Robert Griffin III says he can handle criticism

The second-year quarterback is confident in his ability to not let the pressures and criticisms that are a part of the game get under his skin.

by Brandon Worley

Nov 16, 2013, 2:58 PM UTC

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III says he understands the pressures that come with being a quarterback in the NFL and that, with his team struggling in his second professional season, he's prepared to handle the criticism that he knows comes with the job.

Per Mike Jones of the Washington Post, Griffin says that the frustrations and struggles of the season so far have not changed his way of approaching the game.

“You take life as it comes. Life’s going to throw you curveballs sometimes. You just have got to figure out which ones to try and hit,” Griffin said. “Right now, it’s not a burden. It’s a burden if you make it a burden. You’ve got to believe. It only takes one person to believe so you can have success. I always believe in this team. I always believe in these players and so on and so on. That’s what it is for me. It’s not a burden. I understand what comes with being the quarterback of the Washington Redskins. I understand what comes with being a quarterback in the NFL. And yeah, it might be a little harder here because of certain aspects of what goes on around this team. I understand that.”

The Redskins are at the same spot they were at this point last season, sitting 3-6 after nine games and almost completely dead with the second half of the season yet to be played. Last year, Washington took advantage of the stumbles of the rest of the NFC East and won out the season, finishing 10-6 and earning a playoff berth on the back of a division title.

But the circumstances in 2013 feel different, with Griffin and the Redskins offense struggling with consistency from week to week. Coming off a devastating knee injury, the young quarterback has not been nearly as explosive running the ball, and his accuracy has suffered to the point that the Redskins haven’t been able to cover up for its problematic defense.

The Redskins, coming off a 34-27 loss to Minnesota, face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.