Someone forgot to tell me that Pierre Garcon was the Muhammad Ali of the NFL. And Ali's nemesis, Howard Cosell, would've appreciated the bravado that Garcon showed in this gem of a quote Thursday from Redskins training camp:
"We have the potential to be the best offense ever, really," Garcon told reporters. "We can be the top offense in the league. We have a lot of great players at every position. We have a great offensive line, great tight ends, great receivers, running backs and quarterback."
Touch 'em all, Pierre. Someone needs to put in a call to The Fun Bunch. Garcon's an explosive player when he's not nursing a bum toe, but I think Art Monk's legacy is safe. At least, through the preseason schedule.
The Redskins had a remarkable run in 2012, and they should be explosive again on offense. But this doesn't strike me as one of the all-time best units in the league. You can bet that Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell and Cowboys D-coordinator Monte Kiffin have spent the offseason preparing to slow down the RG3-fueled read-option offense.
The Redskins had unbelievable luck with injuries along the offensive line, and rookie running back Alfred Morris caught everyone by surprise. But with all due respect to Morris, his success had a lot to do with teams fearing the arm and legs of Robert Griffin III. No matter how optimistic you are about Griffin's return from ACL surgery, he won't have the same burst this season. But Garcon didn't temper his comments when approached by reporters Friday.
"We're all growing together in this offense, and we've got a lot of guys that can take it to the house from any position," said Garcon. "So when you have those guys out there in an offense that we're all familiar with now, it's not getting used to it or learning it, it's just letting your natural abilities play."
The Redskins scored 436 points last season, which was fourth in the league. The 2007 Patriots who lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl hold the NFL record with 589 points. Garcon sounds a little out there with his comments, but there's no problem with a player expressing extreme optimism early in training camp. The only issue is that if the Redskins regress on offense this season, Garcon will be constantly reminded of his comments. It was Vince Young who uttered the infamous "Dream Team" quote in reference to the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles. It became a major source of derision as the Eagles tanked that season.
But if you're going to make wild statements, you might as well get your money's worth. There was no reason for Garcon to publicly aspire to be the second-best offense of all-time.
Having watched Griffin throughout his career at Baylor, I can tell you that he won't have any problem with Garcon's comments. In fact, the normally humble Griffin was known to make some bold statements from time to time.
With the way the Redskins are losing players on defense to injuries and suspensions, perhaps they do need to have the best offense in the league. Best ever, though?
