Why We Don’t Play “What If” in D.C.

First an aside: sorry I have been gone so long, loyal readers, I have spent the better part of the last three weeks I have been locked in a dark Pakistani room while Jason Clarke assaulted my body, mind, and spirit, trying to get me to talk. Unless he wanted me to analyze some obscure “classic” work of literature (I’m pretty confident I know everything about “Pride and Prejudice” at this point in my life- one of the many marketable skills of an English major) or give my opinion on the RGIII injury, I don’t think I had anything to offer him.

Plus, no way he’s getting me to break. I can photosynthesize my own energy like a plant.

What I want to talk about today is not Zero Dark Thirty, nor is it any other Oscar-worthy films that I had high hopes for but ultimately disliked (Django Unchained), I want to talk about Bleacher Report.

I like Bleacher Report not just usually, but most of the time. I find that they have good writers and interesting articles. So naturally while making my rounds of the Internet (it goes: e-mail, Grantland, Yahoo!, BR, ESPN, CNN) I came across an interesting little article (read it here) grading the Redskins draft in hindsight. Grading a draft in retrospect is a fun little exercise, especially when you can make fun of Eagles fans. But one year later? Seems a little too soon. The author does call it a “way-too-early review” of the 2012 Draft (an understatement considering the ink on the 2012 season has barely dried), but my issue goes further than simply grading Alfred Morris an “A+” draft pick.

The author suggests in the article an alternate reality. One in which the Redskins do not take RGIII, keep the draft picks they traded in order to land the No. 2 pick, and instead use the No. 6 selection.

The ‘Skins then select Morris Claiborne with the 6^th pick and select Russell Wilson with the 3^rd Round pick (would have been 69^th, we traded down to 71^st). (The Redskins selected Josh LeRibeus with the 71^st.)

Here is my issue with this: it’s fine to say “Alfred Morris as a 6^th Round pick? Wow what a great draft selection.” But when you start saying things like “Alfred Morris was a 6^th Round pick? Why didn’t everyone take him?” things become muddled, and your opinions as a sports fan slip further away from reality.

When you start playing that what if game, well, that’s when things get dangerous. What if the Redskins hadn’t traded for the No. 2 pick, selected Morris Claiborne, and then selected Russell Wilson?

First of all, if we’re being honest with ourselves, the Redskins wouldn't have done that. We were always down for RGIII. And now that we know that we can begin.

Morris Claiborne was going to be a Cowboy. If you paid ANY amount of attention to Draft coverage last year you knew that the Cowboys needed secondary help, badly. However, they weren't going to get it with that 14^th pick. The best secondary players: Claiborne, Mark Barron, and Stephon Gilmore, were locked in as Top-10 guys. EVERYONE knew the Cowboys were moving up to get one of the three, we just didn’t know where. If the Redskins keep that No. 6 pick the Top-5 changes, but rather unpredictably.

I’d propose a what if game myself, just to prove my point, but it strikes me as hypocritical. So I won’t.

In 2011 Dallas’s defense ranked league average or worse in every major statistical category. Their pass defense was horrendous, the Rob Ryan led unit hemorrhaged yards through the air. After they ditched Terrence Newman in the off-season they were in need of a Cornerback. Jerry Jones decided they were getting Morris Claiborne, and when Jerry Johnson wants something he gets it. Thank goodness for capitalism.

The Redskins needed- and still need- help in the secondary so Mark Barron wouldn't have been an outrageous selection for them at No. 6. They also desperately needed a Quarterback, and though unlikely that RGIII would have fallen to them, there were no other Quarterbacks worthy of a Top-10 pick. The author of the article suggests that the Redskins could have taken Russell Wilson at No. 6? Are you kidding me?

Russell Wilson was not a prospect. He was a draftable player who many thought was mature beyond his years, but not the bona fide stud he played like at times in 2012. At the NFL Draft Combine Wilson was given a grade of 68.5 out of 100, a number categorizing him as a “Draftable Player.”

The categorization defines him as: “A prospect with the ability to make a team as a backup/role player.”

Mike Mayock was high on Wilson, shouting at us through dangerously intelligible lisp , “I can’t tell you how much I like this kid…Not only can he be a competent back up and change-of-pace quarterback, but I think someday he can be a starting-quality player.” 

Basically the scouts hedged their bets. He could become a starter, but also might not. Gee, thanks. Pretty sure everyone fits this category, though. Should I take him instead of RGIII?

Short answer? No.

We know the pedigree by now. Heisman, 4.4 speed, smart, amiable, marketable (he's the only reason I eat Subway). He was graded as a 95, an impact player with the “ability/intangibles to become a Pro Bowl player.” 95 is the cut off point between “Immediate Starter” and “Future Hall of Famer,” and also the second best grade doled out in 2012 (behind Andrew Luck's 97).

Transport yourself to April 2012 for a moment. Had you suggested Russell Wilson was a better draft pick than RGIII not only would you have been given a pink slip, you would have jumped by Bogs and "the sisters." (Wait, my bad, that's from "Shawshank Redemption").

From our perspective today, January 27^th, it’s easy to write off the Redskins decision to select Robert Griffin III. His health is in flux and it is unclear when (or if) he will return to his pre-injury level of effectiveness. He is a Pro-Bowl caliber player when healthy, but even RGIII optimists are worried about his knee.

But let’s be clear about one thing: RGIII at his best is better than Russell Wilson at his best. Wilson plays for a better team and has a Top-5 defense to protect his leads; Robert Griffin III’s defense (at full strength) is slightly better than league average. Isolate these players individually, however, and you would be remiss to pick Wilson.

Wilson’s best qualities, the ones everyone raves about, are his speed and his intangibles (leadership, make-up, etc). RGIII has those same qualities and they are better. His speed is superior to Wilson’s, and his leadership is close to Ray Lewis Level in terms of effectiveness. He put the city of D.C. on his back like Atlas and gave Football starved fans in the District something to nix the hangover from Baseball season.

I acknowledge its only been a year, but when you think D.C. Football you think RGIII; when you think Seattle Football I’m not sure you think Russell Wilson. D.C. fans are crazy about RGIII in ways that border on unhealthy. I haven’t done it, but if you polled residents of our nation’s capital I'm confident he would win in an election against Obama. He has become a mythic cult figure in the city, appealing to every citizen regardless of demographic. Bryce Harper is a polarizing figure, so is (to a rapidly declining extent) Alex Ovechkin. Neither is as big as Robert Griffin. EVERYONE loves the guy.

For years Redskins fans have been caught between the Scylla and Charybdis of Quarterbacks: Rex Grossman and John Beck. Enter: Robert Griffin III. He brought us to the playoffs, and he infected us with his charm. He freed us from watching horrible Football. He, almost single-handedly, rejuvenated Football in D.C.

Is Russell Wilson is a nice player? Sure. Do Redskins fans wish that they selected him instead of shelling out the draft picks it took to get Griffin? No. Please don’t ask us again.

We have a lot of pride in the District; we also get defensive when people who know nothing about our teams interject their opinions. Today, I’m taking Robert Griffin. Tomorrow? I’m taking Robert Griffin. I’m already pissed that the Capitals stink, don’t make me go Wayne Brady.