There are a few cringe-worth moments here as Robert Griffin III was formally introduced to the Washington media shortly before going onto the field to greet the fans at FedEx Field.
Opening statement:
“I just want to say it feels good to be a part of the Redskins. I take pride in the fact that I’ll be able to have the chance to wear burgundy and gold. Hail to the Redskins. Hail victory. I would sing it for you, but I think I’ll save that for the fans. I’m proud to be here. It’s not a lot of times you get a chance to have this opportunity, so I’ll make the most of it.”
On the pressure and hype surrounding him:
“Yeah, I’ve gotten an impression of that. I went to a signing in Chantilly and saw seven different variations of my name on a shirt so I kind of understand the anticipation, the excitement. And you’re just got to realize it’s about more than just one person. Quarterback always gets all the attention. He also gets all the criticism so it’s not necessarily how you can take the praise and the attention. It’s how you can deal with the type of criticism that you’re going to have to get, so I know this is a business. I have to be a professional, and I plan on doing my job at a high level.”
On what the last few days have been like, especially with the traveling involved:
“Yeah, it’s definitely been crazy. Some call it a whirlwind. A lot of cameras, a lot of people that want to talk to me and ask me questions. Thank you for that. You just got to take it and go with the flow. A lot of people could look at this as a bad side, but it’s all a part of the gig. You don’t dream of these types of situations when you’re a kid. You just think you can play professional sports and be done. There’s a lot more that goes into it. You have to wrap your mind around it, and I think I’m trying to do a good job of that.”
On when he became at ease with his celebrity status:
“Thanks to my parents getting me involved in sports at an early age, I dealt with attention pretty quickly, but it can be difficult. The one thing that people have said is it’s only going to get worse, but if it gets worse, it means I’m doing my job. When you’re successful, people are going to want a part of you. They’re going to want to talk to you and see what’s going through your mind. I plan on being successful. I hope the Redskins, the teammates that I now have, will join me in that battle, and hopefully the spotlight, all the cameras and all the flashes, will get worse for everybody because that means we’re doing what we’re supposed to do, and that’s win football games.”
On how much he knew about the Redskins growing up and how much he knows about the team now:
“Everyone thinks I was a Cowboys fan growing up. I actually wasn’t. I won’t name the team I was a fan of, but you definitely hear about the Redskins, Philadelphia, [and] the Giants all in that same division. I don’t know the history like the back of my hand, but I’ve definitely seen the struggles the team has gone through, especially when it comes to quarterbacks. They drafted me to try to be the solution to that problem, and I plan on being the solution.”
On the fans’ high expectations:
“I think a lot of times the media can take what the fans and the expectations are and just maybe misplace it a little bit. The fans aren’t excited just because I’m coming into town. They’re excited because of the pieces that are already in place with the Washington Redskins, so that’s what I try to tell people. You have a great defense, they’ve added weapons on offense, and they brought me in to be the quarterback, so that’s what all the excitement’s about. It’s not just about me being here. It’s about the team that’s already here with the addition of myself.”
On if he expects to start Week 1 and the difference between play calls in college and in the NFL:
“You try not to expect anything in life or assume anything, so I’ll work toward being the starting quarterback on day one. And then, when it comes to the verbiage, I could give you a long-verbiage play from my college playbook and a long-verbiage play from the Redskins’ playbook, so it’s not necessarily that. It’s just on a consistent basis the verbiage will be long at the next level. I look forward to it. It’s all a learning curve. What you do in the past helps you for the future, so the offense at Baylor prepared me for the offense that I’ll have to go through here with the Redskins, but it’s a totally different offense.”
On if coaches gave him a playbook and what they have told him since he was drafted:
“Yeah, I think it’s pretty legal now to have the playbook so I do have the playbook. I’ll be studying it [and] going out working toward mastering it before the season even though I know that’s probably not possible. I’ll try to get the best hold of it as I can to go out and try to be able to perform. I didn’t hear anything much different, other than [the selection] is official. I’m a Washington Redskin. They’re excited about that, they’re happy to have me as part of the organization, and they’re relying on me. That’s what [Redskins Owner] Dan Snyder told me. They’re relying on me, and I like to be relied on because I feel like I can help in any way possible.”
On how his draft weekend experience compares to meeting President [Barack] Obama:
“Meeting the President was an honor so it’s hard to compare everything from the Heisman to the draft to meeting President Obama, but he’s as advertised - a really cool, down-to-earth person. He talked to me, [and] we’re going to try to set up a basketball game after the season. He told me he wouldn’t play against me, but he would definitely play on my team, so we’ll do that. But every experience is its own, so you have to try to live each moment to the fullest.”
On what he would say to his former Spanish teacher who would told the local media in an interview that he has always been a confident person:
“Yeah, she was my Spanish teacher, but I can’t say what I would want to say to her in Spanish so I’m just going to say it in English. I was a confident kid. By no means was I ever cocky, but I did believe in myself, believed that my parents had a plan for me, and I was going to try to follow through with it. I hope that she’s proud of me. She was my seventh and eighth grade Spanish teacher, and I’m definitely better at football than I am at Spanish.
On his ability to slide and what he thinks about running the stretch play:
“When it comes to sliding, I’m not the best slider. Not that I don’t want to slide, in baseball I never slid because I felt like I could get to the base fast enough that I didn’t have to. I have been working on that over the past couple of years and have gotten better. I do know when to slide and when to keep running, just in case people were wondering. And then with the keeps – that’s what they call it, they call it the ‘keep game’ – I have been in it that both in high school and in college. It’s something that I’m familiar with. I know it’s something everyone’s emphasized that they can really use me in. The coaches told me they’re going to give me a lot of input on what we’ll do on offense. Not that I’ll come in on day one and say, ‘Hey, we’re doing this,’ but if I like something then they’ll continue to coach it. If I don’t, they’ll take it out because the job is for all of us to be as successful as we can. I am familiar with the keep game. I do like the keep game, and we’re going to use the keep game.”
On if he has any prior friendships with current Redskins players:
“I’m familiar with players on the roster [but have] no friendships. I do know [Brian] Orakpo. He played at Texas so no friendships there, but we’re cool now because we’re all part of Redskins Nation, so that matters. I am familiar with a lot of the guys. Santana Moss was a guy I watched. I’m not going to mention his age, but he was a guy I watched growing up. I wanted to go to ‘The U.’ It will be a pleasure playing with him. Of course, there’s Pierre Garçon and Josh Morgan who just came in, Anthony Armstrong, Brandon Banks, Terrence Austin, [and] Leonard Hankerson. I could go on there for days with the receivers because those are my guys. That’s who I’ve got to throw the ball to. [I know] Roy Helu, the running back, Evan Royster, [and] Tim Hightower if he comes back. I’m familiar with the guys on the team. I want them to know that I am looking them up and thinking about meeting them. Hopefully I can form good relationships with them. I’ve been doing my homework. I know a little bit about just about everybody because those are my teammates now.”
On embracing a leadership role with the Redskins:
“Leadership is something that’s thrown upon you as a quarterback. But as a team, you can be a quarterback and not be the leader of a team, so I want to come in [and] show the team that I’m ready to work and lead by example rather than coming out and being the most vocal guy ever. You do have to take control of the team and let them know that you’re their leader. But at the same time, being a rookie, you can’t come in and just say it. You have to show it, and I plan on doing that.”
On what he must do to bring stability to the quarterback position:
“I try not to take the weight of the past 20 years on my own shoulders. I realize there are other guys on this team that can help us be successful. I don’t have to do everything. All of these guys are very talented – many all-Americans, many all-conference players. Everybody’s on this team for a reason. They want to win, and they’re good at what they do, so I don’t have to do everything by myself. [I need to] just be myself, go out and work hard, learn the offense, continue to do the things that help me be successful as an individual and help build that through the team with the qualities I can help add to a team.”
On the comparison between him and Michael Vick:
“If anyone says you’re comparable to Michael Vick, that’s an honor first of all. But talking to Coach [Mike] Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan, his son, today, they say I’m a throwing quarterback who just happens to be really fast. So that’s what I think is a great comparison. Guys that my dad made me watch growing up, you know even if I didn’t get to see them play were Roger Staubach, I know that’s a bad name around here, but Fran Tarkenton, Kenny Stabler, Randall Cunningham, all those guys and Steve Young. Guys that can move the pocket a little bit, but also took care of what they were supposed to. You don’t want to be one dimensional, and I definitely focused on that in college, and hopefully I can continue to do that in the pros.”
On other role models in his life besides his parents and getting introduced to all-time great Redskins quarterbacks:
“Growing up, I was a ‘like Mike’ kid, so I wanted to be like Mike. I wanted to be like Michael Jordan. Basketball was my love. My dad got me involved in basketball at an extremely early age. So that is why if you see me throw the ball and my tongue is out, that’s what Mike did. So I really did buy into that. I wanted to be successful. I took that from the field, from the court, from the track and tried to apply that in the classroom and just be like Mike everywhere. Michael Jordan had a huge influence on me, but no one was bigger than my parents and of course God. They introduced me to Jesus at a young age, and I accepted it, and that’s how I live my life. But definitely outside of my parents and God, it was Michael Jordan. Definitely I haven’t met Doug [Williams], but I talked to him a couple of times [and] talked to Joe Theismann. Would love to meet those guys in person and hear what they have to say about being the quarterback of the Washington Redskins because obviously it’s a unique situation. It’s unlike any other team in the NFL to be the quarterback here. They can give me some pointers, and hopefully we can win some Super Bowls.”
On being able to deal with the pressure of saying ‘No’ to certain people:
“I mean, it’s tough to disappoint people. Most times people surround themselves with ‘yes men,’ but I’ve surrounded myself with a couple ‘no men.’ We are going to have a couple ‘no men’ on my side to try and help me out, but I try and do what I can to help people. Everybody is fighting for the same thing. They want to be happy, they want to be successful, but time in life is precious and sometimes people don’t realize that you can’t get it back. Time is money, but we’re not going to mention money. Like I said, time is precious. And I like my time, but I also like to help others.”
On his relationship with fourth-round pick Kirk Cousins:
“I mean, me and Kirk had a long-distance relationship in college because you know I watched him on TV. Besides from that, we were in the same group at the Combine so I got to know him a little bit. He’s a good guy and I look forward to going out there and growing with him. It’ll be fun. He got drafted a little bit later than he would have liked, but I’m just glad to have him on the team with the Washington Redskins.”
On the expectations he has for his teammates:
“I just hope that they know that I’m here to work. It’s not all about show. You can never walk up to a 30-year-old man when you’re 22 and tell him what to do. You have to earn his respect, so I just want them to know that I’m here to work and I’m ready to help this team win. Especially in the NFL, the difference between winning and losing is so small. It’s all about your mindset and how you approach the game, so I try to approach the game with a positive mindset. Knowing that if you trust your preparation, no one can beat you. So we’re going to prepare, whether it’s in the weight room, on the field, in the film room, all those types of things. I’m going to prepare myself to the point that I feel like I can’t be beat, and I expect the same thing out of my teammates.”
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