Cleveland Browns: Robert Griffin III may be in the right spot, finally
By Luke Sims
Robert Griffin III has finally landed with a team, and despite all of the past unsuccessful quarterback bids with the Cleveland Browns, it may just be the right spot for him.
After an impressive rookie debut that saw him go to the Pro Bowl in 2012, quarterback Robert Griffin III quickly fell off and ultimately became a shell of himself. The team that drafted him, the Washington Redskins, have turned to Kirk Cousins, drafted the same year as Griffin, rather than the quarterback they coveted enough to trade multiple first round draft picks to acquire.
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2015 was the all-time low for the young Griffin. He played in zero games, going from an NFL starter to afterthought in the span of one season. The tumble to this point (3-10 record in 2013, 2-5 record in 2014) is well documented and has actually justified the position of former head coach Mike Shanahan, as I wrote around Black Monday, who wanted to move on from Griffin and start Cousins. Shanahan was pushed to the exit and, a few years later, so was Griffin.
Griffin’s 14-21 record as a starter is nothing to write home about, which is one of the primary reasons he remained available in free agency so long in the 2016 cycle. He does not display the kind of ball skills, patience, awareness, and leadership needed of a quarterback in the modern pass-happy NFL. It is also argued that he doesn’t show the same dual-threat running ability that made him so popular in college and his rookie season.
So, why do the Cleveland Browns make sense for Robert Griffin? Why is this the right spot for him?
In an offseason that decimated the Cleveland Browns roster, with every team picking the best pieces to take home, Griffin’s arrival marks a new beginning. It marks the step forward. Hue Jackson, the new Browns head coach, is one of the best offensive minds in the business and he fell in love with Griffin, per NFL.com’s Jeff Darlington. Griffin isn’t just a stopgap for the Browns, he’s someone that their head coach actually wants with the team.
In talking about Griffin’s career, it’s easy to get bogged down in the more recent slide to less than mediocre play. It’s easy to overlook that the Redskins are a lot more dysfunctional than other teams. If Griffin can still play, and Jackson thinks that he can, then the Browns will have a quarterback they can begin working with. Griffin could be the next in line to get the positive Jackson treatment, like Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton before him.
Trust is an important component for a quarterback and a team. Griffin is still young and for the last three seasons he hasn’t had a team that truly believes in him. He hasn’t had a team that functions for his benefit, rather focusing on trying to win in spite of him not being traditional or not being the perfect quarterback they expected him to become after his first season. Now he has trust, he has faith from his head coach, and he has the support that quarterbacks crave.
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That support is coming from Hue Jackson, who is widely respected for his understanding of quarterbacks. Compared to Jay Gruden, who ultimately pushed Griffin out, his assessment is far more important.
This isn’t to say it’s going to be a cakewalk.
While Jackson may be hearing the earth move beneath Griffin’s feet as he rolls out (yes, a real statement from Darlington’s article), the rest of us are wondering if this really is the solution for Cleveland. Can Griffin really be the quarterback who doesn’t flame out after a year or two? Or, as suggested by NFL.com’s Conor Orr, will he be forced to take a young QB under his wing and just act as placeholder? More importantly, can Griffin actually perform?
Earlier today Zac Wassink wrote that Griffin is low risk, high reward, and he’s absolutely right. This signing could bring huge benefits to the Browns without much cost. If Griffin flames out, it’s no skin off their back. If he succeeds, it truly will be the start of the large-scale rebuild that is happening for Cleveland right now.
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Getting Hue Jackson as head coach was the Cleveland Browns’ first step toward long term success in coming years. Getting Robert Griffin at quarterback could be step number two. While it’s tough to imagine simply because of past history, all it takes is a little faith and we could see the next top coach-QB pairing in the NFL. The talent is there on both sides and now they need to show what they can do.
Griffin won’t find another another better opportunity anywhere else. If he is going to succeed, this may finally be the right spot.