Is this the dawn of a new era or what?
Over the last couple of decades the Redskins have committed the dual sins of being both bad and difficult to watch. With only three playoff appearances and a style of play that either compelled causal viewers to take to their remotes to flip to another game or anything else or induced snores, the Redskins simply haven’t been must-see TV viewing.
Robert Griffin III has changed that. The rookie quarterback has dazzled the Redskins’ fans and foes alike and has brought the team back into the national conversation.
And it has made the Redskins eminently more watchable, to the point of being appointment TV for folks who don’t count themselves among the Redskins faithful. Grantland, a site that hasn’t had much good to say about the Redskins, ranked the 32 NFL teams in terms of how compelling they are to watch. Site writer Bill Barnwell did the rankings and explains his simple criteria.
Against an average opponent, which team would I want to watch the most? Would I rather watch this team play that average opponent than that team? And so on and so on.
The least watchable teams, the Raiders and Jaguars, are listed and the top of the article. You have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to find the Redskins. They are Barnwell’s most watchable team and RG3, of course, is the reason why.
[Griffin] is the most exhilarating football experience since Michael Vick emerged on the scene in 2002. And RG3's numbers blow Vick's away. Keep in mind that Griffin leads the league in completion percentage (70.8 percent) and yards per attempt (8.5) with Leonard Hankerson and Josh Morgan as his starting wideouts, and that doesn't even consider his value as a runner.
The writer wouldn’t be surprised to see Griffin boot a record field goal or even learn that he actually had saved the Nats’ season by coming on in relief of Drew Storen.
“These days, nobody in football is more watchable or entertaining,” Barnwell concludes.
Redskins Nation happily concurs.
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