George Willis

George Willis

NFL

In lost year, RG3 could take cue from Eli Manning

They are both going through harrowing seasons they would rather soon forget. But Robert Griffin III could learn a few things from Eli Manning about handling adversity.

Neither has distinguished himself on the field this season despite entering with high expectations. Manning is a two-time Super Bowl MVP, while Griffin was the Rookie of the Year last season when the Redskins won the NFC East title. Both have underachieved in 2013, with Manning throwing 17 interceptions for the 4-7 Giants and Griffin, throwing 11 picks for the 3-8 Redskins.

Their teams have suffered because of their struggles. The Giants, who started 0-6, are all but out of playoff contention, while the Redskins have an even longer shot. But while Manning has endured his team’s failures with the even-keeled approach he has displayed throughout his career, Griffin has become a magnet for controversy in Washington.

His leadership has been questioned, along with his relationship with his teammates and coaches. Griffin has fanned the flames by publicly commenting on everything from coach Mike Shanahan’s handling of the quarterback’s return from offseason knee surgery to the predictability of the offense and the effort of his teammates. Some fans and media are speculating whether he should sit out the remainder of the season. But Griffin isn’t about to quit.

“These are times that can help you as a player and as a team, just sticking together and it can truly define you,” he said. “You have to figure out how you want to be defined. Some of the other stuff that’s personal, it’s unprofessional, but it’s stuff that I can’t really focus on.”

While a mini-circus has surrounded Griffin all season, Manning has remained controversy free, electing not to react to those critical of his performance. It remains difficult even for offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride to know how his quarterback is feeling after six straight losses to open the year, followed by four straight wins ruined by last week’s crushing loss to the Cowboys.

“He feels it’s always his responsibility to be consistent in the way he conducts himself and goes about his business,” Gilbride said. “He tries very studiously not to get too high or too low. Is he frustrated? Yes. We’re all disappointed because of how hard he works and how much he invests. But getting a read on that is a whole other thing. I certainly appreciate his ability to be even keel.”

Griffin and Manning did sound alike this week when discussing the remaining five games on their schedule, including Sunday’s meeting between the two NFC East rivals at FedEx Field.

“You can sit here and, as players, look at your record and be down about it,” Griffin said, “but I think what we’ve done is just try to make a conscious effort to realize we’ve got five games to make a difference and that’s all we have. … We have to push forward through these five games and make the most of these five games and not really worry about what’s happened thus far this season.”

Manning isn’t worrying about what happened last week in that deflating 24-21 loss to the Cowboys.

“We’re playing in the NFL, and after a number of years, you’re going to have some games that you wish you had won and thought you could have won,” Manning said, “but you’ve got to watch the film and make some corrections and just come back and start game planning for a different defense and make sure we get ready to go out there and play better.”

Losing hurts, even if Manning masks it well.

“Everybody is dealing with it,” he said.

Some quarterbacks deal with it better than others.