In 2007, in a game against the Arizona Wildcats, Oregon fans watched a budding national championship birth crumbled on Dennis Dixon's left knee. Nevermind the fact that he had already busted out a 44 yard touchdown merely minutes before as if it were easier than the term papers written for him. All it took was one misplant on that knee and, POOF, gone. Oregon went on to lose the game with Brady Leaf as their starting quarterback. The season finished its tailspin with a loss to Oklahoma in the Holiday Bowl.
Rewind one week before that game against Arizona. Dennis Dixon scrambles up the sideline against Arizona State in a matchup between two top five teams in Autzen. As he is pulled to the ground, his knee jams and then locks. He hobbles to his feet and finishes out the game. Ducks fans let out a sigh of relief.
Fast forward one week after the Arizona lost. The story emerges that Dennis Dixon experienced a partially torn ACL in the ASU game. There were only three people who knew: Dennis Dixon, then head coach Mike Bellotti, and the Oregon team doctor. They weighed their options and Dennis Dixon was adamant about playing. They agreed to not tell anyone about it and the doctor gave the okay for Dixon to play. A national championship, after all, was on the line for the Ducks. How could Dixon sit out?
Does this sound familiar to the RG3 situation? If it doesn't, you have been living under a rock. When I watched Griffin scramble for a first down at the start of the fourth quarter and the instant replay showed him grimace with every step he took, all I could think was: Dennis Dixon. When I saw his knee buckle on that play when he fell over, all I could think was: Dennis Dixon. And when it became clear that the ACL was just gone, the same thought once again: Dennis Dixon.
Both RG3 and Dennis Dixon wanted to do what was best for their team. Any athlete in their situation would do the same. For one, the average career in the NFL is terrifyingly short and these players know that every down could be their last. And that is especially for a quarterback in the playoffs in his rookie year.
Anyone who blames RG3 for wanting to be on the field has clearly never been a part of organized sports before at basically any level. He knew that the only chance his team had to win was if he were out there leading them, injured or not. RG3 acted in a way that is expected of an athlete, particularly one of his caliber. It is the same reason why Dennis Dixon laced up his cleats to play Arizona even though he knew his knee could go at any second.
No, there is no fault for RG3. But Mike Shanahan, you, sir, do not get off so easily. Here is my problem with Shanahan's decision to put RG3 back in the game: he should know better. He is practically in charge of all football operations in Washington. They traded three first round picks for the #2 pick used on RG3. The Redskins gambled away their future on this guy.
RG3 no doubt has the skills of an elite quarterback. He will dominate this league one day. But it certainly is going to be harder now after his second ACL surgery on that leg. And Shanahan knows this now, but he will truly learn it the hard way.
Shanahan has to have the good sense to tell his young, ambitious, and committed quarterback, "You've played a hell of a game and the season has been one to remember, but you have at least 10 more ahead of you. I am going to have to sit you for the rest of the night." RG3 could be pissed and demand to be put back in, but it shouldn't matter. He is just a kid in the game of football compared to Shanahan. And the coach's responsibility, especially at that point and time, is to protect his player. No, not just any player. But the franchise player.
RG3 wants to play every game like it is his last. That's because he is a competitor. But just as Mike Bellotti made the mistake of letting Dixon keep playing, so too did Mike Shanahan. A coach must know the line between what is best for the team at the time and what is best for the team in the future.
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