RICHMOND, Va. — Robert Griffin III both tantalized and tormented Redskins fans here Wednesday morning, and he did it all in the same play.
Sensing a planned handoff in 11-on-11 drills would get blown up in the backfield, Griffin called a last-second audible and zipped through a big hole in the opposite direction instead.
At least two fallen defenders and 65 yards later, Griffin was prancing in the end zone — injecting a sudden jolt of excitement to an otherwise sleepy practice.
But with the franchise quarterback’s tortured injury history burned into their brain and another 3-13 disaster flashing before their eyes, more than a few “oh no” groans dotted the cheers.
Even new Redskins coach Jay Gruden couldn’t totally enjoy the moment because of it.
“Coach asked me what the hell I was doing,” Griffin said with a grin. “I said, ‘I saw something, coach!’ ’’
The fearlessness of the play made you wonder if Griffin is the changed man he says he is now that Mike Shanahan — the oil to RG3’s water — is gone and the read-option offense is little more than an afterthought in Gruden’s West Coast scheme.
The play certainly summed up the Redskins’ conundrum with their star.
Griffin flashed sprinter’s speed down the sideline, looking like the RG3 of 2012 without the bulky brace on his surgically repaired knee that left him feeling caged last season.
But Gruden, the Redskins and their fans — heck, the entire NFL — know from the 2012 season how quickly a running RG3 can become an injured RG3.
“There’s no question that we’re still working on that balance now,” Gruden said. “He’s proven that he can [run the read option], but he’s also proven to come off a major injury the last couple of years.”
Griffin didn’t run as much last season (his rushing attempts dropped to 6.6 per game in 13 starts from 8.0 in 15 starts as a rookie). But his game — not to mention the Redskins’ season — suffered as a result.
Griffin’s passer rating plummeted 20 points to 82.2, while the Redskins went from NFC East champions to last place. Owner Dan Snyder then fired Shanahan after an ugly late-season power showdown, much of it over Shanahan’s relationship with Griffin.
Was Griffin’s dramatic sophomore slump the predictable result of coming back too soon and playing at less than 100 percent?
Or was it a sign of what the Redskins can expect when Griffin doesn’t run and tries to be a pocket passer?
Griffin put himself in another camp Wednesday as far as that debate. He backed Redskins president Bruce Allen’s recent comments that Griffin’s struggles resulted from Shanahan being overprotective in training camp last year.
“I saw what Bruce said, and I know where he’s coming from,” Griffin said. “That was the previous coach’s prerogative. Multiple times I played the hand I was dealt last year, and now we are ready to move on this year with the new regime.”
The Redskins are ready to do the same with Griffin. In fact, the team appears to be “all in” with him.
They replaced Shanahan with a noted quarterback guru in Gruden and bulked up the running game and the offensive line through the draft. Biggest of all, Washington signed ex-Eagles star wideout DeSean Jackson to a three-year, $24 million deal.
Though the Redskins surprised observers by keeping backup Kirk Cousins, which means a quarterback controversy is still possible, Griffin has embraced being the omnipresent face of the franchise again.
Something as minor as talking to the media nearly every day (a no-no under Shanahan) has become a favorite part of Griffin’s routine.
“I think it’s been great,” Griffin said. “I have a little more freedom this year. I think it helps everybody to do their job easier.”
In an apparent nod to the sourced stories critical of Griffin last winter that seemed to come from Shanahan’s camp, the quarterback added: “You can hear it straight from my mouth and not from anybody else’s.”
But with that freedom comes the responsibility for Griffin to produce like he did in 2012 again — and stay healthy in the process.
“My job is to stay upright, and [the job of the offensive line] is to keep me upright,” Griffin said. “I have to do all I can to make sure that happens. It’s just a matter of staying out of bad situations.”
With Griffin, that’s still easier said than done.