Washington Redskins’ cornerback DeAngelo Hall has a
perspective that no one in the league has concerning quarterback Robert Griffin
III and the player he will most likely be compared to throughout his career: Philadelphia
Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick.
Hall played with Vick for three seasons as a member of the
Atlanta Falcons. He has also had to play against Vick a lot in recent years
since his Redskins play the Eagles twice a year so he knows Vick very well. He
has seen Vick’s development from an athlete to a quarterback.
And as difficult as it has been to trust Hall’s judgment at
times, it’s hard to speak against Hall’s assessment that RGIII is much further
along at this point in his career than Vick was.
Of course Griffin really hasn’t done anything yet. He has no
statistics that we can compare against Vick’s since he has yet to play an
actual NFL game but Hall gets to see Griffin in practice every day.
Hall remembers how impatient Vick was in the pocket when he
was quarterbacking for the Falcons and sees more poise in the way Griffin plays
during the Redskins’ practices.
Hall would make the comment on ESPN 980 radio that "Mike
felt like he could go out athletically and be great. RGIII is like, 'I know
athletically I'm pretty good, but I want to be mentally great. If I can be
mentally great and athletically good or great, then it is scary.' His ability
to want to be that great quarterback now and just a great athlete is what is
going to separate him from all the other guys out there."
Of course this could be just another case of a player
sticking up for his teammate but Griffin has been receiving a lot of praise for
the way he has performed and carried himself since being drafted by the
Redskins.
Teammates, coaches and the media have all been quick to heap
praise upon the rookie quarterback and many speculate that he will have a solid
season with the Redskins this year. He’s expected to have an even better season
than the quarterback who was drafted ahead of him, Andrew Luck.
But much those expectations come because the Redskins are
considered to be a much better team than the Indianapolis Colts. People also
see the enormous impact Cam Newton had with the Carolina Panthers last season.
Newton is another athletic quarterback who Griffin will be
compared to throughout his career. Newton had a tremendous season both throwing
the ball and as a runner last season which is the kind of production Washington
hopes to get from its superstar rookie.
But until Griffin actually plays in a game we won’t know how
true the comments being made about him are. Still, the way things are sounding
he’s going to be exciting to watch.
Do you have a favorite team or player you want to know more about?
Roosevelt Hall is an NFL Blogger for The Sport Mentalist and an NBA Blogger for The Sport Mentalist 2. He is also a Sports Reporter for Pro Sports Lives. He can be contacted at sportmentalist@yahoo.com and be sure to follow him on Twitter @sportmentalist.
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