On Wednesday, Nov. 27th, 2013, Redskins QB Robert Griffin III addressed the media after afternoon practice at Redskins Park in Ashburn, VA.
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On the team's offensive struggles against San Francisco:
"We've just got to make a conscious effort to decide over these next five weeks that we're going to get better and it starts by going to work. It started today. We had a nice practice, good practice, guys were locked in and that's all you can ask for at this point right now. We've got to win. We've got to win right now and let everything else take care of itself. We've just got to control what we can control."
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On a possible rift between himself and the offensive line:
"First of all, me and my offensive linemen are fine. Let's just cut that right there. There are no problems there."
On how he tunes out the gossip about the team:
"When it comes to not looking at that outside stuff, it can be hard because some way or another, somehow, things just find their way to being right in front of your eyes. It's in moments like these we always say, 'Keep your head up,' but right now we have to make sure that we keep our eyes on the prize, keep our head down away from everything else, and really focus in on that tunnel vision that you want to have all the time. It's paramount right now."
On his goal for the last five weeks of the season:
"Win."
On if he has a response to comments by San Francisco linebacker Ahmad Brooks that he is not healthy enough to be playing:
"I do not. I appreciate his compassion and they're a really good defense. They played extremely well. I know their coach was excited about that. We didn't play well and we will play better."
On how outside distractions get back to him:
"Just one way or another. I didn't say that [I have trouble with distractions] by the way, just to clarify that. I said somehow, some way, sometimes, things find their ways to right in front of your eyes. I'll just leave it at that. I'm not going to go through that and tell you guys how that stuff happens, just that sometimes it happens."
On if missing the offseason has contributed to his play this season:
"I think an offseason definitely helps, but I don't use those excuses and I won't use that excuse – that's for me personally. As far as the coaches are concerned, if that's how they feel then I can't combat that. But me, personally, I won't use that as an excuse."
On if he sees the rest of the season as a chance to improve his game:
"Yeah, [over] these next five weeks our goal is to win. Period. That's all that matters right now."
On his father being in the locker room after the game:
"I don't know what all has been said, I just know it hasn't all been positive. My dad came to check on me. He came to check on me to make sure I wasn't injured. Mom was upset. He wanted to do his fatherly duties and step in there and see if I was OK. That's all I can say."
On if he was surprised to see his dad in the locker room:
"Yeah, I mean family members sometimes come in the locker room, so I'm not going to say whose family members are in the locker room. It's just he showed up, I was shocked that he was there, but he meant no harm and anybody out there that's going after my dad needs to back up. That is my father. I will protect my family and he served 21 years in the military. I know that's not an excuse for anything that he does, but he's not overstepping any bounds, so I hope that people will respect that and back off."
On what they talked about:
"He asked me if I was OK and I said, 'Yeah, I'm alright,' and me and him just talked and then that's it."
On what made his dad think he had been injured:
"Just taking a couple of shots. Obviously, I got kicked in the gonads. He wanted to see if I was I was OK there. That's politically correct, right? So he was just checking on that and it's more so that my mom was… No mom wants to see their kid out there getting hit at al. So like I said, it was just him being a father, my mom being a mother, and there's no problem in that."
On if he pays attention to reports that his offensive lineman are not picking him up after sacks:
"I don't. Like I said earlier, there's no fracture between me and my offensive lineman. I love those guys."
On if his "gonads" are healthy enough to produce a "Griffin IV":
"There will be a Griffin IV."
On if it is frustrating that the conversation surrounding him is not primarily about football:
"Yeah, it's unfortunate we're not up here talking football a lot of the time. Like I said, it's unfortunate and some will say it comes with the spotlight. I don't know. I don't know what it is. All I know is [over] these next five weeks, we're concentrated on winning. That's what I'm focused on and I know the guys in that locker room are focused on that, too."
On if he already has a plan for his offseason program:
"No, I don't, because I'm not thinking about the offseason right now. I think once you start doing that, you've officially given up and you probably shouldn't step on that field. My focus right now is [on the] Giants and that's all I got."
On if there are specific aspects of his game he plans to work on in the offseason:
"There's always things you can work on, but that will be between me, my coaches and whoever else I work with."
On if scrutiny has hardened him:
"I don't know if it's hardened me. You have to know what people's intentions are, and that's it. Like I said, we're focused on winning."
On the psychological difficulty of struggling in his second year after an excellent rookie season:
"Anytime you lose in the National Football League, there's going to be criticism and we understand that. The hardest part of all of this is probably the fact that we know that we're not what our record says we are."
On the psychological challenges for him personally:
"I mean, this is a team game. I'm not going to sit up here and talk about myself. So like I was going to say, talking to those guys in the locker room, we know we're not what our record says we are and that's what makes it tough. It wouldn't be this hard and no one would be criticizing if we didn't think we were a good team, if people didn't think we were a good team. Right now, we haven't played like a good team and we have to get back to that. That's our focus in the next five weeks."
On whether the loss to San Francisco is more attributable to their strong defense or the Redskins' poor offense:
"It's a combination of both. We just weren't able to stay on the field on offense, and we've got to move the ball. You've got to be able to run. You've got to be able to throw. You've got to be able to do everything. Like I said, they are a good defense, but we hurt ourselves a lot, too."
On what he is thankful for and his favorite Thanksgiving meal:
"I'm thankful for a lot of things. I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for friends. I'm thankful to God. He puts you through a lot of trials and tribulations in life, [but] none that you can't handle. [I'm] just thankful that He wakes us up every day [and] that there's nothing wrong with me and my family. My favorite meal – a little gumbo, sweet potato pie, a little cornbread, a little bit of that. There's always a reason to smile and that's why I'm thankful. Because through all of this, through all of the scrutiny and the way the season's gone for us, there's always a reason to smile. There's always a reason to wake up the next morning if you're so blessed to have one."
On the Giants' defense:**
"Still a dangerous defense. They're a good team, and like I said, we've got to be on top of our game. For us, our focus is… You have to obviously watch the film and be able to handle whatever they throw at you, but also we've got to make sure that we handle down what we're doing and really just take it to them as opposed to allowing them to take it to us."
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