Cleveland Browns’ quarterback Robert Griffin III is still in a position to be successful.
Robert Griffin III’s fall from grace has been well-documented. Hell, I’ve talked about it on more than one occasion.
Here’s the short: The 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year struggled after his sensational first year, both on and off the field.
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He became a cancer in the locker room, and it seemed his teammates stopped liking him. This offseason, Griffin was released by the club thanks largely in part to Kirk Cousins’ sublime year.
Now, RG3 is on a new team. Actually, the former Heisman Trophy winner is now on a team that has become synonymous with mediocrity. For Griffin, though, the Browns provide a shot at redemption. I still believe in RG3. I sincerely do, and I have since Day One.
I was adamant that he was Washington’s best option at QB heading into the 2015 season. I implored Washington to take an offensive lineman to solidify the interior offensive line to help Griffin.
So yeah, I still think Griffin has the potential to be the player he was in 2012.
And this goes far beyond me sticking with a guy whom I’ve been high on since he entered the league. As weird as it is to hear, Cleveland is the perfect place for Griffin.
For all intents and purposes, he needed to get knocked off of his pedestal. Cleveland elected not to name Griffin the starter entering the preseason, although a lot of people viewed it as inevitable amid Cleveland’s quarterback deficiency. Griffin had to earn it, and he did just that.
The Dave Dameshek Football Program did a great job alluding to a misconception about Griffin’s game. While Griffin runs the ball when needed, he is not a run-first quarterback.
So far, so good for Griffin during the preseason.
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It’s also worth noting Griffin has a lot of talent around him, albeit unheralded, young talent. Terrelle Pryor — BIG fan of his — is finally developing into a dangerous receiver. Tight end Gary Barnidge was a revelation last year. Rookie Corey Coleman will add speed and explosiveness to the unit.
Running back Duke Johnson Jr. has a tremendous amount of pass-catching versatility. Oh, and that Josh Gordon guy is going to be back with a vengeance.
League-respected quarterback guru Hue Jackson will also help expedite RG3’s resurgence.
The way the offense functions will be intriguing to see.
From the looks of it during the preseason, it seems like Jackson is going to design the offense around Griffin’s strength’s, opposed to designing an offense and forcing RG3 to adapt.
Griffin is comfortable, and as NFL.com’s Conor Orr touched upon, Griffin seems to be having fun for the first time in a while. The biggest hurdle RG3 needs to overcome is obviously, obviously, obviously, health. The injury he suffered in the 2012 playoffs really set him back.
With that being said, Griffin appears confident when planting his feet and delivering strikes.
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I believe Griffin should be the front-runner to win Comeback Player of the Year. Wouldn’t that be a cool coming-full-circle thing?
Do not sleep on Griffin. He’s going to alleviate some of the pain Cleveland fans have endured over the years. With Jackson calling the shots, it’s feasible to think RG3 may have a year similar to his rookie campaign.