Skins are counting on him to boost play along defensive line
Cornelius Griffin keeps a low profile and speaks in a soft voice.
But the Washington Redskins are counting on Griffin, a defensive tackle, to make a big statement on the field this season.
To say the Redskins' defensive line had some problems last season is to say you might have some luck finding a politician somewhere on a street in downtown Washington, D.C.
The Redskins gave up an average of 138.6 yards rushing a game last season, which helps explains their 5-11 record.
When Griffin, a four-year veteran who had played his entire career with the New York Giants, hit the free agent market, the Redskins quickly added him to their roster.
"He's explosive, he's powerful, he's quick," said defensive-line coach Greg Blache. "When he does his technique correctly, he's as good as any lineman in the league. But he's got to play with a good base and good technique."
A good base, Blache said, is a matter of a defensive lineman keeping his feet wide enough apart so he can maintain his bal- ance and keep moving when he's engaged with an offensive lineman.
"The great ones have the ability to play with a good base all the time," Blache said. "Cornelius has gotten better at it. The thing we like about him is that is very critical of his performance. When a player is critical of himself, it makes him easy to coach."
Griffin's career began well in New York. Playing as the Giants' third defensive tackle, he had five sacks and 20 unassisted tackles. He became a starter in his second season, and for the next three years, his numbers never matched those of his rookie year.
Part of the reason was that he played through injuries. A sprained ankle slowed him last season. But Griffin, 6-3 and 300, is not willing to list that as the entire reason for the dropoff in his performance. He had just one sack last year.
"I can rush the passer, there's no doubt about that," Griffin said. "I can play the run. But the critics are right when they say I was not the same guy after my rookie year.
"I've got to be more consistent when I step on the field."
Griffin, 28, has proved to be a consistent leader throughout his football career. He has been selected as a team captain at every level except the NFL. His most impressive achievement at Alabama might not have had anything to do with the tackles me made or sacks he had.
He transferred to Alabama from Pearl River Community College in Mississippi. After just one season, his Crimson Tide teammates selected him as one of their captains.
"I'm really a quiet guy," he said. "But when I need to say something that I think someone needs to hear."
Griffin comes from a close-knit family and is the fifth of seven children. His father was a minister. The family was shattered in 1998 when Griffin's father died in an automobile accident.
"He was hit by a drunk driver," Griffin said. "I was 21, and I had to grow up overnight. My daddy was gone. He was not going to be there to bail me out anymore."
Griffin hasn't needed much bailing because he has a healthy dose of common sense.
He married his childhood sweetheart a year ago, a woman he had known since he was 6 years old.
Griffin was 26 at the time of his wedding, and he was asked why it took him so long to marry someone he had loved for 20 years.
"I wanted to be financially stable," he said. "If something happened to me, and you never know when something will, I wanted to make sure everything would be OK."
The Redskins hope Griffin can make everything OK with their defensive line.
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