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Bill Parcells undoubtedly is chuckling over all the fawning and gushing over Robert Griffin III from starstruck groupies and observers who are ready to send the talk of the championship-starved nation’s capitol and quarterback-driven NFL to Canton, where presumably work already has begun on his bust.
Greatest athlete to ever play the position … best player in the league on Opening Day … a Tim Tebow who can throw. … What’s next? Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall defenders in a single bound?
Well, uh, maybe.
This much appears certain: After decades of coaching change and turmoil, the Redskins have themselves a franchise quarterback. A quarterback who will be a threat to the Giants for years to come, and long after Eli Manning retires.
“The Redskins are not going to be the whipping boys in the NFC East,” former Redskins Super Bowl quarterback Joe Theismann said.
There has been plenty of hype in D.C. in the wake of Griffin’s breathtaking victory over Drew Brees and the Saints at the Superdome.
“Off the charts. Off the charts,” Theismann said. “Every conversation, whether
you’re in a cab, I guarantee you, whether you’re in Congress, no matter what you’re doing, you’re in a restaurant — you just hear Robert’s name being mentioned. RG3 this, RG3 that.”
He is a dream come true for a fan base that has endured the failures and disappointments of Heath Shuler, Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman and John Beck.
“They’re not starving — they’ve been starved, is the best way to put it,” Theismann said.
In Griffin, they have a leader hungry for success.
“I really believe he wants to do in Washington what he did at Baylor,” Theismann said.
That would make RG3 a Menace 2 Giants Society.
“It just makes our division that much more tougher,”
Justin Tuck said. “From top to bottom, I don’t see any weaknesses in this division.”
Tuck watched the opening day highlights.
“It seemed like he was very poised in a very hostile environment. We all know how tough it can be to play down there,” Tuck said. “And he has all the skills, and I think they surrounded him with a lot of talent. I thought he was very impressive.”
So did Chris Canty.
“The game’s not too fast for him,” Canty said. “The stage is not too big for him, and that’s impressive to see from a rookie.”
It doesn’t mean that it will be a smooth ride. If John Elway can struggle as a rookie, so can Griffin.
“He’ll probably have to build on it,” Rocky Bernard said. “I’m pretty sure he’s a rookie, he’ll take his lumps, he’s not invincible.”
Michael Boley welcomes the challenge.
“We’re competitors, so any time you get a guy like him coming in, a guy who can make some big-time plays, it’s gonna be a challenge for us, and we look forward to it,” Boley said.
Theismann was adamant that the Redskins cast their lot with Griffin rather than Peyton Manning.
“The Redskins have a chance to have a quarterback for the next decade,” Theismann said. “Peyton’s not going to play another decade, even though you wouldn’t know it by the other night.”
Theismann has studied Griffin closely on and off the field. He marvelled at how the rookie endeared himself to Redskins veterans and fans and media alike before training camp.
“He said, ‘When we put this Washington Redskins uniform on, we have to prove to the veterans that we’re worthy of wearing it,’ ” Theismann recalled.
He sure acts and looks worthy. Humility off the field, swag on it.
“One thing that jumped out at me was his confidence on the field,” Theismann said. “He knows he can play at this level. When he and Alfred Morris’ feet got tangled up, he didn’t try to pick the ball up — he fell on it. He does the little things that give a team a chance to win very well.”
Theismann considers him a student of the game he loves, and a veritable sponge who absorbs everything from coaches Mike and Kyle Shanahan. Theismann applauds the Shanahans for incorporating the things Griffin did well at Baylor and letting him get his feet wet with safe early throws.
“I think he can be outstanding,” Theismann said of Griffin’s future. “No. 1, his arm is strong enough. He throws the ball down the field very well in an era of football where big plays are part of offenses nowadays. He makes smart decisions with the football. The whole thing for Robert is he just has to figure out a way he stays healthy. Don’t take the unnecessary hit.”
Theismann thought head coach Mike Shanahan placing Griffin’s locker next to wise old linebacker London Fletcher was a stroke of genius.
“I think Mike Shanahan undoubtedly should be given an extension,” Theismann said.
A quarterback like RG3 can extend any coach’s tenure. Giants beware.
steve.serby@nypost.com