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The Redskins' close win Monday night over the Giants made the NFC East race a lot more interesting. Robert Griffin III's heroics (along with a little bit of luck -- he's pretty darn good, but when one of your teammates turns your fumble into a touchdown, you can't exactly attribute that to proper preparation) brought the Redskins to 6-6, with the Giants just barely ahead at 7-5. That's not even taking into account the Cowboys, who are suddenly competitive at 6-6 after defeating a disorganized Eagles squad.

Will the Redskins (6-6) make the playoffs?

•  
  55%
  Yes
•  
  45%
  No

(Total votes: 61,878)

Which team will win the NFC East?

•  
  55%
  Giants (7-5)
•  
  10%
  Cowboys (6-6)
•  
  35%
  Redskins (6-6)

(Total votes: 65,032)

Which quarterback is having the better rookie season?

•  
  44%
  Robert Griffin III
•  
  56%
  Andrew Luck

(Total votes: 105,924)

Robert Griffin III's exceptional season continues, as he was appointed as a team captain for the Redskins for the rest of the season. Is it a good idea to give leadership roles to first-year players, even ones as accomplished as Griffin?

• King Lewey 13: "If RG3 isnt captain, who should be? Alfred Morris(Rookie)? How about Santana Moss? Oh wait he isnt on the field half the time. He is the logical choice."
• fuzydeth: "He has given life to the Redskins. Well deserved."
• Texas Jim Bob: "Shanahan is delusional if he thinks a 3-6 Rookie starter is a Captain. What a joke!"
• steelsittyswammi: "3-6, a rookie, and made a captain? I bet the real veterans on that team are shaking their heads again. Griffin has potential but look at Cam last year. Great stats, losing team. Lots of praise/hype and now he drapes his head unter a towel every time he gets a chance. When Griffin has actually done something worthy of being selected a team captain, then give him the honor."
• DocDawg84: "Remember when defenses and certain defensive players actually scared their opponents.......those days are far gone. Suh plays the game that way......from the old school and I bet the old guys from that era secretly contact Suh and gives him their best for reminding everybody HOW the game SHOULD be played. I miss QBs and teams being afraid of defenses."
• MMatthews10: "Veterans are praising him, not shaking their heads. Guy is a leader."

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Robert Griffin III has accused the Rams of engaging in "extracurricular activities" during their matchup last Sunday. Do you consider the Rams to be a dirty team?

• OPENLYUGLY: "NO....... even if you did take cheap shots, you don't come out and say it! That means they got into your head and other teams will be doing what they can to get in there too."
• chasefan31: "I don't blame him one bit for talking about this. It wasn't hard shots he took during game play that were the problem, it was the three or four times the rams would start to get up off of him and then slam his head back to the turf with their forearm 5 seconds after the whistle. That is NOT NFL football. There would have been about 15 personal fouls and two or three ejections if the regular refs were in charge."
• pgofen: "Welcome to the NFL, rookie."
• lostsol777: "Having actually watched the game, I have two thoughts on this. 1. Maybe RG3 should watch the game tape and see all the extracurricular hitting his own D was laying down after plays. It was just as bad if not worse. 2. Grow up. It's football.'"
• RJGJR1959: "Obviously, teams are taking advantage of the replacement refs..RG3 was treated no different than any other QB during the past 2 weeks."

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On Thursday, "First Take" discussed John Madden's comments about Robert Griffin III and Tim Tebow. The Hall of Fame coach said Griffin reminds him of Tim Tebow, except Griffin can pass. Skip Bayless thinks the comparison is ridiculous, but Stephen A. Smith finds it more apt because no one is actually worrying about Griffin's ability to throw the ball. What's your take?

No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III made his NFL debut Sunday against the Saints and quickly had the league buzzing with his outstanding performance. Griffin completed his first eight passes -- including an 88-yard touchdown -- en route to 320 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns, leading the Redskins to a win over the Saints. The 320 passing yards were the second most for a rookie QB in Week 1, behind only Cam Newton's debut last season.

RGIII is a BEAST RIGHT NOW!

— LaVar Leap Arrington (@LaVarArrington) September 9, 2012

Kids, hop on the @rgiii bandwagon early.in hostile Superdome, 10/11 155 yds and 2 TD passes. has put up points on all 3 drives

— trey wingo (@wingoz) September 9, 2012

RG3!!! Baby!!!#Redskins

— Jerry Stackhouse (@jerrystackhouse) September 9, 2012

RG3 is going Crazy Right Now 2TD passes!!! Where yall Saints Fans at? #TrueRedskinFan

— Mike Kidd-Gilchrist (@MikeGillie14) September 9, 2012

It's great to see @rgiii start his #NFL career with a 40 pt, winning performance on the road against the Saints.

— Desmond Howard (@DesmondHoward) September 9, 2012

• MKULTRA1414: "If RG3 continues to play like this through the season, all those people who were screaming that he is gonna a bust in the offseason will need to find new bridges to live under."
• ZTx Ghost: "I'm not even a Skins fan, yet I'm rooting for them because RG3 is AWESOME!"
• TXRangerfan1980: "As a Cowboy fan i have to tip the hat to RG3 hes on fire right now.. If you are a REDSKIN fan i think it might be time to get excited that you might have a winner here!!"
• Vinh7785: "RGIII > Cam Newton"



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The Redskins plan on starting Robert Griffin III from day one of the 2012 season, which is a pretty defensible position considering he's probably their best quarterback right this minute. Still, it's worth wondering what this will mean for his development. Other successful quarterbacks have had time to build up their confidence and learn the system before being thrown into the mix; Griffin will have to perform from the get-go. Is this the right decision?

What do you expect out of Robert Griffin III this season?

•  
  29%
  He'll excel overall
•  
  63%
  He'll have an up-and-down season overall
•  
  8%
  He'll struggle overall

(Total votes: 59,742)

How will the Redskins perform this season?

•  
  12%
  Much better than .500
•  
  77%
  About .500
•  
  11%
  Much worse than .500

(Total votes: 17,016)

In general, what is the best way to work a highly-drafted rookie quarterback into a team's starting position?

•  
  46%
  Start him immediately
•  
  54%
  Gradually work him into the position

(Total votes: 91,643)

On Thursday, "First Take" debated whether or not Mike Shanahan is the right coach for Robert Griffin III. The Redskins are likely to take Griffin with the second pick in the 2012 NFL draft, and Shanahan will have to groom Griffin into an elite quarterback. Visiting analyst Donovan McNabb, who played under Shanahan before, doesn't think the pairing would work out. What's your take?

Today: The Cowboys and Redskins will take a cap hit because of front-loading contracts in an uncapped 2010.

• bubbaamy: "They played within the rules at the time. This is making up the rules as you go along. This is wrong is every possible way. "
• BucktheYankeeandSox: "Roger Goodell is the only person on earth who could unite Redskins and Cowboys fans. "
• Romosapien247: "Something is really sketchy here. The NFL imposes this sanction one day before FA begins, and both teams seem to be caught completely off-guard by it. So did the other owners know about it before-hand?"
• Hooza Whatsit V: "Could be a blessing in disguise for the cowboys if they are forced to cut romo."
• Giuseppe Gatto: "For those of you who keep saying they cant punish these teams for their actions during the uncapped year. You are exactly right they cant because there was no cap and the NFL had to approve those contracts; however, what you are all missing is that these are not violations or penalties or punishments. The NFL is using a very nifty move to get back at those teams that did not comply. "
• tiberyc: "This is not about cheating! This is about 2 owners who were trying to make their respective teams, "winning" teams, and doing whatever it took to try and make that happen."



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The Rex Grossman era, such as it was, appears to be over in Washington. Coach Mike Shanahan has decided to start John Beck in place of Grossman. The 30-year-old Beck is a career journeyman, but Grossman seems to have reverted to his reckless gunslinging ways. With the Redskins at 3-2 and still in contention for the NFC East title, it may not be the right time to wait for Grossman to figure it out all over again.

More polls: Are the Redskins playoff-bound with Beck? Is Grossman done?