“They all just crashed down on me,” Morris said. “When that happens, I really just laugh in the pile. ‘Ha, ha.’ I was thinking, like, ‘Y’all dumb, y’all tackled me, but the quarterback is running down the field.’”
In another time or place, Morris would be the newest sensation — the kid who emerges from an 1-11 college team and instantly becomes a cog in the No. 1 rushing offense in the pros.
Instead, he’s been eclipsed by the supernova known as RG3.
“It’s a good thing for me, because I really don’t like the limelight,” Morris said. “I just love playing the game. I don’t really need any outside attention. Not to say dump it on him, but he can have it all.
“People feel like I’m in the shadow — I don’t feel like I’m in the shadow. I’m thankful that he’s my quarterback. And I’m glad that we get an opportunity to be rookies together, to grow together. I hope it’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship, and that it goes on for quite some time.”
That’s not to say Morris is shy or withdrawn. He talks a mile-a-minute, especially when the topic turns to old cars or movies, but he’ll happily settle for the occasional “You da man!” shout-out when he’s out in the community when compared to the nonstop adulation heaped on Griffin.
“Robert, he can’t go anywhere,” Morris said. “I’m surprised he even makes it to the movies.”
Morris also knows his road to NFL success was hardly guaranteed. He was far from a sure bet to make the roster when he arrived at training camp to compete with Tim Hightower, Roy Helu Jr. and Evan Royster. A 107-yard preseason effort against the Indianapolis Colts, who were playing their starters for much of the game, put Morris in the running for the starting job and confirmed to him that: “I know for a fact I can do this.”
Now he has five 100-yard rushing games, including a season-best 124 in Monday night’s 17-16 win over the Giants that raised Washington’s record to 6-6 ahead of Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens.
“I didn’t think I’d touch the field until around the fifth or sixth game,” Morris said. “Maybe I’d get in there and get a couple of snaps. If I told you I’d known it was going to happen this fast, it would have been a lie. But I’m just thankful that it did.”
Morris has also become known for his 1991 Mazda, affectionately known as “Bentley.” He thought he was going to have to park it for the winter when the battery died while he away for a few days after Thanksgiving, but a warm spell has persuaded him to keep driving it to Redskins Park every day.
