LANDOVER, Md. -- Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III knows he can’t lead the team to a win by himself. He also knows he must play at a much higher level if he wants to give his team a chance.
That much was clear after Washington’s 27-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which Griffin was sacked six times and completed 23-of-32 passes for 207 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown.
“If you want to look at the good teams in this league and the great quarterbacks, the Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Mannings, those guys don’t play well if their guys don’t play well,” Griffin said. “I need every guy in that locker room and I know they are looking at me saying the same thing.”
Griffin was harsh when it came to critiquing his own game. Not every sack was his fault, but if there was a theme it was that he often held the ball too long -- whether it was from his own indecision or other factors. It led to issues in the pocket. Griffin missed seeing open receivers when extending plays.
“With some of the concepts we had for the coverage we were playing against, we should have had some open receivers,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. “There were some concepts where we should have been on the same page, and the ball should have been out and it wasn’t.”
Griffin was criticized last season for being slow to point a finger at himself after a bad game or play. Sunday, he blamed himself for the sacks and pointed out things he could have done better, something he rarely did in the past.
“All the sacks are on me, period,” he said. “I can do better and I have to do better. I need every man in that locker room, player and coach to look themselves in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do better?’ We have to take responsibility for it and try to find a way to get [the ball] out, try to find a way to change the protection and a way to pick it up…. I will be the first to say I could have done better, a lot better.”
Griffin was intercepted twice, with the first time a result of a teammate bobbling the ball into the air. The second one, returned for a touchdown, occurred after a tipped pass when the linebacker read his eyes and dropped into the throwing lane.
“There are some plays I would like to have back,” he said. “There are a couple of plays that come to mind where I feel I could have been more aggressive.” Griffin said he wasn’t worried about being replaced.
“I’m the guy,” he said. “My job is to go out and help us win and that’s the way I look at it. I know [Gruden] believes in me. I know those guys in the locker room believe in me, so that’s all that matters for me.”
