I knew.

In the preseason, when I would talk up Robert Griffin the Third, people would often dismiss it as rampant Redskins fan homerism. Which I understand. It's one of the reasons I am so public about my fandom of that team. I want anyone considering my advice to understand my biases and objectivity. Or lack thereof.

But I knew.

I had stats to back it up. In my "100 Facts You Need To Know" column in July, I listed the following stats.

"15. In the two years with Mike Shanahan as head coach, the Redskins have been in the top five in passing attempts each season.

"16. If you combined the stats of Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman and John Beck over the past two years and made them one quarterback, that QB would have averaged 3,843 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.

"17. In 41 games at Baylor, Robert Griffin III had 2,254 yards rushing and 33 rushing touchdowns."

Lots of good stats to try to shape your opinion. But they didn't matter.

I knew.

I listed him as a "Love" in my preseason "Love / Hate" article while owning up to my emotional attachment.

"Robert Griffin III, QB, Redskins (take in the 8th): They are going to pass a lot and his potential rushing and ... whatever. I am not rational when it comes to Robert Griffin the Third. I am a teenaged girl and he is my Justin Bieber. #ILOVEYOURG3."

But jokes aside I knew.

When the season started, I was the one who ranked him the highest in our Week 1 composite rankings. And he was on my love list that week. And again in Week 2. And Week 3. And on and on as he kept making me look smart as every week, I was continually the highest on him among my fellow rankers and I kept putting him in my love list until he became such a fantasy stud that it was no longer necessary.

I did it because I knew.

RG3 has gained 80 of his points rushing, which would tie him with Marshawn Lynch for 9th among running backs. And his 78 passing points? More than Tony Romo, Jay Cutler or Philip Rivers have scored total all season. Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images

I didn't predict he would lead the NFL in completion percentage almost halfway through the season (70.4 percent, better than Aaron Rodgers). I didn't predict he would have a higher QBR than Drew Brees or a higher passer rating than Tom Brady and Matt Ryan at this point. That he would have a better touchdown-to-interception ratio than Ryan or Eli Manning. That he would average more rushing yards per game than DeMarco Murray, Darren McFadden or Trent Richardson, to name but a few.

I didn't know that, through seven games, when facing five or more pass-rushers, he would not throw a single pick. The other four rookie starters have each thrown at least two under those circumstances. I didn't know that, for all that the critics say he's doing this with dink-and-dunk dump-offs to the running backs, he would have the best completion percentage on throws more than 10 yards downfield at this juncture.

I didn't know that he'd be able to do that behind a line that, according to Stats Inc.'s Protection Index, which charts things like hurries, knockdowns and sacks, is the fifth worst in the NFL. That he'd be able to do that with his best wide receiver out for most of the year with a foot injury, with a remaining receiving corps that is, at best, middle of the road. They've dropped 5.8 percent of their targets, which is in the upper half of the NFL. And there's a few deep balls (Leonard Hankerson!) that, had they been caught like they should have been, would make his numbers even more eye-popping.

I didn't know, even with leaving one game early due to injury, that he would still lead all players in total fantasy points through seven weeks. I didn't know any of that.

But I knew.

Right before the NFL draft, ESPN The Magazine had its annual pre-draft party in New York City and I got to go. ESPN parties are always a lot of fun and usually feature the same mixture of athletes, celebrities, fans and ESPN folks. Loud music, food, drink and a fun atmosphere for all.

But this party was different because of four simple words: Robert. Griffin. The. Third.

He was in attendance and it was a foregone conclusion that, the very next day, he'd be drafted by the Redskins. Now, thanks to a career that started in Hollywood and is now at ESPN, plus a younger brother who's a high-powered entertainment manager, I've been lucky enough to meet and interview a lot of celebrities, athletes and well-known personalities over the years. I'm rarely starstruck.

Rarely, of course, doesn't mean never.

I don't want to get into which pro franchise's fan base is most tortured. Honestly, every team that doesn't win a championship in any given year has a frustrated fan base. But, because of the success of the Joe Gibbs era and because of the money that Dan Snyder is willing to spend, expectations are always high in Washington. And despite a consistently high payroll, there have been just three playoff appearances and just two playoff wins since Snyder took over in 1999.

And since Mike Shanahan took over in 2010, Washington has played 39 games, compiling a 14-25 record. And of those 25 losses, 15 of them have been within seven points. Fifteen games. Within one score. Including all four losses this year.

I don't know that we lead the league in "almost-but-not-quite" losses, but we're on the short list, I know that.

I remember being on "Numbers Never* Lie" last year after Washington jumped out to a 3-1 record. And Michael Smith and Herm Edwards were saying Washington was the best team in the NFC East. And I argued with them more than once. "You guys are saying that because you're not Redskins fans. I know how this movie ends. We're going 3-13, the hard way. Just watch." I came close. Washington would win just two more games all year.

So I generally have a defeatist attitude about the team I've loved since I was a 5-year-old living in Charlottesville, Va. But not anymore. And not at the ESPN draft party.

Now, I had hope. I watched all two hours of RG3's pro workout day at Baylor online. I got into an argument with a high-ranking NFL front-office executive at the MIT Sloan Analytics conference, saying I would have no issue giving up two or three No. 1 picks to get him. In the middle of the ESPN cafeteria, I literally pumped my fist in the air when I heard that the deal with the Rams for the No. 2 pick was official.

I believed. And now here he was, in the same room as me.

I tried to play it cool for a while, but that didn't last very long and eventually, I found a mutual friend who brought me over and introduced me. Like I said, I'm not normally starstruck. But in that moment, I couldn't have been more like a preteen girl meeting the aforementioned Justin Bieber.

I started babbling, talking about how long I had been a Redskins fan, how it seemed like he had an entire city's hopes riding on his shoulders and how that seemed like such an overwhelming thing for anyone, let alone a 22-year-old, but based on everything I'd seen and read about him -- not just his physical skills but hearing him speak in interviews and listening to people who knew him well -- it seemed like he was the right man for the job, and if you think this sentence reads long and awkward, imagine me saying this except more of it, just babbling on and on like an idiot.

It was like

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but I felt compelled to write them anyway. Courtesy of Matthew Berry

What I'm saying: Babble babble babble, Redskins, babble, babble.

What I'm thinking: Shut up! You're making an idiot of yourself. Act like you've been there before.

What I'm continuing to say: Babble, babble, babble, I'm a fan, I already said that, babble, babble, babble.

Maybe 30 seconds later, although it seemed much longer to me, my brain was eventually able to overcome my mouth and I finally shut up with an apology.

"I'm sorry, Robert. I don't mean to go on and on --"

And that's when he put his arm around my shoulder and patted me on the chest as he broke out that megawatt smile with a small chuckle. "You're good, man. Don't worry about it. Let's take a picture."

And I immediately calmed down, we took a picture, I shook his hand and wished him luck.

And then I knew.

It may sound insane to say that based on an interaction of maybe a minute, but that's about 58 seconds more than an NFL quarterback gets to make a decision of what to do with the ball.

I felt so stupid, a grown man, someone in the sports industry who is surrounded by athletes, and here I was acting like some slobbering fanboy. I had just embarrassed myself in front of this guy I so admired and, to be honest, any reaction he had at that moment -- turning his back, laughing at me, having security kick me out, just shaking his head, whatever -- would have been completely justified.

But instead he pulled me closer, he smiled and the way he patted me immediately made all those feelings go away. No longer beating myself up, I'm all smiles now as we take the picture and I walk away an even bigger fan than before, if that was even possible.

He made me feel so comfortable and good in that one instant that I'd have done anything he needed. And if I felt like that, what would his teammates feel like? Especially after they dropped a pass or missed a block? I knew he'd be a great leader and that a player coming back to the huddle feeling like an idiot would get the same pat, smile and "You're good, man. Let's get this" from him. And that player would run through a brick wall for him.

I knew. I've known ever since that night. Not a doubt in my mind.

And while there is no question about RG3, there are many other guys you may be on the fence about, which is why we have the Week 8 Love and Hate.

But instead of my usual paragraph about what love/hate is all about, I thought I'd share this polite but pained email from Renée in Santa Monica. I've edited it for length.

"I'm writing to question your reasoning behind loving Joe Flacco last week, being that he was up against the Houston defense. I understand your point that he had the highest rating for a QB throwing over X amount of yards, and Houston was giving up those yards, but ... I read and love your column every week. I go to it for reassurance, or if I am in a bind deciding who to play. Sadly, this week was a toss-up between a struggling Matthew Stafford and the wall of a Bears D, or Flacco away against the Texans. I struggled in deciding who should play, so I went with your expert opinion. Of the 32 quarterbacks out there, I believe that Flacco should have just been left off the list, that way I would be mad at myself for making the decision versus mad at you for giving me hope. I look forward to reading your next article, and I also look forward to Flacco's bye week. Best, Renée."

TMR: Look, there's no question I blew the Flacco call. But this is why I say check my rankings. Last week, I ranked Stafford 10th and Flacco 11th. If you were going by my opinion, you would have started Stafford. Now, obviously, there were a lot of people I ranked below Stafford and Flacco who did better, so I didn't help those people, but in this case, the fault is not in "Love / Hate," but in how you used it. I was higher than most on Flacco last week; that's why he (incorrectly) made the list. Stafford's rank was right in line with everyone else's rank, where he's normally been ranked for the year, so he didn't make either list. But I appreciate the kind words and wish you, Renée, and everyone else this week, much luck, as we get to it.

As always, a shout-out to John Parolin and the mystery-solving kids that drive the ESPN Stats & Information van for helping me look much smarter than I deserve to.

Quarterbacks I love in Week 8