Quarterback Robert Griffin III had his introductory news conference in Cleveland on Wednesday. Griffin and the Browns had just finished the third day of offseason workouts when he met the media. Here is the transcript.
How does it feel to be a Cleveland Brown?
Griffin: It feels great. Just blessed to have an opportunity to grow, grow here with (head coach) Hue (Jackson), (assistant head coach-offense) Pep (Hamilton) and this team. It has been really fun the past couple days getting to know the new teammates. It is truly an honor to be in this league. I am just glad they gave me an opportunity.
You talked with (former Redskins coach Mike Shanahan) after you signed. Shanahan has said that you can again be successful. Do you have to go back to what you did in 2012 to be successful?
Griffin: I did call Mike, and I had a great conversation with him, but when it comes to that stuff, I trust that what Hue and Pep are going to do with this offense, it won’t just be about me and it will be what is 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 possibly can.
What do you have to do physically or mentally to get back to that quarterback that you were in 2012?
Griffin: I just want to play ball, man. I am excited to be here. Last year, I didn’t have an opportunity to play football so to have that opportunity here and compete and grow, it is truly a blessing. That is all I am really focused on. Just go out there, play, learn the offense and do what I possibly can to help this team win.
What has Hue Jackson done so far to help you acclimate to the new team and new offense?
Griffin: It is just the way he approaches the game, the way he approaches every day. I think the team can kind of feel that. Just the way he talks to you, just his expectations of this team, and those are all things that we keep in house, but it is just a good vibe to be around. Every day you wake up wanting to come to work even more.
What do you expect from Jackson's offense and how does it match your skill set?
Griffin: Like I said, we are going to run the best offense that we can for the personnel that we have. That is why they call him "Coach." He will put us in positions to be successful. I think everybody trusts that. We are just trying to make sure we master what it is that Coach wants us to accomplish through his offense. The speaking a new language and getting it across to everybody, that is our job as quarterbacks to make that happen. We are just focused on that right now, and then once we get out and are able to run some plays, they will figure out, hey this is what we do best and that is what we will run.
You were the No. 2 pick in the draft. What are your thoughts on the Browns taking a quarterback with the second pick this year?
Griffin: I really don’t know. It is really up to higher management. That is way above my pay grade. I just go out, compete, have fun, grow with the team and then whatever they decide to do with the second pick or any picks after that is truly up to them. I didn’t sign on the dotted line to draft players. I came here because I want to play football. I trust that whatever they do is in the best interest of the team and just go from there.
Did you go to Los Angeles and spend some time with (throwing guru) Tom House? What did you work on, how did it go and will you do that more extensively through the offseason?
Griffin: I just have been in communication with Tom House and I just know that he has worked with a lot of great players in the past and still does even to today. I really wanted to be a part of that and to continue to grow my knowledge base. I think it will be really good to learn from a guy like him who has dealt with so many guys in the league and helped them develop in ways that not everybody can. I am excited to see how that goes and truly grow.
What was the experience like not playing in 2015 despite being healthy and having previous NFL success?
Griffin: It is like … have you ever been able to not write? (Response: Actually, that was difficult, yeah.) Yeah, so you know it is one of those things that you love to do something so much and when that is stripped away from you, one of two things can happen: You can either tank it and allow it to break you or you can let it build you up and show you that you really love this game. It was a process last year, but I come here today more excited to be with these guys, and I know that the passion in that locker room is reciprocated on what we want to do here.
Do you feel like you could have done things differently the past few years after having such a successful rookie season?
Griffin: No doubt. I definitely do. I have grown a lot since 2012 and just through the whole process of all of those years there in Washington. I am not oblivious to that fact. I know there are things that I could have done differently, but today, I can’t focus on that. I have to focus on what I am doing here with the Cleveland Browns. I keep saying that I am excited, but everybody in that locker room is excited about the opportunity before us and what we can do for this city.
What was the toughest question Hue Jackson asked you when he was interviewing you prior to signing with the team?
Griffin: Every question that you can think of was asked. They were very thorough in the interview process with what they wanted to know from me about what happened in DC as a player. I think I saw him say that he didn’t think that I had, that I wasn’t clogged up anymore or whatever phrase he used. You just have to learn from what happened, learn from your mistakes, take your success and try to build upon that. That is really what we are trying to do here. I am not trying to let any baggage hold me down from the past, but I do have a massive chip on my shoulder. I know this team has a massive chip on its shoulder.
Do you agree with the comments that you appeared to be a humbled Robert Griffin?
Griffin: If you say you are humbled, then you are not humble so I can’t say that. No, I just think that I am more experienced. I am still a kid. I am 26. We are all kids. We get to play a kid’s game. One of my teammates in Washington, (Redskins NT) Kendrick Golston said we play a kid’s game for a king’s ransom. It is the truth. If it is a kid’s game, you have to have fun doing it. I do think I am more experienced and I kind of know how to navigate the waters. That will help me as a player here. It will help me as a player to lead this team, as well.
Is your expectation to win the starting job?
Griffin: That is everybody’s expectation when you play quarterback in the National Football League. It is what it is. Only one guy gets to play, but the stronger we are in that group in that room, the stronger football team we will have. No one is going to step on anybody’s toes, but we are all here to compete, we are all here to win a job and at the end of the day, do what we can to help this team win.
How close are you now to the player you were in 2012?
Griffin: I had a whole year off so I feel good healthwise, but I think the experience that I have gained over the years of being in the NFL will really help me master the offense and kind of know how to attack the defenses in this division.
Did your confidence take a hit the past couple of years in Washington?
Griffin: Confidence, you either have it or you don’t. I don’t think that will ever be an issue. I just really want to grow with this team, continue to learn, expand my knowledge base and try to get the ball to the playmakers that we have and let them do all the work. My job is just to be the point guard.
Do you remember saying that you could be the best quarterback in the NFL?
Griffin: I am not going to get caught in that one again (laughter), but you have to have a belief. What you believe on the inside comes out and the way you approach the game and the way your teammates see you, so you have to have confidence.
How has it been working with Josh McCown?
Griffin: It is great. Like I said, for us as quarterbacks, the closer we are as a group, the better the team will be. We are two faith-based guys, God-fearing individuals and so are (QBs) Austin (Davis) and Connor (Shaw) so it has been great. Great conversation, great learning the offense together and really getting out there and trying to teach it to the other guys.
What was your initial reaction when you learned Cleveland was interested in signing you?
Griffin: I just thought it was another opportunity and felt blessed. I am excited to be here.
Did you do much research on the Browns before visiting?
Griffin: Sometimes you don’t get to pick where you play, and one of the things that I thought about this opportunity was that it was a great opportunity to grow with Hue Jackson and Pep Hamilton. I did get a chance to pick, so I felt like that was a blessing. I am very excited about my decision.
Would you be surprised if the offense includes some of the zone-read elements that you ran in 2012?
Griffin: I wouldn’t be. They ran zone-read with (Bengals QB) Andy (Dalton) in Cincinnati so I am sure it will be sprinkled in there somewhere, but that all depends on what we do best. If we are the best zone-read team all throughout camp, minicamps and training camp, then I guess that is what we will do. If we are not, then we won’t do it. I am not afraid to sit in the pocket and throw the ball. I am not afraid to run the zone-read. I am not afraid to do what is best for this team.
Do you have the ability to protect yourself if you have to run?
Griffin: Yeah, I do. We were running a drill the other day, and I just hit a perfect slide. I was like, ‘Man, I have really been working on that.’ I felt good about that one, but I will protect myself.
What was your message to your teammates when you called them after signing and before offseason workouts?
Griffin: Just excited to be here. I know the history a little bit of Cleveland, and guys sometimes don’t want to come here. I wanted to come here. I wanted to be here, and I wanted them to know that. They call this "The Land" so we are going to make this ours and really give these fans what they deserve. I really just tried to echo to them that I am excited to be here, I am excited to work with them and it is going to take all of us.
What did Hue Jackson say in the first team meeting that impressed you?
Griffin: He is very energetic, but he is very business-like. He is going to come into the room and he is going to command the room, and guys respect that. Whenever you are trying to do a turnaround or change the culture, it starts up front, it starts at the top, and he is the head. Everything is going to trickle down from him. I think all of the guys are really excited about that.
How are you different as a man and a leader now because of the experience of the last two seasons?
Griffin: I just know what it takes to be great and succeed in this league. It is not about "I" or "me," it is about "we." It is about "us." It is us versus everybody outside of our locker room who may not believe in us, who don’t think that we can do "this" or do "that." I think I can bring that atmosphere and that confidence to the team, not only through what we say and how we work but what we do on the field. I have seen the great and I have seen the really bad in this league. That is a very valuable piece of experience to have. I feel like that is what the guys are wanting from me, or at least what I’ve been told, they want to know how to turn it around.
Do you have to be more conscious to keep the focus on the team and not yourself?
Griffin: No, I think that has always been the way it is. Regardless of what storylines they want to write, it has always been "we." Even when coming out of college, it was always, it is not about me. It is about we. It is about us. I just think as a quarterback in this league, you are going to get all the attention. If you win, it is, "Man, that guy is awesome." If you lose, "This guy is terrible." As a quarterback in the National Football League, you have to understand that and realize that it is always those guys. When you lose, it is always you. That is the way you have to approach the game. Even if you approach it that way to yourself, you have to be able to come in front of the mic and talk to you guys and say the exact same things because one little slip-up makes it a national story. I think that is what happened to me through my experience as a player in Washington, and I know that now. After a loss, you can’t be emotional and say things that are meant to be behind closed doors or that might be taken the wrong way because that is just the way it is. I understand that now and I don’t hold that against anybody else. I just know what I have to do as a player and as a leader of this team and I am going to do that.
The Browns have lost a lot of players this offseason. What do you see that makes you believe this team can succeed?
Griffin: I definitely see how guys are working every single day. Believe it or not, everybody in the NFL is talented. It is all about how you utilize them. I am very excited about what we do have and what we are going to add through the draft or other means, but like I said, that is not my focus. I get a chance to work with these guys every single day. I see how they work. I see how they come to work ready to go, how they prepare, how they are learning the offense, learning the formations, learning what we want to do, and that is what is exciting. It is really exciting when you know guys are going to be where they are supposed to be and they are hungry. We are all hungry. We all have a chip on our shoulder, and we haven’t eaten dinner in a long time. We are going to go get it.
Considering you said the team would run an offense based on the personnel, does that mean for you it has to be zone-read or read-option?
Griffin: It can be anything. It can be under-center, drop-back passing. It could be play-action passing. It can be a heavy run game. Whatever Coach decides, this is what we are going to be, this is our identity, we are all going to buy into that, and I think all of the guys know that. It starts up front with (OL) Joe (Thomas), and I am excited to have him on the offensive line and lead that group. We are really excited. I can’t say it enough.
How important and motivating is it to have this second chance?
Griffin: It is a blessing to be in this league and to have the opportunity to play football at the highest level. I am really excited about it. Why not be happy? Like I said, we play a kid’s game for a king’s ransom. This is the best job in the world. I want to really embrace that. I want all of the guys in the locker room to embrace that and truly try to reach their full potential.
Do you feel any extra pressure given the Browns quarterback history?
Griffin: No pressure, no diamonds.