I have to give him credit. Most of the time when he is in front of reporters, quarterback Robert Griffin III is able to make a good impression. Of course he hasn’t really done anything on the field of note since his rookie season, and the fact of the matter is that his opportunity to back up Joe Flacco with the Baltimore Ravens was a virtual godsend for him, plucking him back out from near obscurity.
The former Heisman Trophy winner and second-overall draft pick most recently played for the Cleveland Browns in 2016. And to be fair, he is the only Browns quarterback that has won a game over the course of the past two years. But it’s telling when a former starting quarterback spends an entire year out of the game.
And when I say an entire year, I mean it literally. The Browns released him on March 10 of 2017 one year into a two-year deal. He was available prior to the start of free agency and there was pretty much no interest in him at all. He was finally signed by the Ravens on April 4 this year.
As far as I’m aware, the only interest that he had in 2017 came in the form of a workout with the Los Angeles Rams. The Ravens were reportedly interested in bringing him in for a workout as well, I believe while Flacco was dealing with a back injury, but they never did.
They finally brought him in for a workout in the past month, but it was actually for the ostensive purpose of having somebody throw the ball to Willie Snead and Michael Floyd, two wide receivers that they were looking at potentially signing (in the case of the latter, to an offer sheet, since he is a restricted free agent).
He finally spoke to reporters yesterday and said that he feels he probably hasn’t felt as good as he does now since he came out of college. He also said that in 2016 when he signed with the Browns. He also sold his year out of football as a positive, both in terms of his health and in other facets.
Griffin claims that he spent a lot of time last year working on his game, studying offenses and defenses. He made appeals to work ethic and dedication. In general, he is a more than competent public speaker and salesman of himself.
But at least he’s not selling himself as a starter, at least not just yet. Flacco has struggled a fair amount over the course of recent years, though I don’t think that Griffin is about to threaten his job security.
