Robert Griffin III On Cleveland Browns: ‘I Just Want To Play Ball’

Robert Griffin III decided to sign with the Cleveland Browns this offseason in an attempt to revive his NFL career. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and was expected to be the quarterback to bring the Washington Redskins back to relevance. That didn’t end up happening and he has been labeled as one of the bigger busts in recent history.

Cleveland has not had much luck at the quarterback position in the past and are hoping to find their long-term franchise quarterback in Griffin.

Health has been the only thing holding Griffin back from being a dangerous quarterback. In his first season with the Redskins, he was able to lead them to the postseason and appeared to be on his way to stardom. Since then, he has dealt with injury after injury that has made him an unreliable option.

During the 37 career games that Griffin played with the Redskins, Griffin proved that he can play at a high level. He completed 63.9 percent of his pass attempts for 8,097 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. Griffin has the arm to be a legitimate threat for the Browns if he can stay on the field and out of injury troubles.

Now that Griffin has signed with the team, he is excited to play football again and prove that he isn’t a bust like he has been labeled.

“When it comes to that stuff, I trust that what Hue and Pep are going to do with this offense won’t just be about me and it will be what’s best suited for the team. I just look forward to growing within that and becoming the player and reaching my potential as fast as I can.”

At just 26 years old, Griffin still has plenty of time to turn his career around. There is no denying the talent and potential that he still possesses and the Browns are going to do everything they can to help him turn things around. Cleveland has long been thought of as a place that quarterbacks go to die, but that didn’t stop Griffin from giving them a shot.

After the way that things ended with Johnny Manziel, the Browns can only hope that Griffin pans out. Josh McCown is the only other starting caliber quarterback on the Browns’ roster, but he is not capable of helping them get back into playoff contention.

Hue Jackson is getting the type of quarterback that he wanted when he originally accepted the offer to be Cleveland’s new head coach. He was very vocal about his desire to bring in a new quarterback and seemed to be blown away by Griffin in their meeting. Jackson is a very smart coach, which gives hope to Cleveland fans that Griffin still has a chance.

Things are changing within the Browns’ organization and they are changing for the better. They can get their franchise back on track quickly if they make the right moves and taking a risk on Griffin was exactly the right decision.

Looking ahead to the 2016 NFL season, the Browns still need to bring in more weapons for Griffin to work with. Josh Gordon will likely be back this season, but he won’t be able to make the plays by himself. Cleveland needs to bring in another wide receiver or two in the draft or find one in free agency to help Griffin out.

It will be very interesting to see what ends up happening this season for the Browns, and hopefully Griffin will return to the field with a bang.

Expect to see him come out with a lot of passion in 2016 as he looks to prove himself. Griffin has all of the tools to help himself become a big part of the Browns’ turnaround, and there are a lot of reasons for Browns fans to be excited about the future.

Do you think Robert Griffin III can turn his career around with the Cleveland Browns in 2016?

[AP Photo/Ron Schwane]