Head coach Mike Shanahan: Washington Redskins will allow Robert Griffin III to be himself – NFL News
Washington Redskins’ head coach, Mike Shanahan, has said that he would allow former Baylor’s quarterback Robert Griffin III (RG3) to be himself after the team selects him in the National Football League (NFL) 2012 draft as the second overall pick.
The three-day draft proceedings will start on Thursday, April 26.
Personality wise, RG3 and Shanahan are present on two different extremes. The former is young, energetic and charismatic, while the head coach is more disciplined and business-minded.
However, Shanahan is professional enough to understand that if a young player, who is turning pro, is not given a comfortable environment; it might hamper chances of his progress.
And that’s what Shanahan does not want, especially if the present status of the franchise is considered.
Redskins are coming after a disastrous last season in which they only won five games and lost 11 and were not able to qualify for the playoffs.
Following the season, they had earned a sixth overall pick for the 2012 draft. However, they traded their pick with the St. Louis Rams, who also had an embarrassing season and earned the second overall pick.
Since Rams did not need to select a quarterback, they were happy to trade their pick with the Redskins, who will now select RG3 as Indianapolis Colts, who have the number one pick, confirmed to select Stanford’s Andrew Luck, another top prospect.
Shanahan said of RG3:
"He's a natural leader. ... You want guys to lead your football team. Everybody's got their own way of doing things. Some guys are a little bit more serious. You've got to be yourself."
The head coach also stressed on the need of providing a sound environment to the player so he could get well acquainted with the playing condition and atmosphere of the team’s locker room.
Shanahan said:
“You just don't want to throw a guy in there right away until he feels comfortable. And there's a growing process. It doesn't happen right away. Obviously when you give up a first and second, you want that guy to get in there as quick as possible, but you
want to do it at the right time and make sure he's ready."
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