RG3 Robert Griffin III Interview, Washington Redskins, NFL Draft 2012

Here’s the Robert Griffin III interview transcript thanks to the NFL, but as a note, this one doesn’t have all of the exchange in it, but enough for you to read some of the questions you may not have heard in the video:

ROBERT GRIFFIN III

Q. Even though you knew where you were going, are you still pretty excited?
A. Yeah, I was excited. I was sitting there staring at the phone, waiting for the call, and they called the other phone. It was pretty cool. Even though you know where you’re going, you still want to act as if you don’t. You never know what can happen as the rest of the draft has shown. I’m excited to be a Redskin.

Q. Talk about how excited you are to be working with Mike Shanahan.
A. Coach Shanahan, everyone knows him for John Elway, but aside from that, being a Bronco fan growing up, I watched him do a lot of things with a lot of running backs, a lot of guys that said they couldn’t do it, he made sure they could. He’s a great coach. From what I’ve heard, he allows his players to have input on what they do. Not that I’m going to go in and say, “Hey, we need to do this, this and this,” but I’ll definitely try to be open with him just like I know he’s going to be open with me.

Q. What do you think about a division with Eli Manning, Tony Romo and Michael Vick?
A.It’s a tough division. Growing up in Texas, you see that division a lot. If not the best division, it’s one of the best divisions in football. The great quarterback play, great pass rushers so there’s going to be a lot of excitement in the division. I also don’t look forward to playing against Morris Claiborne all the time.

Q. How do you think you’ll be able to fit in with the quarterbacks from the NFC East?
A.You try not to fit in anywhere. You try to just see where you mold, and obviously, I mold with the Redskins, but you don’t play quarterbacks in this league. You’ll always be compared head to head, but you play defenses. I’m looking forward to playing the defenses in this division.

Q. You said you had to wait a little longer to talk about your new team and teammates. What do you know about the team you’re going to be joining?
A.You try to research as much as you possibly can to make sure you’re ready. I definitely researched the O‑line and the receivers and the running backs, basically every position on offense, to make sure I knew what I was working with. Then to be able to go and see a guy and shake his hand to where he doesn’t have to tell me what his name is, I know who he is right away. I’m looking forward to using the weapons that we have on offense, and then playing with a great defense. You’ve got a guy like London Fletcher. I know how it was for some of our seniors the year before we broke our bowl drought at Baylor, and they didn’t get to experience that. I know London Fletcher, if everything goes perfect, he has three to five years to play, but I know he wants to win right now. I’m looking forward to being the guy that can help them win.

Q. What were your thoughts on the offense?
A.The receivers they just picked up – aPierre Garcon and Josh Morgan – they’ve got a lot of weapons. Anthony Armstrong is one of the fastest guys in the league. Leonard Hankerson is a young guy that got hurt last year and can really make some plays. You’ve got Santana Moss, can’t forget about that guy, from the U (of Miami). I watched him growing up, not that he’s old, but I look forward to playing with all these guys, just using their skills, and I want them to know that even though some do look at me as a running quarterback, I play quarterback first and then when nothing is there I try to make something happen. I’ll play within the system and then get ready to do whatever I have to do if nothing is there.

Q. Given the fact where your family comes from have you given any thought to the fact your professional football debut is going to be in New Orleans?
A.I’m actually from New Orleans. My dad was born and raised there. My whole family is based out of there. The NFL has a tricky way of getting things done. We play the Colts in the third week of the preseason, and then the first game I get to play will be in the (Mercedes-Benz) Superdome, which is my hometown. I’m definitely looking forward to it. They’ve got a lot of great players on the Saints. I’m just looking to go win.

Q. The most important position in Washington other than the president of the United States is the quarterback of the Redskins. How do you handle that pressure?
A.You want pressure as a quarterback. It can keep you straight and make sure I involve my teammates. You don’t want to take on that type of attention all by yourself.

Q. Are you going to get involved in politics?
A.I have got to worry about football before I can worry about politics so I’ll let President Obama and all the other politicians do that. I’ve got to focus on learning the offense, getting to know the guys and move forward from there. I actually sent out a Tweet to the Redskins since I can now.

Q. The Redskins traded four picks to get you. Is there additional pressure having that much given up for a franchise to come get you?
A.That question goes along with the question of the excitement by the fans. I think it is excitement. It’s not just about who’s going to be playing quarterback, it’s about the team that they have in place already. I don’t look at it as any added pressure. If anything, it makes me want to go out and get to work even sooner. They believe in me. That’s why they gave so many picks up for me. There have been great quarterbacks that have had terrible rookie years. I don’t want to be that guy. I’m going to make sure I do everything to make sure I’m not that guy. Peyton Manning had not a great year as a rookie, and he’s now considered one of the best of all time. Just got to work through the bumps and try to succeed in whatever ways you can.

And here’s RG3 on the NFL Draft Red Carpet:

And here, with Andrew Luck, at NFL Play 60:

Stay tuned.