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Sports Arena
Real Hope in Washington
Hail to the Redskins.
Washington, D.C. may be the nation’s capital, but it’s also a city that has come to define failure and disappointment in the public consciousness. Even Barack Obama, the idol of those who with a misplaced faith in government, has conceded as much.
“You can’t change Washington from the inside,” Obama said. “You can only change it from the outside.” If he really meant that, he would heed Samuel Johnson: “How small, of all that human hearts endure,/ That part which laws or kings can cause or cure!”
Instead Obama asked for four more years of vast political power, claiming to be able to cure much of what human hearts endure.
That’s part of what makes Robert Griffin III’s success with the Washington Redskins so refreshing. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked Philip. If he had asked about the Beltway, even Philip would have had to say no.
Griffin has been good, despite coming from a Washington sports team that has often seemed doomed to perpetual mediocrity due to its owner’s micromanagement, poor player recruitment, and just bad luck. The Senate has passed a budget more recently than the Redskins have appeared in a playoff game.
That drought will soon be over. Griffin has thrown for 3,200 yards in his rookie season, tossing 20 touchdown passes to just five interceptions. He has run for 815 yards and seven more touchdowns.
Griffin wasn’t quite as hot in the game that clinched the NFC East title for the Redskins. Playing with a knee that obviously wasn’t 100 percent, he attempted just 18 passes and completely only half of them. He didn’t throw a touchdown, although he did run six times for 63 yards and a score. That averages out to 10.5 yards per carry.
Instead Griffin fed the ball to a fellow rookie, running back Alfred Morris. Morris ran for 200 yards on 33 attempts and three touchdowns, a 6.1 yard per carry rushing attack. This helped the quarterback do some masterful ball-handling with play-action fakes and other trickery that repeatedly fooled the Dallas Cowboys’ best defensive players.
In addition to proving a skillful signal-caller and nimble runner, Griffin has been a classy leader for the beleaguered Redskins franchise. He has put the team on his back coming out of Baylor. Even his personal critics are left making dumb racially charged jokes that end up paying inadvertent tribute to his decency.
Like everything else in Washington, there is a little bit of gimmickry in Griffin’s game. He runs too much, which has already gotten him hurt. How far can the option offense take you in the pros? Surely, the Redskins must pass more to keep up with the very best in the league. There won’t always be Tony Romo to cough up three ill-timed interceptions.
But unlike most other things that happen in Washington, there’s always a possibility that an investment in the future will pay off. The team could be rebuilt around RG III, with better wide receivers and (at long last) a bolstered offensive line. Griffin could continue to grow in the game.
All that remains to be seen. For now, there is joy in Mudville, or at least the Swamp City. Veterans like London Fletcher and Chris Cooley will get to taste the postseason. A team that been denied for five years will get a chance.
Even Griffin’s rookie backup quarterback, Kirk Cousins, has had an opportunity to shine this season. Don’t be surprised if he is courted by other teams this summer, perhaps even given an opportunity to start somewhere. The Redskins could use the draft picks.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s name will be mentioned frequently during the offseason as well, as disappointed teams start to rebuild. A lot of coaches will be fired in the coming days.
Some will ask what difference it all makes, with the country’s finances in increasingly dire shape and a political class that doesn’t seem up to the challenge. The voters are always looking for an RG III, but instead winding up with Romo.
About the Author
W. James Antle, III, author of the new book Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?, is editor of the Daily Caller News Foundation and a senior editor of The American Spectator. You can follow him on Twitter @jimantle.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (34) | Leave a comment
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chuck| 12.31.12 @ 8:05AM
FREE TLP!
Bob Grant| 12.31.12 @ 10:21AM
with a purchase of???
Pecos Pete| 12.31.12 @ 2:24PM
Bob, very good.
BBT!
Aristocat| 1.1.13 @ 3:02AM
Good riddance...Anybody who can't write a letter without using obscenities should be banned for life.
SUBVET| 1.1.13 @ 12:17PM
CAT........ever heard of passion........banned for life ?
You sir need to get a life...........
Tina B| 1.1.13 @ 2:02PM
Why, what happened to Timmy? Pray thee tell!
Alan| 12.31.12 @ 9:14AM
I must say that I did really enjoy the annual Romo gagfest to end the 2012 season and watch Jones and his puppet coach blame everybody but their sports media sainted Danny White Redux QB for the annual slide into oblivion. A better big game choker there never was.
Bob Grant| 12.31.12 @ 10:20AM
Not really a comparison between Danny White and Romo.
White took the Cowboy's to three NFC Championships games in a row and Romo...hasn't.
The fact that he's broken a few franchise quarterback records tells me all I need to know about the importance of statistics...or lack thereof.
Al Adab| 12.31.12 @ 10:36AM
One of my grandsons is named Landry for a reason. Meredith, Staubach, White, Aikman; 21 straight years of playoff appearences. Those were the days. Romo, while not bad, (I couldn't do it) just doesn't match up.
Bob Grant| 1.1.13 @ 12:41PM
I just read an article that mentioned Jerry and Jason have full confidence in Romo and plan to stick with him for the next few years.
Mediocrity is the new normal for the Cowboys, which is a an anathema to those who followed them in their glory days.
But when The Stadium is the primary source of revenue for the owner, it matters not so much when one of its revenue streams isn't producing like it should. Just add another tractor pull, boxing extravaganza, or some other "event" to make up the difference.
Either way, Jerry Jones makes money because he understands the mindset of today's sports Fanatic. They are a tolerant bunch and will put up with alot for the privilege of being a Cowboys Fan.
They are as stupid as those who put obama back in office!!
Welcome to the World of professional sports circa 2013.
Alan| 1.1.13 @ 12:50PM
Jones married Romo in an secret off shore wedding ceremony at Big Jerries carribean getaway late last year. Its cool, looking forward to next years 9th annual Romo Gagfest.
Bob Grant| 1.1.13 @ 5:47PM
Perhaps The Cowboys could get a sponsor for The Event:
The Ninth Annual Romo Gafgest, sponsored by...Olive Garden?
I turned in my Cowboy fan card several years ago. Jerry, Jason, and Tony have justified my decision each.and.every.year since.
JmsA| 12.31.12 @ 3:41PM
Yes, Good Ol'e Danny White, the former punter, did lead the Cowboys to three NFC Championships, all of which they lost, though favored to win--at least in part because of Mr. White's less than stellar play. Also, unlike Mr. Romo, Danny White did win a couple of playoff games, though he also managed to choke and lose to a Redskin replacement team. Stats are one thing, results are another. There's a new euphemism for mediocre: Elite quarterback.
Alan| 12.31.12 @ 6:34PM
There's a new euphemism for mediocre: Elite quarterback.
Amen, QB's are judged on playoff wins and championships, WR's, RB's are judged on statistics. To Dallas haters that game last night was a religious experience.
Alan| 12.31.12 @ 6:30PM
I stand corrected, Danny white did actually win something. Chokomo never has won a playoff game.
JmsA| 12.31.12 @ 3:30PM
Thank you for saving me the trouble to say it, Alan. Last night was epic, indeed.
Hardcard| 12.31.12 @ 10:09AM
but I like jone's toupee!!!! I wonder how many thumb tacks are used to keep it in place, watch out for them thar splinters jerry boy?
Alan| 1.1.13 @ 12:50PM
LOL!!!!!!!!!!
Bubba Shawn| 12.31.12 @ 10:32AM
The "Real" hope for Washington is here in Washington State. Especially when the SeaHawks destroy the Red Skins.
Washington D.C. is hopelessly incapable of formulating a winning strategy for America. Just as her NFL team is.
Anthony| 12.31.12 @ 10:50AM
So how come the community organizer decided to run for president, if you can't change Washington from the inside?
I guess the perks, living large off of the American tax payers was a bene the Kenyan Muslim Marxist just couldn't pass up. Redistribution for me, none for thee!!!
Not to mention, governing by executive fiat, like his pal Hugo Chavez, is a hell of a lot easier than using a bull horn and yelling at those heavily guarded elites over at the Capitol.
2013 is gonna be a game changer, all right. It's gonna be interesting to see what the landscape looks like this time next year!!
Aristocat| 1.1.13 @ 3:06AM
Well done...Everything Anthony says is true...
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and Obama is a pig's ear, even though as a Musliem he can't eat pork, but he can spend plenty of it in his never-ending Porkulus packages...
Quin Hillyer| 12.31.12 @ 1:27PM
Sorry... but in 1986, while working at the Veterans Administration in DC, I penned several verses to the tune of "Hail to the Redskins." The first verse went like this:
Jail all the Deadskins!
They're history!
Knaves on the Towpath --
A blight on old DC!!!!
Pecos Pete| 12.31.12 @ 2:26PM
Quin: Very nice.
You would do well with your wit in Tim's Game. Please see what you can do about Freeing Tim.
BBT!
Occam's Tool| 12.31.12 @ 4:20PM
BBT!
Bob Grant| 12.31.12 @ 5:17PM
I haven't been to this site in a few weeks so could someone could be kind enough to advise me of Tim's situation.
What, pray tell, did he do to get himself banned?
And I thought his comments had mellowed (relatively speaking) the past few months.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 12.31.12 @ 8:28PM
We don't have a formal answer to "Why". My speculation is that in banning the TPL troll that came in about ten days ago along with Anna K. from Emory U and friends, the replacement editor for the vacationing Kyle Peterson also banned TLP.
I think it will be cleared up by Wednesday or so.
Bob Grant| 1.1.13 @ 11:05AM
Al,
Thanks for the update. I'm sure
TLPwill be back to TLP in no time.Aristocat| 1.1.13 @ 3:08AM
TLP left the site to run his game show site....Go to Timmy's Contests.com.
Occam's Tool| 12.31.12 @ 4:19PM
Quin: but now you live in Alabama, a State with TWO excellent professional teams. (A little Alabama humor from a man who practiced there 7 years.)
Tina B| 1.1.13 @ 2:05PM
Yes, Quin, help bring Timmy back, won't you?
The Big E| 12.31.12 @ 2:12PM
You got one detail wrong - Albert Morris scored three TD's last night, not one.
Cpm| 12.31.12 @ 2:39PM
Weak division. So there is hope.
axbucxdu| 12.31.12 @ 9:04PM
Meh. Like Russia, the NFC East is never as strong nor as weak as it seems. All they've got is a hell of a lead in Super Bowl Championships over the rest of the league. Three East members can even spot the Noners, that make-believe dynasty whose secret strength is the feeble competition they have made to order in the NFC West.
air max en france | 1.2.13 @ 3:17AM
Griffin has thrown for 3,200 yards in his rookie season, tossing 20 touchdown passes to just five interceptions. He has run for 815 yards and seven more touchdowns.