ESPN football analyst Robert Griffin III recently spoke out on the situation in Denver with Russell Wilson and head coach Sean Payton. Griffin sees similarities between the Payton-Wilson dynamic and his own, with former head coach Mike Shanahan in Washington. From the outside, it seems like coach Payton doesn’t believe in his quarterback, the same thing Griffin says he dealt with during his stint in the nation’s capital.
“The Denver Broncos aren’t playing to win football games. They are playing to win the BLAME GAME. That’s what happens when Sean Payton comes in throwing shade at his Super Bowl-winning QB Russell Wilson EVERY CHANCE HE GETS. The locker room will implode because no one in it believes the coach has their best interest at heart.”
This one seems to hit home for the former No. 2 overall pick. Shanahan never wanted any part of that selection back in 2012, which he highlighted by selecting Kirk Cousins in the fourth round of the same draft, a rebuke of his own front office and an immediate undermining of the signal caller slated to be his day-one starter. Their relationship never got any better. Needless to say, RGIII has seen and lived through what appears to be brewing in Denver.
While they’re only a few games into this relationship, there still seems to be a lack of chemistry between coach and quarterback in the mile-high city. And the way Payton came in hot with his public criticism of Wilson, it’s easy to see Griffin’s point of view on the matter.
Sometimes, Griffin can be a little extra in his commentary, but he’s spot on here. Each week threatens to bring about an impending implosion in the Broncos locker room. Wilson hasn’t been flawless but has played better than last year. Turnovers in bad spots have been the biggest point of contention between Wilson and Payton. But overall, he’s played well.
Griffin likely has flashbacks to his time in Washington whenever he watches the Broncos. We’re not even halfway through the season, but at 1-5, it’s hard to imagine things improving much this year. If Payton continues down the same path, RGIII could be absolutely correct in his prediction of a locker room collapse. Payton has a few more games before the team completely checks out on him if they haven’t already, and if that happens, don’t expect the cold war between coach and QB to let up any time soon.
