Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III is aware that defenses across the league are eager to get their hands on him. But according to Griffin, the St. Louis Rams went overboard in their pursuit of the young QB.
“I remember one play,” Griffin told ESPN. “After the play, the guy said: ‘We’re going to hit you every play.’”
After the game, both Redskins players and coaches complained that replacement officials had allowed players to keep playing after the whistle. Griffin was sacked only one time by the Rams, but was knocked down several times.
“There was some extracurricular stuff going on after the plays,” he said. “They were doing a lot of dirty things. I still think they have an extremely good team, that doesn’t take anything away from them, but the game was unprofessional. Who am I to talk? I’ve barely been a pro for very long, but from what I experienced against the Saints compared to that game, it was definitely unprofessional and it does need to be cleaned up.”
The Redskins have been forced to rely on Griffin and the offense more than they would like to so far, so protecting their franchise QB from unnecessary hits is certainly high on their list of priorities.
Replacement officials have been under fire for their lack of control over the games. The problem has not been with the number of penalties, but with the lack of respect they receive from players and their overall control of the game.
Earlier this week Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy compared the replacement officials to fans, even saying that one official told him that he needed to have a good game for his fantasy team.
“You have to have people take control,” said Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan. “And there wasn’t any control in that game. Hopefully officials next week will take control. That’s what you have to do as an official.”
