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Interview: Catching Up with RGIII & Where He is With the Redskins Offense

RGIII reacts upon hearing the news he'll be talking with Hogs Haven.
RGIII reacts upon hearing the news he'll be talking with Hogs Haven.
It's a big day for SB Nation and Hogs Haven. I had the great fortune of getting ten minutes of Robert Griffin III's ridiculously hectic schedule (he was on the Herd Show and Sports Center before calling me) today to ask any questions I wanted. Well, I asked him to give me a sound bite of what a live cadence sounds like, but he replied Coach would not be too happy with that. Understood. We spent most of the time talking about how his game relates to the playbook that we saw last season. We also talked about his current living conditions in Virginia, Josh Gordon, Rex Grossman III, the Von Miller diss quote, and calling blocking assignments at the line of scrimmage.

First off, I want to thank you for taking the time to talk with SB Nation and Hogs Haven. So, let's learn more about that. What is National Recovery Day and why is it important?
RG: Gatorade and the National Athletics Trainers Association declared July 11th National Recovery Day. Ironically, no sports are played tomorrow. It's the perfect fitting for that. Basically we're trying to raise the awareness that recovery is a big part of the training program. It's not just about resting your body and laying down in bed. It's about what you put into your body and what you do to your body to help you recover and get back on the field faster.
What do you do to recover?

For me, it's a lot of icing. I get in the cold tub. One stop shop. You can pretty much hit every part of the body really fast. Make sure I stretch consistently. Foam roll. Make sure I rest my mind as well, whether it's going to sleep or playing a video game.

What's your living conditions like in Virginia now? Are you settled or still hotel living?

I definitely settled into a house. I'm renting a house. I'm not going to buy yet, probably by some time by next year. I feel comfortable where I'm at.

How hard is it being engaged and at the same time being at the facility all day every day?

Your significant other has to realize what your priorities are in life. Of course, you'll never put football before your faith or your family, but when it comes to being at the facility for long hours, that's your job. My job is to be a professional football player, so I have to make those sacrifices and so does she.

Rex Grossman is actually the 3rd name in his family as well....is there confusion when the two of you go to public places and people are screaming "RG3!!!"???

No, but the team does make fun of him for that. He is Rex Grossman III, so technically there are two RG3s on the football team, so it's pretty funny to hear the coaches call him that. Rex is a character himself so he'll get on the field so he'll try to shake and bake or do a little something there and have us all rolling in the film room.

I'm guessing you watched film of the entire 2011 season already?

Yea man. We watched the film over and over. Just the cutups of different plays against different defenses. The offense is definitely a fun one to be in.

Please tell me they skipped over the Bills game and burned all the copies.

(laughing) No comment on that one.

Are you running the same playbook that the Skins ran last year or did they add in special plays for you?

I don't know if you'd call them special plays, but they definitely tweaked the way we run a few plays, and go from there. The playbook that Kyle and Mike have is definitely one that is changeable I should say. It's multi-dimensional. You can do what you want within it. I think it'll not only showcase my skills, but the skills of the guys around us...the receivers, the running backs, and even the offensive lineman. Get the plays that they run the best, and we'll go out there and make sure we can execute them.

Grossman had some INTs where I was like "what is he throwing to?" But it's clear now they might have been option routes where him and the WR weren't on the same page. Is this offense about the option routes?

You can say that. But the bigger thing is getting work in with your WRs so that you can be on the same page. Sometimes within these offenses you throw to spots instead of people, and sometimes you got to switch that around and make sure you're throwing to the people and not just the spot. So that's just a matter of the Quarterback and receiver being on the same page and having enough time to make those throws. It'll definitely be a team effort for us to be successful and I think the team is definitely up for it.

Sometimes it takes years to build those chemistry to grow.

Yea, it depends on what you're willing to do to make sure that chemistry is there. I brought the receivers to Waco to build on that chemistry because I know how important it is. Just the fact you got to talk to these guys, and although we're all professionals, we're all trying to go get the same thing, and that's greatness. No one should be focused on winning a MVP or going to the Pro Bowl because if you win a division and win a Super Bowl, that outweighs all those things. So, we're all working towards the same goal. So, that's why it's about us and making sure we take care of business.

Past years with the Redskins, and correct me if I'm wrong, the Oline makes all the blocking calls at the line. Whereas Tom Brady and the Mannings, they all do it on their own....is this responsibility going to be on you or Monty this year.

It depends on what the scheme is for that week. There's times where I call protections, but don't get it twisted. My offensive linemen are good at what they do. Although, I do believe in my abilities, I know I am a rookie and I'm not going to be able to diagnose every single defense that comes our way. So, I definitely trust those guys and Monty is definitely a seasoned vet who knows what he's doing and they're going to do what they have to do to protect me. My job is to know what they're doing in that protection and if I need to change, then I do.

Von Miller had a quote in April: "[Robert Griffin] can throw the ball pretty well, and he's fast, but if you hit him enough times, he's going to wear down." Any response to that?

Yea. I played against Von Miller at A&M. He's always been a talker. You can say that about any Quarterback. If you hit Tom Brady enough, he'll eventually wear down. If you hit Peyton Manning enough, he'll eventually wear down. Um, I don't agree with it, so I don't know what you want me to say that. I don't talk bad about players, so I definitely respect Von as a player for sure. He's always been a guy that shows up on game day, but outside of that, Von is going to be Von.

What are your thought's on Josh Gordon's Pro Day?

I think he's focused and ready to go at his Pro Day. I texted him yesterday and he didn't hit me back so that means he's getting ready to gear up and show his talents. I definitely wish the best for him.

(for some reason I had my daily brain fart at this very moment)

Do you plan to throw at his Pro Day? (as I try and reach my arm through my phone land line to pull my words back.)

Let me see. His Pro Day is today and I'm in L.A....so....

(The response 99% of America would have said in his shoes: "That's a clown question, bro?")

My bad. I got my dates mixed up there. How do you think he'll translate to the NFL given his short amount of film and the issues he's had?

I mean, it's up to him. Whether he wants to make it or not. I can't say whether he's going to be successful or not be successful. It's just to him and what he wants to do to leave his legacy.

Thanks again to Gatorade and RGIII for their time.

So, what do I do to recover? Ironically, for hangovers, it's Gatorades from an ice tub. FTW.