Three years ago at the NFL Draft, the Redskins thought they had their franchise quarterback in then-rookie Robert Griffin III. But after a strong 2012 campaign that led to offensive Rookie of the Year honors, things went sideways in a hurry. Injuries and inconsistency led to Griffin's benching -- for Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy, no less -- and now as the No. 3 quarterback he doesn't even dress on gamedays.
Of course, Griffin's in Washington because the Redskins traded up to the second-overall pick back in April 2012. Their trading partner: The Rams, who happen to be Washington's opponent on Sunday.
Since this will again be a big storyline this week, here's a full breakdown of "the trade." pic.twitter.com/fC6OmXHOoD
— Casey Pearce (@ccpearce) September 15, 2015
It gets worse:
RG3 has made 35 career starts w/ WAS; the 8 players STL acquired using the trade picks have made a combined 158 starts for Rams. #STLvsWAS
— Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) September 20, 2015
Yes, Griffin has been an unmitigated disaster. And even if you don't think it's entirely his fault (and we don't), the Redskins did win the division and go to the playoffs his rookie season. Yes, the Rams have the better record over that time (21-27-1 vs. 17-32) but they haven't had a winning campaign since 2003 and last made the postseason in 2004.
Put another way: It hasn't been all rainbows and unicorns in St. Louis since the trade, it just appears that way because we're comparing them to one of the league's most dysfunctional franchises.
