Former Ravens QB to join Netflix’ studio coverage of NFL Christmas Day doubleheader

Former Ravens QB Robert Griffin III to join Netflix’ studio coverage of the NFL Christmas Day doubleheader the Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans games

After signing a three-year deal with the league to host two Christmas Day games in 2024 and one game per holiday over the next three years, Netflix is now officially an NFL streaming giant.

According to Front Office Sports, Robert Griffin III will join NFL Network analyst and former Notre Dame star Manti Te’o, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes, and former Saints quarterback Drew Brees as analysts for pre-and post-game shows during the Christmas Day doubleheader. They will handle the pre-game and post-game analysis and downtime between the two games.

Kay Adams, host of FanDuel’s Up & Adams, is expected to lead studio coverage from a set in Los Angeles.

Griffin, who ESPN laid off in a cost-cutting move in August, spent three years with the Ravens, playing in 14 games, logging 288 yards passing, one touchdown, and four interceptions.

Netflix announced the Ravens and Texans will play in a rematch of last season’s AFC divisional round matchup following the Kansas City Chiefs’ massive matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Baltimore defeated Houston twice last season.

The first meeting was a 25-9 Ravens win in the season opener, and the second was a dominant 34-10 win in the AFC Divisional Round game that catapulted Baltimore to the AFC Championship game.

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RGIII believes Texas RB Bijan Robinson is the ‘best player in the draft’

Robert Griffin III gave high praise to Texas running back Bijan Robinson ahead of the NFL Draft. 

Former Heisman Trophy winner and current NFL analyst Robert Griffin III gave high praise to Texas running back Bijan Robinson ahead of the NFL Draft. Continue reading “RGIII believes Texas RB Bijan Robinson is the ‘best player in the draft’”

RGIII says Texas should use NIL to get Bijan Robinson to return

RGIII thinks Texas should drop a bag to get Bijan Robinson back.

Name, Image and Likeness has changed the game of college football over the past two years. With some players making over seven figures to play collegiate football, it makes the decision to go pro or not a bit tougher.

Former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III had some interesting remarks about star running back Bijan Robinson’s looming decision after the Longhorns’ win over Baylor.

“Pre-NIL, Bijan should leave. As a running back, you don’t want to keep getting all that pounding on your body before you go to the NFL. If I’m Bijan, I’m saying, ‘Texas make me an offer so I have to come back. Give me $6-7 million in NIL money and NIL opportunities, so I don’t have to go pro and these fans can get another year of Bijan Robinson.’ Because he’s worth it.”

Robinson has been incredible as Texas’ offensive catalyst this season. The Heisman candidate totaled 1,580 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns while adding another 314 yards and two scores through the air.

NFL scouts see Robinson as a first-round draft prospect if he turns pro. Texas would likely have to match the number an NFL contract would pay him to get him back.

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ESPN analyst, former QB predicts Jalen Hurts as NFL MVP

Robert Griffin III predicts Jalen Hurts to win the NFL MVP

Robert Griffin III took the college football world by storm when he put the Baylor Bears back on the map in 2011 when he became a Heisman Trophy winner. As a result, Griffin was the No. 2 overall selection in the 2012 NFL draft to the now-Washington Commanders. During the 2012 season, Griffin was the NFL offensive rookie of the year.

Griffin’s career never quite panned out after an ACL injury, but he now broadcasts games for ESPN. Griffin has always been incredibly passionate about football and is very knowledgeable so it is fun to hear his NFL opinions.

This week, Griffin released his NFL MVP favorites, and former Crimson Tide quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is in the No. 1 position.

The Philadelphia Eagles are undefeated (8-0) on the year and Hurts has been a massive reason why. He is completing 68.2% of his passes for 2,042 yards and 12 touchdowns to only two interceptions. Hurts is also a huge piece of the Eagles rushing attack with 88 carries for 326 yards and six touchdowns.

The Eagles don’t have the most difficult schedule coming up, so as long as the Eagles continue to win, Hurts MVP chances will continue to increase.

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Robert Griffin, III shares college football top-7 rankings

Former Heisman winner shares his rankings…

2011 Heisman Trophy winner and Baylor legend Robert Griffin, III was the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 2012 and spent time in the league through 2020 as he played for the Washington, Cleveland, and Baltimore franchises.   Since taking his final snap in the pandemic year of 2020, Griffin has joined ESPN where he works as an analyst for both the NFL and college football.

This week Griffin joined the slews of college football analysts and fans and released his own team rankings.  Some people go with a round number like 10, others go with five or six, but Griffin went with seven programs he ranked.

Notre Dame clearly isn’t ranked in this but three teams the Irish will ultimately play in 2022 are.  Griffin’s top seven goes as follows:

How badly do Rivera and Washington ‘need’ a quarterback?

Head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew haven’t been shy about Washington’s intentions to upgrade the quarterback position.

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This evening I read some guy tweeting that the Washington Commanders had offered the Seattle Seahawks five first-round choices for Russell Wilson, but the offer was turned down by Seattle.

Of course, that offer was both absurd and false. Yes, head coach Ron Rivera has publicly declared (more than a few times) that Washington is looking for a QB. He and GM Martin Mayhew last week both spoke to the media at the NFL Combine and neither was shy to admit they are indeed looking to improve the position for the Commanders.

Are Coach Rivera and Mayhew crossing the line, appearing too needy? In business, one can certainly proclaim what they need. Yet, shouldn’t that person also remain shrewd, to never cross the line of appearing too willing to trade too much for what one desires?

Mike Ditka had won coaching in Chicago. Ditka won 11+ games in six NFL seasons, including a 15-1 Super Bowl Championship for the ’85 Bears.

When Ditka took over New Orleans in 1997 and experienced back-to-back 6-10 seasons, he made it known he wanted Ricky Williams. Charley Casserly and Washington took advantage of Ditka and traded the No. 5 overall pick in the draft to the Saints for all six of the Saints 1999 selections and the Saints’ 2000 selections in the first and third rounds. I was doing cartwheels and backflips when that trade was announced.

Might Rivera have been too quick last week to say no one was concerned with what the Rams gave up for Matthew Stafford? Remember how Washington received only one exciting (10-6) season from Robert Griffin but had already (being too eager) given up first-round choices in 2012, 2013 and 2014 for a guy yet to play a down in an NFL pocket? At least Russell Wilson has already proven himself to be a capable NFL passer and leader.

Sometimes in negotiations, we really must be careful, because if our posture is one of being too needy, the negotiation will actually be nothing more than the other guy taking advantage of us. A fair mediation will involve you being willing to walk away from the table. I am hoping, if need be, Coach Ron and Mayhew are both willing to walk away from the table.

Robert Griffin III again fails to deliver

Robert Griffin III’s alleged “tell-all” book about his time in Washington isn’t happening after all. Hmmmm……

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Similar to his NFL career, Robert Griffin’s tell-all book has also gone south very quickly.

Griffin who had an outstanding 2012 season and then informed coaches he would no longer run the offense that fit him perfectly, quickly learned he was not the pocket passer he fancied himself to be, never again experiencing NFL success.

Only months after boldly proclaiming on November 30 he was providing NFL and Washington fans an exclusive tell-all book, it has apparently died just as quick a death.

Griffin had promised details of the medical mismanagement he had received, the sexual harassment permeating the organization’s walls and the deep power struggle between Mike Shanahan and Daniel Snyder.

Griffin in his audio promo said, “I am so excited to announce I wrote a book, and it’s coming out August 2022, entitled, “Surviving Washington.” So, Griffin was claiming to have already written the book?

Why has Griffin deleted the promotional video from Twitter? Why is the pre-order link on Simon and Schuster’s website inactive? Voluminous, terribly written books are published annually. So, why wasn’t this book published? Do you think there was a book written?

“The Sports Junkies” Eric Bickel deserves some credit on this one. While nearly everyone announcing the book was speculating how much Robert would detail, Bickel from the start was having absolutely none of it.

Raising his voice in confidence, he had proclaimed on the Sports Junkies that this book would never occur, never see the light of day.

Even more, when many Washington commentators in 2014 (print, or airwaves) were taking the safe route, wondering when Griffin would develop into an NFL quarterback, who could succeed in the pocket, it was Bickel who boldly proclaimed on the Sports Junkies that fans were clueless and did not understand that it was already over for Robert Griffin. (Actually what Bickel declared was much bolder–and more entertaining; here is the link).

Bickel is an admitted homer; a homer who has always rooted for the team and objectivity sometimes gets lost (it does for all of us). However, he has been on to Robert Griffin longer than most. Therefore, Thursday’s Sports Junkies segment announcing the cancellation of the Robert Griffin tell-all project was in essence a victory lap for Eric Bickel.

When Ryan Fitzpatrick went down in this season’s first game, there was Robert Griffin tweeting for Washington to make the call to himself, so he could come in and rescue the 2021 team. Bickel proclaimed Thursday, “I don’t think he is a bad guy, but he is the biggest attention-whore in football… I know him so well, and I’ve never met him,” expressed Bickel.

The more things change, the more things stay the same, for Robert Griffin.

Did Washington lose by beating the NY Giants?

Don’t assume Washington lost by moving down two spots in the NFL draft order. It’s about who you pick, not where you pick.

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Monday, talk show callers and fans on Twitter were waxing eloquent on how Washington in defeating the NY Giants Sunday, actually lost, after dropping to No. 11 in the 2022 NFL draft order.

“What did one more win get us, seeing we did not qualify for the playoffs?”

“The team needs a franchise quarterback and drafting down lower at number 11 hurts their chances.”

This revealed an assumption by those disappointed Washington had won. The position assumes that the higher you draft, the better player you obtain.

Now, when you are as old as I am and have followed Washington drafts as I have since high school, I’ve learned this assumption can and should be challenged.

Each NFL draft there are prospects that are overvalued via scouts and coaches’ excitement, not sound evaluation. Consequently, those prospects climb the draft boards, are drafted entirely too early and don’t live up to expectations.

Of course, it takes a few years to evaluate a draft, so consider five consecutive first-round NFL Drafts beginning in 2011:

2011: Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder, were all taken in the top 12; yet Robert Quinn, Ryan Kerrigan, Cameron Jordan and Cameron Heyward were drafted later in the round and much more productive.

2012: Robert Griffin, Trent Richardson, Matt Kalil, Justin Blackmon, Morris Claiborne were all drafted in the top six. The next six choices all enjoyed more success in their careers.

2013: Luke Joeckel, Dion Jordan, Jonathan Cooper and Dee Milliner were chosen in the top nine. Sheldon Richardson, Xavier Rhodes, DeAndre Hopkins and Travis Frederick all came later in the round, all produced much more.

2014: Greg Robinson, Justin Gilbert and Eric Ebron were drafted in the top ten. Who fell to later? Only Aaron Donald, Zack Martin and CJ Mosley.

2015: Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota and Kevin White were taken in the top seven. Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon and Marcus Peters came later and produced more.

Consequently, will the issue be that Washington is choosing later at number 11? Or might the greater issue actually be that Ron Rivera, Martin Mayhew and team scouts need to do their homework, selecting a player that will certainly produce?

 

 

Robert Griffin III has Georgia player No. 2 on Heisman watch

RG3 showing some love to Jordan Davis

It takes one to know one, right?

ESPN college football analyst Robert Griffin III (RG3) knows what it takes to win the Heisman Trophy. He put America on notice during his incredible 2011 season in which he became the first Baylor player to bring the trophy home.

So when RG3 places Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Jordan Davis No. 2 on his Heisman watch, you bet that’s going to grab my attention.

Jordan Davis may not be the biggest or fastest pla….oh wait, yes he is. At 6-foot-6, 340 pounds, Davis is an absolute freak of nature. He can do it all. Rush the passer, bat the ball down, chase down running back, etc.

He does not stuff the stat sheet, but his presence allows other players to do so.

He has 15 tackles for 1.5 sacks and 4 quarterback hurries this year. He has proven to be college football’s best defensive player.

Adding veteran quarterback on Chargers’ offseason to-do list

The Los Angeles Chargers could be looking to free agency to find a bargain backup to Justin Herbert.

The Chargers have their long-term answer at the quarterback position with Justin Herbert. But one thing the team must figure out this offseason is who is going to back him up next season.

After two seasons, Tyrod Taylor is a pending free agent. At the moment, Easton Stick, the third-string quarterback from the past two years, is the only other signal-caller on the depth chart.

General manager Tom Telesco has expressed wanting to keep Taylor. However, as he is midst of his professional career, he may only want to be in a position knowing that he can compete for a starting job.

Therefore, the money might be a bit more than what they’re likely wanting to spend at the position.

Meanwhile, Telesco has said that Stick could be their No. 2 option. But despite having very little playing time since being drafted in 2019, the team’s confidence in him with that role likely isn’t as high.

Should L.A. look to find a bargain backup to Herbert, the free agency pool offers a few options. The crop includes Joe Flacco, Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy, C.J. Beathard, Matt Barkley, among others.

All of these signal-callers mentioned likely don’t have the desire to join the team and expect to potentially start. But they offer the ability to supply mentorship to Herbert and have the experience to start if needed.