It’s been a while since we heard from Robert Griffin III.
Sure there seems to be a new rumor about the semi-disgraced quarterback every other day, but in the last year we’ve rarely gotten a quote from the man himself, mostly because he spent most of the past season inactive.
But Griffin, who recently signed with the Cleveland Browns, has broken the silence with some mediations on how hard last season was for him, as he rotted on bench for the playoff-bound Redskins. Via The Washington Post:
His experience in Washington, Griffin said in a conference call, “would break a lot of people.” But he said he still feels that football “is what I’m supposed to do. This is my calling. I’m excited about that. When it comes to what I need to work on, I’m really excited to have another opportunity to grow with a coach that believes in me. That’s big, and I’ve just got to go out and prove it.”
“If you ask any competitor, if you take them out of their competitive realm and you can’t do what you love to do, it’s going to be tough,” Griffin said in the conference call. “I wouldn’t be where I am today if that wasn’t tough on me last year, but you are able to learn a lot. Grew a lot. Dedicated myself to make sure I took the time after practice every day for an hour to continue to work, because I knew that I would be presented with an opportunity like [this] if I continued to work.”
Griffin seems to have a positive attitude about his upcoming career in Cleveland. In addition to saying the usual right things about the Browns and their new coach Hue Jackson, the quarterback talked about how his tumultuous 2015 season helped him mature and said if the Browns draft a quarterback he would help mentor his competitor.
“Those are the things that you can’t control, is what narrative people are going to try to pick up,” Griffin said. ” You know, last year was a tough year for me, but I was there for my teammates and I made sure that everyone knew that I was on board to do whatever it took to help the Washington Redskins win football games. So when it comes to coming to Cleveland, there’s one goal in mind, and that’s to win, to come out and compete. And whatever happens that’s outside of my control, there’s nothing I can do about that.
“If they draft a quarterback, I’ll bring the young guy in under my wing, and we’ll grow together and do whatever it takes to help this team win,” Griffin went on. “So I’m not afraid of those things. I know how hard all those guys in that locker room work, because we’re all professionals and we take this seriously. So I’m just excited about the opportunity, and not worried about anyone else’s storyline.”
RGIII was so fun his rookie year, and it’s in every fan’s best interest if he returns to anywhere near the level he was at back then.
But we should all guard our optimism. If any franchise could break the spirit of someone who survived the Redskins experience, it’s the Browns.
