AP

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan was the head coach of a Broncos team that had a Hall of Fame quarterback in John Elway, and he was the offensive coordinator of a 49ers team that had two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Joe Montana and Steve Young. But Shanahan says he has never seen anything like the quarterback he’s coaching right now.

Shanahan told reporters on Thursday that Griffin’s array of talents is unprecedented in NFL history.

“I don’t think anybody in the history of the league has played at his level,” Shanahan said. “At least over the last 40 years, when I take a look at the numbers and what he has done, I don’t think anybody has played at his level. As we’ve talked about before, he’s got a unique skill set — his ability to throw, drop back, play action, put a threat on a defense with his running ability — and he will just get better and better. He’s just scratching the surface. And the reason I say that is because he works at it.”

It may be premature to talk about Griffin in such lofty terms, but Griffin’s rookie season really has been unprecedented: He has a chance to break three NFL rookie passing records (highest passer rating, highest completion percentage and lowest interception percentage), and he also has 752 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He’s playing the quarterback position like no one has ever played it.