New York Giants’ defensive end Osi Umenyiora made it a point to scoff at all of the hysteria surrounding Heisman Trophy winner, second-overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and Washington Redskins’ quarterback Robert Griffin, III during the offseason.
“Who is this RGIII guy you guys keep talking about?” Umenyiora said in a radio interview with WFAN back in July, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “You talking about Bob Griffin? You guys are giving him a cool nickname already and everything. When he does anything in the NFL we’re gonna call him RGIII. Right now he’s Bob Griffin.”
Make no mistake about it however, Umenyiora did not disregard Griffin with the intent to be disrespectful. He simply did not want to get caught up in all the hoopla about a guy who had yet to take a snap as an NFL quarterback.
With both the Giants and the Redskins coming off satisfying victories against quality opponents, Umenyiora and the defending Super Bowl champions will get their long awaited first glance at the rookie phenomenon that is “Bob” Griffin.
The 30-year-old pass rusher has a new name for his buddy “Bob,” though.
“Sir. His name is Sir Robert Griffin,” Umenyiora told reporters, via Giants.com. “You don’t see players come into the league performing like that at that stage in their career, so all the respect in the world goes to him and he’s a phenomenal football player.”
That phenomenal football player’s game tape has surely spoken for itself, earning a new-found respect from one of the NFL’s most dangerous defensive ends.
And who can blame Umenyiora for recognizing such a dazzling talent? “Sir Robert Griffin” has exceeded expectations in his rookie season thus far, leading the Redskins to a 3-3 record while completing 70.5 percent of his passes for 1,343 yards, a franchise-record 379 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. To assume he is the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year would be an understatement; he could very well be playing in the Pro Bowl come February.
Of course, Griffin would prefer to be playing in the Super Bowl around that time, but the Giants intend on having something to say about that. Big Blue would love to be the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots did it in 2004.
But first, they have to get through RGIII and the Redskins. That will not be an easy take by any means, especially for Griffin’s newest fan: Umenyiora.
The Washington quarterback’s 76-yard touchdown scamper against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday is a prime example of what the Giants can expect to see. He is uncontainable and difficult to stop once he is headed up field. His athletic prowess makes him equally lethal when passing the football… opposing defenses simply do not know when they will be forced into hot pursuit should he tuck it in and run.
Fortunately, Griffin will not be the first dual-threat quarterback the Giants have seen; having played against the Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Michael Vick and the San Francisco 49ers’ Colin Kaepernick. They are hopeful that these previous tests will benefit them in defending against the league’s second-best rushing attack. Griffin and running back Alfred Morris have combined for 917 rushing yards to date.
“I believe that Robert Griffin is a lot different than the guys that we have played at this point,” said New York’s defensive coordinator Perry Fewell via Giants.com. “He is an extremely gifted athlete and he can go from 0 – 60 right now. When you put the ball in his hands – and obviously they do – they expect him to win. So you have to win your match-ups against him.”
Such match-ups will almost definitely include Umenyiora, who will have the duty of sealing off the outside, forcing Griffin to get eaten up by the Giants’ interior defensive linemen. The Pro Bowl defensive lineman has not had a lot of success in this role recently, but he also warns us of something that makes Griffin more dangerous than the players he’s so often compared to: he can throw the football as well as any of the top quarterbacks in the game today.
“Forget all the running stuff,” Umenyiora continued. “This guy is good. They’ve got a really good player on their hands and we’ve got a problem on ours.”
Slowing Griffin down will be no easy task, whether it is through the air or when he’s running with the football in his hands. As nearly all of the Redskins’ first six contests have gone, this game will likely be a high-scoring affair. This places the pressure squarely on Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning’s shoulders — right where the NFC East division leaders like it.
If this game comes down to offense, Manning should have a field day against a very underwhelming Redskins’ pass defense. However, one thing is for certain: the Giants are not going to get out of this Week 7 match-up alive without some fireworks from “Sir Robert Griffin III.”
Louis Musto is a contributor to the Sports Journey Broadcast Network covering the NFL and NBA. You can follow him on Twitter @LouisMusto.