Robert Griffin III isn't taking anything for granted. Well, he's taking for granted that the Washington Redskins will select him with the No. 2 overall pick in this week's NFL draft. (Which is smart after the Indianapolis Coltsmade it official with Andrew Luck on Tuesday.)
But Griffin doesn't take it for granted that he'll be the No. 1 quarterback in Washington. He has to beat out Rex Grossman first.
"You can't come in thinking that you're a big dog," Griffin said Tuesday via CBS DC at a pre-draft event in New York. "I might be the second pick, I might be who the fans want as a quarterback and the coaches want as a quarterback but I’ve still got to go beat out Rex Grossman …
"Rex Grossman is the quarterback in Washington right now, and I've got to go beat him out. I've got to prove to those guys that I'm there to work and I will, it's who I am. I'll be the first one in, last one out, and it won't be a cliché with me."
Griffin was in New York to help promote a deeply disturbing, sandwich-meat "statue" that Subway put together. (Here's the take on "RG3½" from ATL sandwich expert Dan Hanzus.)
Some might scoff at Griffin saying all the right things, but his recognition of Grossman is smart. And competing with Grossman is not a crazy notion. The Redskins likely won't install Griffin as the top guy on Day 1. Grossman often is the butt of jokes, but he has started a lot of games (including the Super Bowl) and played fairly well for Washington last season.
We're not saying Grossman has much of a chance to be the Week 1 starter. But Griffin is approaching this the right way: The Redskins probably won't just hand over the keys to the franchise to him during the offseason.
For now, Griffin is just a rookie. Even if he's a rookie well known enough to inspire a sandwich statue.