After spending most of the 2015 season strolling the sideline in street clothes, Robert Griffin III is ready to prove he’s still the same player he was when he set the NFL on fire as a rookie in 2012 out of Baylor.
Speaking with media Wednesday as the Cleveland Browns get their first offseason workouts going under new head coach Hue Jackson, Griffin admitted he has a “massive chip” on his shoulder heading into the 2016 season.
Browns' QB RGIII said he doesn't want to live in past but he has "a massive chip" on his shoulder.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 6, 2016
This shouldn’t surprise anyone.
Getting supplanted by Kirk Cousins and then being relegated to third string with the Washington Redskins must have been quite a humiliating experience. It would be for any player, but for a guy who was drafted No. 2 overall and who was at one point viewed as the next evolution at the quarterback position, it was a tremendous fall from grace.
So a player with a “massive chip” on his shoulder has now stepped into an opportunity to rise up again from the ashes of a failed tenure in Washington, and he picked the perfect landing spot. His short career in some ways mirrors the Cleveland organization itself in that the Browns were at one point a hot team (long ago) and since then have experienced a prolonged period of humiliation.
Now both RG3 and the Browns have a chance to work together to resurrect glory days and turn the narrative on its head.
"I know the history of Cleveland.. and guys sometimes don't want to come here. But I wanted to be here." — RGIII
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 6, 2016
Griffin III certainly has the right coach to help him succeed. Jackson has been somewhat of a quarterback whisperer to guys like Jason Campbell and Andy Dalton and loves mobile quarterbacks who can roll out on play-action passes.
If Jackson and Griffin III work well together, and if he can stay healthy playing behind a questionable offensive line, then the two could be a terrific duo.