RG3’s forgotten quest for revenge
The Cleveland Browns are taking on the Washington Redskins this Sunday without Robert Griffin III, who was supposed to be seeking revenge against his former team.
Robert Griffin III has all but faded from the collective minds of Cleveland Browns fans as the team prepares for the Week 4 matchup against the Washington Redskins.
Since he was signed in March, Griffin and his attempt to rise back to prominence was in the spotlight throughout the offseason and leading up to the beginning of the regular season. But as we all know, it was a short-lived attempt.
Griffin, who was injured in Week 1, may not start another game this season, or perhaps ever again in a Browns uniform. And while he may not have had too much success in 2016, there was one game he had likely been waiting for since signing his contract with the Browns.
This Sunday’s game against the Redskins was a chance for Griffin to head back to the stadium where he began his career, back when he was deemed a rising star after being the No. 2 overall selection in the 2012 draft by Washington.
He had an opportunity to take on a team that had turned its back on him, choosing Kirk Cousins as the future of the franchise. But like most of his previous four professional seasons, 2016 turned into another season of ifs.
While Cody Kessler leads the team on the field this Sunday, Griffin will be standing on the sidelines, his arm in a sling. The cameras will surely find Griffin throughout the game, with the talking heads calling it another failed season for the former phenom, wondering if he will ever be given another shot to be a starter in the future.
All this focus on Griffin will bring his name back into the forefront, even if some fans may have forgotten he was still a part of this team. With Kessler already being the team’s third starting quarterback this season, the days of Griffin seem so far gone, even if it was less than three weeks ago.
After Josh McCown‘s gutsy performance in Week 2, his name is brought up more than Griffin’s, with fans getting behind the veteran for his devotion to the team. Even when both stand next to each other in slings, Griffin almost seems like he doesn’t belong; an outsider who fans can’t associate any happiness with.
It is unfair to say Griffin failed in his tenure in Cleveland, as it is not yet over. He did not get injured doing anything stupid, and the loss in Week 1 was not solely his fault, as the whole team was having a rough adjustment to regular season football.
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But Griffin’s biggest failure, at least to him, may be not being able to head to Washington with a chance to beat his former team. It may have been his final chance to prove to those fans why he should have never been let go, but now they will nod in agreement with the decision when seeing him strolling the sidelines in a sling this Sunday.