Former NFL quarterback turned ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III recently has had a lot to say about the Washington Commanders. Aside from the tell all book he promoted from his days as a player with Washington and later axed, Griffin has been singing the praises of the Commanders.
Shortly after the draft he called the Commanders a “surprise Super Bowl contender” and just this week tweeted Washington has their best offense in the last decade. He’s laminated quarterback Carson Wentz and the talent at skill positions surrounding him.
Later he piggybacked off that tweet, defending his new confessed love for Wentz by taking a swipe at the Commanders’ defensive line.
“The @Commanders D-Line showing up is more important than which Carson Wentz shows up. 4 1ST ROUND PICKS on the defensive front has to equal DOMINANCE. Stop fighting on the sidelines and start FIGHTING IN THE TRENCHES. Stop the run. Own the line of scrimmage and create havoc,” Griffin tweeted.
The “fighting on the sidelines” was Griffin’s way of referencing the sideline fight between defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne during a Sunday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys last season.
The two have seemingly patched things up. Payne and Allen’s relationship goes back to their college days as teammates at Alabama. Payne surely didn’t take kindly to Griffin’s wording and fired back a tweet asking Griffin “Who [crowned] you king?”
Fellow former Alabama defensive tackle Raekwon Davis replied with laughing emojis. That prompted Payne to continue swiping back at Griffin.
“Boy a turf eater talking like [an] analyst,” Payne wrote.
Griffin became an NFL analyst in 2021. He’s appeared on various shows, including GetUp, First Take and NFL Live. He’s also a college football analyst. While he’s insightful, Griffin is known to routinely deliver quirky punchlines no different than the “stop fighting on the sideline” comment of his tweet.
His take had some truth. The Commanders’ talented defensive line underperformed in 2021. No, not necessarily Payne and Allen, but from the edge. Defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat struggled throughout the season. Young’s season ended with a torn ACL after nine games. Sweat battled a jaw injury, COVID and endured the death of his brother.
Outside of Wentz, the defensive line may be the most focal point of the Commanders next season. Still, Griffin’s punchline was a tipping point for Payne to chime back in disagreement.
