"He's obviously a man and he makes his own decisions, but I personally don't feel he should be playing right now," Brooks told CSN Washington.
Brooks said he understood Griffin's commitment, but reiterated that it was clear to everyone else that Washington's signal caller wasn't fit to play.
"He's a man, he has the heart of a warrior and is going to go out there and play regardless of the circumstance," Brooks told CSN Washington. "Everybody can see it. Everybody can see it. He shouldn't be playing."
Last year's offensive rookie of the year finished the night 17-of-27 for just 127 yards passing and no touchdowns. So far this season, Griffin has thrown just 14 touchdowns to go along with 11 interceptions.
Where the injury really appears to have an effect is on RG3's running ability. After rushing for seven TDs in his rookie season, the dual-threat quarterback has yet to run one in 2013.
The young quarterback's performance was an exclamation point ending a week plagued with controversy. Leading up to this game, Griffin was under fire from fans, the media and even his own teammates for how he has handled a season in which Washington has plummeted to the bottom of the NFC East standings.
Following the loss, Griffin responded to reporters.
"What am I supposed to do, come up here and talk about how bad we are? That's not my job," Griffin said. "People are trying to character assassinate me ... and it's unfortunate."
FOLES NAMED STARTER
After three straight wins, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has finally named Nick Foles the team's starting quarterback — for not only this week's game against the Cardinals, but also for the remainder of the regular season.
Opening day starter Michael Vick out has been out with a hamstring injury suffered in a Week 5 victory over the Giants. Since then, Kelly has been coy about naming a starter, other than on a week-to-week basis. But the fact that Vick was cleared to play this week forced his hand.
Although Vick's style of play, in theory, makes him a good fit for Kelly's run-and-gun offense, Foles' production over the past few weeks has been impossible to ignore.
In his five starts this season, Foles has thrown for 1,308 yards to go along with 13 touchdown passes. He also has thrown zero interceptions this season and has the NFL's best passer rating (128.0) — which, if he keeps that number up, would be the highest passer rating for a single season in league history.
Most important, Foles' three straight victories have powered the Eagles back to into a share of the NFC East lead with the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas does own the head-to-head tiebreaker, but at 6-5, Philadelphia is in thick of the NFC playoff hunt. With a red-hot 7-4 Arizona Cardinals team coming to town on Sunday, the Eagles are going to need Foles to continue to produce at a high level as the season progresses.
SEAHAWKS CORNER ISSUES
The Seattle Seahawks knew they would be without starting cornerback Brandon Browner until at least mid-December with a groin injury, but now it appears they may be without his services for much longer. On Monday night, reports surfaced that Browner was facing a year-long suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.
To help address their needs in the secondary, the Seahawks signed former 49ers cornerback Perrish Cox, pending his passing a team physical, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Schefter also reported that the Seahawks are considering placing Browner, who has appealed his suspension, on season-ending IR.
Browner isn't the only one of Seahawks' cornerbacks facing a suspension. On Tuesday, the NFL announced that nickelback Walter Thurmond has been suspended four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport initially reported that Thurmond would appeal the suspension, but now reports say Thurmond will accept the ban so he can return to the Seahawks' lineup for Week 17. Thurmond has had a great season and is coming off a game against the Vikings in which he returned an interception for a touchdown.
Despite a league-best 10-1 record, the Seahawks face the 9-2 Saints on Monday night in a game that could decide home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. New Orleans boasts the NFL's second-ranked passing attack (317.3 ypg), and with a makeshift secondary, Seattle could be in for a long night against Drew Brees and Co.
The Seahawks' secondary is second in the NFL in opponents' passing yards-per-game (180.4). The defense will now have to lean heavily on All-Pro Richard Sherman, as well as backups Jeremy Lane and Byron Maxwell.
The Seahawks are likely to continue to explore additional options. Another name that has been mentioned is recently retired Seahawk Antoine Winfield. Winfield, 36, is not the Pro Bowler he once was, but after a solid 2012 season with the Vikings, and a knowledge of Pete Carroll's scheme, the 14-year veteran could be an adequate short-term solution.
"He's a really good football player," Carroll said Monday morning on 710 ESPN Radio in Seattle. "With the needs that we may have going into this game, that's a possibility. We'll figure that out when the time comes. But he's a really quality guy to bring into your team at a time like this. He's knows his way around, and everybody respects the heck out of him."
CRABTREE TO RETURN
On Monday night the 49ers' offense had its best performance of the season. On Tuesday, more reinforcements were likely on the way.
After spending all of the 2013 season up to this point on the physically unable to perform list with a torn Achilles', Niners wideout Michael Crabtree returned to the active roster, and is expected to play this weekend against the St. Louis Rams.
In response to whether or not Crabtree will be on the field on Sunday, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh told the San Francisco Chronicle that "I anticipate that he’s going to come back this week."
If the Niners had failed to activate their best receiver by the end of the day, then he would have been unable to take the field again this season. Under league rules, Crabtree isn't required to play on Sunday, but after months of rehab and a few weeks of practice, it appears as though Colin Kaepernick's favorite target is ready to pick up right where he left off.
Early last season, the 10th overall pick in 2009 was still struggling to build a strong rapport with QB Alex Smith. When Smith went down with a concussion, Crabtree found an instant connection with backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick's ability to extenend plays with his legs dramtically opened up the offense, as Crabtree began to blossom into a legit number one receiver. In the last seven games of the regular season, Crabtree caught hauled in 46 passes for 665 yards and six touchdowns.
That type of consistent production carried over into the 49ers' run to the Super Bowl, where they lost 34-31 to the Ravens. Over that three game span, the Kaepernick-Crabtree connection accounted for 20 completions for 285 yards and three touchdowns.
Before Kaepernick's arrival and Crabtree's emergence, San Francisco had been known for having an outstanding defense and a steady ball control offense. Now, the team had an explosive offense that could hang with the NFC's other offensive juggernauts such as the Packers and the Saints.
Without Crabtree out, the 49ers' passing game has struggled mightily in 2013. Even after Monday night's 27-6 beat down of the Redskins, the Niners still rank dead last in the NFL in passing yards per game (173.5). Part of the problem has to do with the development of Kaepernick, who has had some issues getting comfortable in the pocket. The other problem is that outside of WR Anquan Boldin and TE Vernon Davis, no other receiver has more than 20 catches for the entire season.
Due to their win over the Cardinals, the 49ers hold the tie-breaking advantage for the sixth and final wild-card spot in the competitive NFC. The two teams will meet in Week 17 in a game that could decide who gets in, and who is left out of the playoffs. With that in mind, the return of the 49ers' most effective wideout could not come at a better time.
An Achilles' tear is an especially tough injury for a position that is highly dependant on fast twitch movements, so it is impossible to know if Crabtree will be the same player he was last season. If Crabtree is fully recovered, and if he and Kaepernick start clicking again, then the 49ers should feel confidant in their playoff chances moving forward.
Contributor: Peter Dawson
