Of all the things Robert Griffin III could do for his teammates to ensure next year goes a little better than 2014, throwing them under the bus is not high up on the list.
And yet, after Sunday's loss to the lowly Buccaneers, this is what we heard:
"If you want to look at the good teams in this league and the great quarterbacks, the Peytons (Manning) and the Aaron Rodgers, those guys don't play well if their guys don't play well," Griffin said.
"They don't. We need everybody. I need every one of those guys in that locker room, and I know they're looking at me saying the same thing."
It seems like, all at once, Griffin is placing himself in a higher echelon of passers than he's actually in while simultaneously criticizing a team that is sitting in last place with nowhere else to go.
For the sake of context, of course, Griffin is also taking the blame upon himself. After the game, he specifically requested the fault for all six of Washington's quarterback sacks, which was a pretty nice nod toward his embattled offensive line.
"All of the sacks are on me," he said, via The Washington Post. "Period."
This has not been an easy road for Griffin coming out of college. He played in games that he should not have, and was caught in the crossfire of a nasty battle between coaches and ownership. His public perception suffers unfairly because of this and his leadership will be much more in focus than other quarterbacks.
Plus, he is not the only member of the team openly wishing for a better performance from everyone.
But what Washington needs at this point is a leader on offense. RGIII came at a king's ransom, one that will probably set the franchise back for a few years. But while he's working to develop himself into an elite player, the least he can do is make some friends at the same time. He has an opportunity to unify this team before season's end and set up a run in 2015.
Rodgers and Manning have, at times, openly criticized teammates, but not before clearly establishing themselves as the best the game has to offer. Like the rest of his Washington teammates, Griffin has a long way to go.
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