Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Robert Griffin III took to the podium to hold their postgame press conferences and speak about the team's 0-3 start. Shanahan and Griffin III shared a common theme: Both were proud of how the team fought, but RGIII was willing to take the fall for the loss.
RG3 on Redskins’ loss: ‘Pin it on me’
The Redskins quarterback is aware that one of his mistakes turned the tide in Sunday’s game.
Greg Fiume
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
The Redskins lost by seven points and the game came down to two key plays. The first was a fumble by RGIII when he attempted to slide head-first following a run, the second on a disallowed touchdown thrown to Aldrick Robinson, which was overturned on review.
Shanahan didn’t have any problems with referees overturning the touchdown. “My understanding of the rule is that he’s got to have complete security all the way through the catch. It looked to me like it hit the ground, so I’m not surprised it was overturned.”
The Redskins head coach had similar thoughts on his quarterback’s fumble, willing to attribute it to simply being a football play. “To be honest with you it’s something that happens,” Shanahan said, “You slide forward and that happens. I’ve seen it happen to a lot of people.” He shrugged off the assertion that the kind of slide is what created the fumble, saying,“I’ve had QBs who always go head-first. A lot of guys do it different ways.”
Griffin III attempted 50 passes, while the team attempted just 22 rushing attempts. Shanahan believed the mistakes at quarterback were a byproduct of the lack of offensive balance. “You don’t want that many passing attempts,” he said.
Shanahan was also asked if he could remember bouncing back from 0-3. “No, I can’t remember that far back,” he answered. “We can’t do anything about that, all we can do is persevere.”
The message was similar from RGIII, who initially talked about the judgment calls that went against the Redskins, calling the game a “team loss” but quickly grew tired of questions about his performance at quarterback. “I’m not going to sit up here answering every question about myself. If you want to pin it on someone pin it on me,” he said.
Starting 0-3 after a playoff berth in 2012 was unthinkable for the Redskins. “If you told us we’d be 0-3 right now we’d all be shocked,” according to Griffin. “We played better today, but we didn’t get the win.”
The Washington Redskins will get an opportunity to change their fortunes next week against the Oakland Raiders, who are one of the league's surprises in 2013.
“No one wants to be 0-3. You don’t play this game for moral victories,” RGIII said. “Nobody in the league is going to feel sorry for us.”
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