The Redskins Blog

Darrel Young Takes Home ‘Gruden Grinder’

(AP photo)

Hard work really doesn’t go unnoticed.

Just ask Washington Redskins fullback Darrel Young. Young has been one of the key pieces to the Redskins’ NFL-leading rushing attack this season, but doesn’t get the accolades or awards that quarterback Robert Griffin III or running back Alfred Morris have been getting.

No, instead, he just continues to plow through the next man ahead of him, opening up gaping holes in the opposing defenses.

For his efforts in Monday night’s 17-16 win over the New York Giants, however, Young finally got some recognition.

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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Griffin III, Gruden Chat

Check out this exclusive Redskins.com behind-the-scenes video of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III filming a segment with ESPN analyst Jon Gruden for tonight’s episode of “Monday Night Countdown.”

Click here for more about the ESPN Monday Night Football tour bus’ trip to Redskins Park.

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Griffin III, Gruden Meet Aboard MNF Bus

One of the cooler parts of hosting a Monday Night Football game is all the network TV hoopla that goes with it.

Case in point: today, at Redskins Park, the big, black ESPN Monday Night Football tour bus was parked right outside the front doors (see above).

This bus was awesome, and rivals the Redskins’ 80th Anniversary tour bus. It’s filled with leather seating, restrooms, flat-screen TVs — everything you’d expect and more, which includes Jon Gruden.

The Super Bowl-winning coach and current ESPN analyst was on board today and filmed a segment with Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Of course, it wasn’t the first time Griffin III and Gruden have met to discuss the quarterback position on-air. In April — before the NFL Draft — Griffin III was a guest on ESPN’s “Gruden’s QB Camp.”

We’ll bring you the exclusive, behind-the-scenes video from Griffin III and Gruden’s on- and off-camera exchanges on Monday, but for now, here’s just a couple shots from on board the bus. The Washington Redskins Cheerleaders also stopped by and posed for some pictures:

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More Griffin-Gruden Footage In The Works

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Last Monday night, the world finally saw what Robert Griffin III looked like in an NFL interview room with a former NFL coach.  Jon Gruden isn’t the wild man that he was on the sidelines, but he still creates an entertaining environment with ESPN’s pre-draft Gruden QB Camp.

Gruden rolled tape on Griffin and asked him about a range of topics from his jovial game-face to his celebrations and socks.  It showed a charismatic young man that can handle the rigors of competition without being consumed by the business aspect.  It showed a guy who is cool as the other side of the pillow.

But it was curiously devoid of playbook discussion.  There was no chalk talk, no spider bananas, and no real criticisms of prior mistakes on the football field, which stood in stark contrast to the oft-banana’d Gruden interview with Andrew Luck.  So what’s the deal?

ESPN blogger Dan Graziano asked the same question of his coworkers, and discovered that this strategy was partially by design and partially how things presented themselves during the interview.  The good news is that Redskins fans will get to see the hard-hitting portion coming up soon. Read more »

Full Episode of RG3′s ‘Gruden QB Camp’

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One of the more interesting components of ESPN’s recent pre-Draft coverage is their QB Camp with former head coach Jon Gruden.  While it’s usually a soft-serve interview compared to private NFL meetings, there’s usually some criticism in there to see how the player will react when put on the spot.

Last Friday, the segment debuted on ESPN with Stanford’s Andrew Luck, the presumed top quarterback in the Draft.  He was given a lot of game tape and told to diagnose a play that he runs more than any other: the Spider Two-Y Banana.  Gruden’s bone to pick with him came on a play in which he didn’t run through the proper progression, and threw a pick-six.

The conversation on last night’s episode with Griffin was of an entirely different flavor, focusing on the charismatic personality of the Heisman winner.  I really like how Griffin has appeared at both his Pro Day and at the QB Camp in shirts that say “Determined” on the front, because it indicates how seriously he takes his craft.  But he’s also unafraid to have fun, and explains his awesome collection of themed-socks to Gruden:

“It’s something I started in high school, my sophomore year.  I wasn’t one that matched very well, and I just wanted to show people that I was comfortable with who I was.  I’m comfortable in my own skin.

“I’m gonna show you the socks–not in an arrogant way–but I don’t care what you think.  I’m comfortable with who I am, and you can make fun of me, but  as long as you respect me for the player that I am and the person that I am, then you can laugh at my socks.”

Truer words were never said.  And after a recent Tweet by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, could RG3 be more likely to fall to No. 2?

A Luck private workout 2day..we want 2b as thorough n disciplined n process of #1 pick..we wanted 2do private with RG3,but his agent said no—
Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) April 03, 2012

Only time will tell.

Check out the full video of RG3 conversation with Gruden, below: Read more »

RG3 On Horned Frogs And Celebrations

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ESPN’s annual Jon Gruden QB Camp rolls on tonight with the second installment, featuring Baylor Bear Robert Griffin III.  Griffin is widely reported to be the ’1A’ option of this year’s quarterback crop, leading many to link him to Washington.

With the No. 2 overall pick, there is only be one team that gets a better shot at landing him.

Gruden has already sat down in the film room and practice field with Stanford Cardinal Andrew Luck, discussing Spider Two-Y Bananas ad nauseam.  Now he turns his attention to Griffin’s revenge game against TCU in the first week of the 2011 season, a game that many experts have keyed as his breakout Heisman performance.

When you hang 50 points on one of the best teams in country, that praise can be justified.  Here are the highlights:

Gruden’s conversation with Griffin discusses the ins and outs of the playcall for the game, as well as Griffin’s more unique reactions and celebrations. Here’s a sneak peak: Read more »

Luck Talks Spider Two-Y Bananas, Tonight

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It took seven months and 1,200 posts, but I’ve finally worked the word ‘banana’ into a post.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck makes his televised job interview debut tonight, with the return of Jon Gruden’s QB Camp at 7 p.m. on ESPN.  As a player who might just be available at No. 2 in this April’s draft, it would behoove Redskins fans to DVR the program and see how Luck acts in the meeting room.

The of the interview revolves around Luck’s ability to diagnose Gruden’s play, delightfully called “Green Right Slot Spider Two-Y Banana.”  Here is a brief clip from tonight’s conversation: Read more »