Right Price? Not Sure. Right QB? Definitely.

The Skins traded three first-round drafts picks and a second-rounder for the rights to draft Robert Griffin III. Crazy how much we gave up. But I take comfort in the fact that the Skins chose the right QB.

For details, including video analysis, read on.


Wrong choices would have included Kyle Orton, Matt Flynn, Ryan Tannehill, and yes, Peyton Manning.

Why not Peyton? The Shanahans have a very specific offensive system they are installing, whereas Peyton has his own very specific (and successful) approach to offense. Even if the Skins adjust things for Peyton and were to have a good couple years, Peyton's retirement three years from now would leave the Skins having to rebuild again, which would include finding a QB to groom in their preferred system.

What's right about RGIII? Many things. Forget the Heisman, that's meaningless for QBs. Previous Heisman winning QBs include Troy Smith, Jason White, Eric Crouch and the list goes on (Danny Wuerfel, Chris Weinke, Andre Ware, Gino Torretta).

Here are four reasons why RGIII is the real deal.

1) In 2011 he led the NCAA in yards-per-attempt (YPA). People don't often talk about YPA, yet detailed analysis shows that of all QB statistics YPA has the strongest correlation with winning.

2) RGIII is mobile. This means that he fits Kyle Shanahan's passing offense which calls for a mobile QB good with roll-outs and that RGIII will be better than most at turning nothing into something when pass-blocking breaks down.

3) RGIII is accurate. He completed 72.4% of passes in college, which is insane. Especially insane given the many long passes he threw. Relatedly, his TD to INT ratio was 6.2. In case you're not familiar with standards for this statistic, anything above 2.0 is considered good; 6.2 is insane. In short, RGIII throws far more completions than incompletions, and far more TDs than INTs.

4) Finally, and perhaps most importantly, RGIII is a true student. He studies hard and perfects the little things. Kyle Shanahan needs a student. Jamarcus Russell failed despite his ridiculous physical talent because he's not a student. Same with Ryan Leaf. What do people praise about Peyton Manning? Yes, his arm is like a laser, but he's perhaps best known for his knowledge and study. Same with Tom Brady and Drew Brees: They are known for their work ethic and attention to detail and film study as much as their physical attributes.

How do I know RGIII is a student and perfects the little things? First, it's a good sign that he completed his undergraduate studies with a 3.67 GPA and last year took classes towards a Masters Degree.

Second, film study shows that RGIII is about more than glamorous plays. If you care about this sort of thing, it's worth checking out the video. Here are two examples:

a) Fake hand-offs. A good play-action fake can fool the defense, make linebackers play the run thereby opening up receivers and passing lanes, especially over the middle. Watch from 2:15-2:20 in this video (2:25-2:35 for a slow-mo replay). Yes, RGIII throws a TD pass, but watch his play-action fake before the pass. He bends the knees low and gives a good solid pause, completely selling the fake to the defense. If you don't think the fake was important, watch where the two middle linebackers begin the play, watch how they both come forward to stop the run, and watch how the ball is thrown right through the area where the linebackers were at the start of the play.

For comparison, watch Jamarcus Russell in this video from 8:30-8:37. Yes, I know he completes the pass. But we're interested in the details. Look at his fake hand-off. He has none of the polish, none of the technique with the knees, none of the pause that sells the fake, instead Russell runs right by the running back. My point is that this kind of thing tells us what kind of student a QB is ... do they take the little things seriously, do they do the repetition necessary to perfect the fundamentals, or, instead, did they simply reply on their talent to succeed in college, thus setting themselves up for NFL failure.

b) Footwork. Watch the slow-mo replay from 1:11-1:20 in this video (the real-time version of the play is 1:03-1:09). First, we see another deliberate and well-executed fake hand-off. Then notice how follwing the fake RGIII re-assumes the upright position and keeps his feet moving. Then notice how RGIII crisply changes the angle of his body to face the right corner of the end-zone so he's squared up to his target. Then notice how RGIII again keeps his feet moving until he throws the ball. And of course notice how the ball is right on target. We know RGIII has the 'big' things -- strong arm, speed, accuracy. But he also has the little things that make QBs great -- attention-to-detail, desire and ability to get the small things and fundamentals right.

This is why RGIII is the right QB for the Skins. He's got all the tangibles (big arm, accurate arm, athleticism, speed), but equally as important for NFL success he has all the intangibles (coachable, student of the game, attention to detail, cares about fundamentals). I'm on the RGIII bandwagon.