Washington Redskins: Scot McCloughan gives RG3 real chance

By Andrew Long | May 10, 2015

The Washington Redskins haven’t been in the playoff chase since 2012, the year that Robert Griffin III lit up the NFL and earned the Rookie of the Year award. Since taking the league by storm during his rookie campaign, Griffin has struggled to stay on the field and out of the headlines. The combination of these things has created an almost toxic environment around the Redskins and their young signal caller.

The relationship between Griffin and former Washington head coach Mike Shanahan ended, to put it lightly, in rocky fashion. The Super Bowl winning head coach was shown the door after the 2013 season. In an effort to improve the pocket passing aspect of Grififn’s game, the Redskins hired Jay Gruden as their team’s new leader. Up until this point, the relationship between Griffin and Gruden hasn’t been great.

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On several occasions, Washington’s head coach has publicly criticized his signal caller. Sometimes it’s for his play, and others it’s for his level of maturity on and off the field. For awhile, I thought that the Redskins were in for another catastrophic failure in terms of unnecessary drama. But, with the insertion of Scot McCloughan as their general manager, I no longer get that grim feeling.

Instead, I am filled with optimism. Ever since McCloughan was introduced as the Redskins GM, issues surrounding the team have been handled with logic and professionalism. He’s done an excellent job of keeping the headlines at a minimum, while also making necessary roster moves. The team utilized their cap space very wisely during the free agency period, and successfully added depth across their roster in the 2015 NFL Draft.

A majority of McCloughan’s free agent signings were on the defensive side of the ball, but his first draft in D.C. tells a different story. He spent four of Washington’s first five draft picks on offensive players. Admittedly, I like the move, as it lets RG3 know that the new regime truly believes in him (something that couldn’t be said the last few years, in my opinion).

The offense heavy draft class does more than provide Griffin with a sense of confidence, though. It also gives him a legitimate chance to succeed in what may be his last year in Washington. Barring a catastrophic injury that sidelines him for a lengthy period of time, RG3’s future largely hinges on his performance in the upcoming 2015 season – and he knows that.

With that being said, I believe that McCloughan and company were wise to pick up Griffin’s fifth-year option. Knowing that he’s playing for his job, the young quarterback will likely be more driven than ever to succeed. If Griffin is able to return to the level of play that he’s capable of reaching, the Washington Redskins will have saved themselves a good portion of money.

On top of the smart drafting, signings and roster management, McCloughan has done an excellent job of creating a strong football atmosphere in Washington. His football first mantra has given the Redskins locker room a much needed jolt of optimism. His proven track record has players and fans alike doing something that they haven’t done in quite awhile: believing.

And, in my opinion, that’s the sort of atmosphere that RG3 can thrive in.

Next: Redskins smart to draft in volume

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