During the offseason, it was hard to escape Robert Griffin III. Between the numerous commercials and hype surrounding the Heisman Trophy winner, "RGIII" was everywhere.
That is, unless you were New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
In a radio interview this summer, Umenyiora fired the opening salvo on what should become a rivalry to watch in the NFC East for years to come:
“Who is this RGIII guy you guys keep talking about?’’ Umenyiora said. “You talking about Bob Griffin? You guys are giving him a cool nickname already and everything. When he does anything in the NFL we’re gonna call him RGIII. Right now he’s Bob Griffin.’’
Well, "Bob" had a great debut, throwing for 320 yards and two touchdowns in the Redskins' opening week upset of the New Orleans Saints. Griffin also won the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for his efforts, becoming the first rookie quarterback to win such an award after his debut.
So, what does Umenyiora think of "Bob" now?
"Yes," Umenyiora said. "I will call him RGIII."
Asked what Griffin showed to cause Umenyiora's change of heart, Umenyiora replied, "He showed me that his name is RGIII. If he performs the way he performed that game, his name can be whatever he wants it to be."
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