The Robert Griffin III Checklist For 2016

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson decided this year that instead of drafting a quarterback early, he wanted to see what he could get out of 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year QB Robert Griffin III. RGIII began to struggle with injuries and ineffective play following his magical rookie year.

For those of you that are wondering if Jackson can do such a thing, think back to 2010-2011, when he was the offensive coordinator then head coach of the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders finished 8-8, still the best record they’ve had since 2002, in both of those years.

The reason that happened is because of the improvement on offense, especially at quarterback. Jackson took Jason Campbell, known as a bust, and turned him into a legitimate starting QB. He was actually 4-2 in 2011 until he was lost for the season and the bottom fell out for the Raiders.

RGIII has much more talent than Campbell and showed that he can get it done before. But to make this work, Jackson is still teaching him of some of the basics of playing his position. The Cleveland Plain Dealer recently reported that the Jackson has a three-item checklist for RGIII.

1. Plant your back foot, then throw.
2. Get down, then slide.
3. Throw the ball away, don’t take needless hits from the defense.

Griffin was successful early in his career because he relied on his natural gifts. But then, scouting reports went around the NFL and suddenly, he wasn’t allowed to do what he naturally did well. And as a result, he took undue punishment, got injured and eventually lost his job.

This is why Jackson has taken on the task of teaching RGIII how to play the position. If he’s successful in doing so, NFL defenses will no longer be able to take away what he can do naturally. You can’t take away particular things when a quarterback has mastered the position.