By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
Overall, coach Mike Shanahan lived up to his word. The Redskins mostly remained idle, limited by having only $3 million or so of salary cap space because of their $18 million cap penalty.
As seven NFL head coaches lost their jobs Monday, Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan implied offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, his son, wouldn't agree to interview requests until after Washington's playoff run ends.
Robert Griffin III sat at his locker, still wearing his gold game pants, and tried to piece together the NFL's complex playoff puzzle. Next to him, Rex Grossman slid a bright blue tie around his neck. Griffin and Grossman wondered aloud whether the Washington Redskins' heart-stopping 27-20 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday was enough to qualify them for the playoffs.
A quick recap of the Redskins' 27-20 victory over the Eagles.
The quick recap of the Redskins' 31-28 overtime win over the Ravens.
Trent Williams wasn't totally healthy, bothered by a thigh injury. Neither was London Fletcher, hampered by a bad ankle. But there was little if any doubt that the Washington Redskins' captains would be on the field for Monday night's showdown with the New York Giants.
When Robert Griffin III reared back and let the ball fly down the field in Santana Moss' direction, he was reminded of a lesson his college coach at Baylor, Art Briles, imparted on him.
There is little Robert Griffin III hasn't done in his first two months in the NFL, from compiling the league's top completion percentage to leading quarterbacks in rushing. The rookie spawned a new meme, Griffining, and returned from a concussion to deliver the longest run by a quarterback in 16 years.
We knew there would be days like this for Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins. Gray days. Rainy days. Days when the opposition ran around in throwback uniforms that made them look like bumblebees. Even days when they were victimized by a running back named Rainey.
![Diagramming Robert Griffin III's 76-yard touchdown run against the Vikings on Sunday. [No. 10: Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III; No. 22: Redskins running back Evan Royster; No. 83: Redskins tight end Fred Davis; No. 15: Redskins wide receiver Joshua Morgan; No. 20: Vikings cornerback Chris Cook; No. 54: Vikings middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley; No. 52: Vikings strong-side linebacker Chad Greenway; No. 33: Vikings free safety Jamarca Sanford; No. 22: Vikings strong safety Harrison Smith] (The Washington Times)](http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2012/10/16/20121016-172508-pic-716951937_s101x57.jpg?1e38ab45eb20922e0b1946bfd8f398ca84df9337)
The Washington Redskins led the Minnesota Vikings 31-26 with 2:56 to play in the fourth quarter Sunday at FedEx Field. Facing third and 6 from the Washington 24, Robert Griffin III awaited the shotgun snap from center Will Montgomery. What followed would become the signature play in the quarterback's rookie season, and is presented here in an oral history:
When Robert Griffin III lay on the turf Sunday, concussed by the hit of a charging linebacker, it was easy to overlook the secondary problem that resulted from the play. Not only was Griffin lost for the game with a head injury, but the Washington Redskins also had failed to convert another third down.
Robert Griffin III took the practice field at Redskins Park on Wednesday afternoon just as he has at the start of each week since the regular season began last month.
Alfred Morris raced across the goal line Sunday and celebrated his touchdown in a way familiar to anyone who has followed the Washington Redskins' first four games. He pantomimed tossing a baseball into the air and swinging a bat. Then he held his hand above his eyes, as if to shield the sun from his vision as he watched the home run sail into the distance.
Mike Shanahan's face turned that special shade of red when Washington Redskins receiver Joshua Morgan threw the football at an opponent in the closing moments of last Sunday's loss to St. Louis. The outburst pushed the Redskins out of field goal range and extinguished any hope of sending that three-point defeat to overtime.
Scroll through Joshua Morgan's Twitter mentions from the past three days and a sick feeling takes hold of your stomach.
"They weren't respecting the run," Morgan said.
"We've been playing for each other all year," Morgan said. "We've been doing a great job feeding off each other."
RG3 returns; Redskins top Eagles to keep NFC East title in sight →
![Diagramming Robert Griffin III's 76-yard touchdown run against the Vikings on Sunday. [No. 10: Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III; No. 22: Redskins running back Evan Royster; No. 83: Redskins tight end Fred Davis; No. 15: Redskins wide receiver Joshua Morgan; No. 20: Vikings cornerback Chris Cook; No. 54: Vikings middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley; No. 52: Vikings strong-side linebacker Chad Greenway; No. 33: Vikings free safety Jamarca Sanford; No. 22: Vikings strong safety Harrison Smith] (The Washington Times)](http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2012/10/16/20121016-172508-pic-716951937_s300x169.jpg?ff69821eaf926b3d3e76e77831a909cb7efddbd7)
