When Mike Shanahan benched Robert Griffin III for nebulousreasons last December, Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden questioned the integrity of sacrificing regular-season games for an offseason program.
Now Washington Redskins general manager Bruce Allen is suggesting that rushing Griffin back into the lineup for the start of the 2013 season wasn't in the best interest of the game.
Appearing on WXGI Richmond on Monday, Allen said it was "almost a little disrespectful to the game of football" for Griffin to open the season without being properly prepared.
"It's impossible to ask a player to perform well during the regular season if you haven't practiced," Allen explained. "Last year at this time, he's still rehabbing his knee, he's not allowed to practice, he's not allowed to work in team drills at all because he's still rehabilitating himself. We put him, really, on the spot by trying to do that."
That's true. But we are unaware of any statements from Allen expressing public opposition to Shanahan's plans last summer. In fact, the Washington Post unearthed this quote from Allen in mid-August:
So when Allen emphasizes a year later that "the beauty of the game, the integrity of the game" is compromised when a quarterback plays without practicing, it produces a dissonant cacophony.
The latest Around The League Podcast visits with former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and discusses the best of the early training-camp surprises.
