Robert Griffin III Tries Clowning Russell Wilson on Twitter
If Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has a new mantra, perhaps it's 'restoration.' In that vein, Wilson seems to be approaching the 2023 campaign under the maxim #RestorationSzn.
After Wilson tweeted a workout video with the hashtag above, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III took the opportunity to poke some fun at his fellow 2012 draft classmate with a, let's say, creative video edit.
"Broncos Country, let's slide," Griffin's tweet read.
In the tweet, Griffin posted an edit of Wilson's viral workout video with a few clips of a famous comedic actor everyone recognizes, saying, "What in the Ben Stiller is going on here, Russell Wilson?"
Now an ESPN analyst covering college football, Griffin perhaps sees himself as above the fray, but those who live in glass houses should beware of throwing rocks. Let's turn back the clock, shall we?
Griffin was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft (Wilson was pick 75 in Round 3). After an encouraging first year in Washington under then-head coach Mike Shanahan, Griffin's NFL career took a nose-dive as a result of injuries, as the quarterback was supplanted in Washington with Kirk Cousins.
Following his rookie-of-the-year campaign, Griffin went on to start just 27 regular-season games in his career as he bounced around the league. He was a healthy scratch for all of 2015 before Washington released him, going on to sign with the Cleveland Browns in 2016 on a two-year deal that lasted less than 12 months.
Griffin sat out the entirety of the 2017 season as a free agent the NFL didn't want. His career briefly found new life again when the Baltimore Ravens signed him to back up Joe Flacco and rookie Lamar Jackson in 2018. Although Griffin remained in Baltimore as a backup from 2018-20, he started just two games before being waived in January of 2021.
That was all she wrote for Griffin. His NFL career started with a bang but ended with a whimper.
Meanwhile, despite not hearing his name called in the draft until the third round, Wilson went on to become a day-one starter in Seattle, leading the Seahawks to a World Championship in Year 2 (Super Bowl XLVIII) and presiding over nine playoff wins and eight postseason berths in 10 years with the club, earning a whopping nine Pro Bowl selections along the way.
The 2022 season was a bad one for Wilson, and the way it shook out, combined with some of his antics, turned him into a national lampoon of sorts. But it says something that 2022 was only the third season in his 11 years as an NFL starter that Wilson failed to lead his team to the playoffs.
After Wilson's 'Broncos Country, let's ride' slogan not only failed to catch on, but eventually became cringeworthy as his team stockpiled losses in the standings, he wisely seems to have dispensed with it. Although, it's worth mentioning, we've only heard from the Broncos' signal-caller publicly once since head coach Sean Payton was hired.
Wilson has dropped weight and has mostly kept his head down since Payton arrived in Denver. Wilson seeks a 'restoration' of his name and career, but I could think of other R-words, like redemption and even revenge, as appropriate totems he could rally around.
Griffin's NFL career can't even be compared to Wilson's. Even if Wilson hung up his cleats today, with the accomplishments he's stockpiled, it's quite probable that he'd eventually end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while Griffin is one of the most notorious draft busts of the modern era.
But Wilson's story has yet to be completed. More pages await. The book has been closed on Griffin's.
For now, to dove-tail nicely with #RestorationSzn, Wilson would be wise to embrace the #L3tTh3mHat3 hashtag. If he leads the Broncos back to competitive relevance under Payton, and restores the rightful luster to his name, his critics and haters alike will be eating their hearts out and gnashing their teeth.
They say desperation is a stinky perfume, but so is jealousy. Don't be surprised if Wilson gets the last laugh.
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