Cleveland Browns: RG3 ranked No. 29 overall QB
Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III found himself out of the basement of the NFL QB rankings in a recent article on For the Win.
Robert Griffin III‘s starting ability is being judged on a national scale and the consensus outside of Cleveland seems to be that Griffin is among the worst starters in the NFL.
This differs from the general optimism from Cleveland Browns fans who see Griffin as a skilled quarterback getting a chance to prove himself under Hue Jackson.
Browns fans are often an overly optimistic bunch, but Griffin’s past ability is enough to believe he won’t be a total disaster like most of the quarterbacks in town since 1999.
A recent article by Steven Ruiz of For the Win ranks all 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and sees Griffin rise out of the basement, but just barely.
Ruiz placed Griffin in the No. 29 spot, ahead of Mark Sanchez, Jared Goff and Blaine Gabbert. Here is what Ruiz had to say about Cleveland’s new quarterback:
"The big question in Cleveland is whether Hue Jackson can get Griffin back to his 2012 rookie of the year form. But here’s the thing: Griffin is still the same player he was back then, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Washington just happened to run an offense that played to his strengths and masked his weaknesses — specifically reading defenses from the pocket — before Griffin demanded the offense to keep him in the pocket. That clearly didn’t work out for him. But Jackson’s offense should be similar to the one we saw Griffin pilot four years ago. The reads will be clearly defined and Jackson will put Griffin’s legs to good use."
The point of Griffin being the same player is true in a sense, but his maturity is far more advanced than it was when he was an arrogant rookie. He now knows the dangers of recklessly running the ball, so look for Griffin to be more focused on the pass in 2016.
He will also be in an entirely different environment, and one where his coach wants him as the team’s starter, unlike what we all saw go on in Washington since 2012.
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An older, more humble Griffin should be able to work hand-in-hand with his coach and put his ego aside in an effort to bring some excitement back to Browns football.