIII on Thursday. Here are some of my favorites.
* “If I ran that fast, I’d probably get a bloody nose.” — Joe Theismann
* “The number 3 is more than a numeral that follows 2 and precedes 4. It’s more than just the first odd prime number. In astronomy, the Roman numeral 3 stands for giant star, and in an area synonymous with the three branches of government, there’s no bigger star in the DMV than RGIII, Robert Griffin III.” — Chick Hernandez
* “Make no mistake whatsoever, this is all about Robert Griffin III.” — Joe Theismann
* “Even when he’s a 5-year veteran, he’s not always going to dominate.” — Chris Russell
* “I liked everything I saw through the first delivery.” — Joe Theismann, after RGIII’s first pass, an incompletion
* “I think what we need is an RGIII [ice-cream] pop. Just his head. Take a big bite. It’d be delicious.” — Holden Kushner
* “Robert Griffin III doesn’t look as tall as he is at 6-2, but he can see and stand over people.” — Joe Theismann
* “That play didn’t look like much, I think, to many people, but I saw a lot of things in this play. I saw Robert Griffin III”s quickness — gets his head around, sets, find his target, he gets the ball out of his hands. Good defensive play, but RGIII does a real nice job, and you can see, he has a lot of different delivery points. He can throw it sidearm, he can throw it three-quarters, he can bring it from the top. It’s just a question of what Kyle Shanahan wants to do with him early in his career.” — Joe Theismann, after a short incompletion
* “I like the fact that he bounces around, too. I mean, he’s really light on his feet.” — Joe Theismann
* “I love that smile on his face all the time.” — Joe Theismann
* “He doesn’t go out and say we’re gonna win X amount of games. He still understands that there’s a lot of room to grow, a lot of room for improvement. But it certainly was a very good start for him.” — Joe Theismann
* “When you watch him work, you look at the composure that he had, nothing is too big for him. He’s not flustered. It’s almost good that we’re on the road.” — Joe Theismann
* “I’m giving myself about 25 percent of the season and [the team’s quarterback rushing record will] be shattered. That took a lot of effort for me. When you watch Robert Griffin III run, Robert runs in such a way that it’s effortlessly done.” — Joe Theismann
* “So many things that Robert Griffin III says put a smile on my face from the quarterback’s perspective. Because one of the most important things about playing that position is making decisions, the proper decisions that don’t hurt your football team. And that’s exactly what he was talking about.” — Joe Theismann
* “There’s so many things you want to watch him do and grow going forward.” — Joe Theismann
* “The more you’re around him, the more you appreciate him. You really do. An impressive young man.” — Joe Theismann
