Browns Free Agency: 2016

[AZ_]

RG3's latest knee injury was the death blow to his career. He blew out the ACL, LCL and meniscus. The meniscus tear, coupled with the ACL tear, is the one you don't comeback from. You're never the same after that, just ask Derrick Rose. Many, many scientific studies bear this out too. His knee is just way too unstable for him to return to his previous athletic levels. This is a waste of time and money on the Browns part.....

Knee injuries are far more debilitating to a point guard than they are a QB whose career isn't based on his lateral agility or athleticism.

 

[EdMonix11]

Knee injuries are far more debilitating to a point guard than they are a QB whose career isn't based on his lateral agility or athleticism.

Sure. But let's not act like RG3's game wasn't based on his lateral agility or athleticism to begin with. Regardless, RG3 hasn't shown much of anything since he got hurt and plenty of research has shown his knee won't hold up....

 

[AZ_]

Sure. But let's not act like RG3's game wasn't based on his lateral agility or athleticism to begin with. Regardless, RG3 hasn't shown much of anything since he got hurt and plenty of research has shown his knee won't hold up....

His game was never based on running the football. Having an extra year to recover from that injury will only help as well.

If his medical's check out I see no issue

 

[EdMonix11]

His game was never based on running the football. Having an extra year to recover from that injury will only help as well.

If his medical's check out I see no issue

I agree that if his medicals check out, there's little downside. I'm skeptical that his knee is healthy and I honestly don't have a clue what the Browns are trying to do anymore.

I disagree that RG3's game was never based on running the football, though. Seems like the less he ran, the harder it was for him to play QB at the NFL level. Whether that was because of injury, his inability to read a defense, playcalling or whatever, he really struggled for two consecutive seasons and was benched for a third season.

Personally, I think the traits that made RG3 so tantalizing just simply aren't there anymore due to injury. The injury happened nearly 3 1/2 years ago, i'm not sure time is going to help him in this case based on what we've already seen. I understand the point your making, an RG3 signing is pure upside. I just don't think RG3 has anything to offer anymore.....

 

[Lee]

I agree that if his medicals check out, there's little downside. I'm skeptical that his knee is healthy and I honestly don't have a clue what the Browns are trying to do anymore.

I disagree that RG3's game was never based on running the football, though. Seems like the less he ran, the harder it was for him to play QB at the NFL level. Whether that was because of injury, his inability to read a defense, playcalling or whatever, he really struggled for two consecutive seasons and was benched for a third season.

Personally, I think the traits that made RG3 so tantalizing just simply aren't there anymore due to injury. The injury happened nearly 3 1/2 years ago, i'm not sure time is going to help him in this case based on what we've already seen. I understand the point your making, an RG3 signing is pure upside. I just don't think RG3 has anything to offer anymore.....

Its obvious the browns are trying to buy low, period.

RG3 could be a buy low situation, so they are interested.

They only free agent they truly signed was a bargain vs age and production.

It will be very interesting on how they draft as a QB seems like a stretch at #2 even though i am Team Goff. Do they wait to take a QB in the 2nd round and see if someone falls?

Do they take the best player regardless of position #2 overall since it would be the best value?

Who knows, but we are on this ride now.

 

[godfather]

I agree that if his medicals check out, there's little downside. I'm skeptical that his knee is healthy and I honestly don't have a clue what the Browns are trying to do anymore.

I disagree that RG3's game was never based on running the football, though. Seems like the less he ran, the harder it was for him to play QB at the NFL level. Whether that was because of injury, his inability to read a defense, playcalling or whatever, he really struggled for two consecutive seasons and was benched for a third season.

Personally, I think the traits that made RG3 so tantalizing just simply aren't there anymore due to injury. The injury happened nearly 3 1/2 years ago, i'm not sure time is going to help him in this case based on what we've already seen. I understand the point your making, an RG3 signing is pure upside. I just don't think RG3 has anything to offer anymore.....

This is pretty much point on. Which is why going into the season without another really good QB plan in place going forward would be a disaster.

You can't buy the farm with a guy that was a third string QB last season and has questionable/legit health issues going forward when you're in position to draft a franchise QB.

Let's just hope the Browns don't get too cute if they sign him. Other than that I don't really care.

 

[The Wizard of Moz]

Mary Kay:

BOCA, RATON, Fla -- Browns coach Hue Jackson said quarterback Robert Griffin III convinced him on his visit to Cleveland that he's learned from his mistakes in Washington and is ready to be the face of a franchise again.

"I heard the truth,'' Jackson said at the AFC coaches' breakfast here. "I mean, he takes responsibility. He knows there's things he could have done better. And that's where he is. To me that showed the humbleness. Because that's what it's all about. In this league you don't grow if you don't admit that you've made some mistakes.

"It's no different than myself when I was the head coach of the Raiders. I made some mistakes. And you grow from them and you learn from them. Sometimes you're not ready to do it the first time. Things happen. You move on from it and you grow from it and you get over the next hump.''

The Browns are moving toward signing the free agent quarterback and it could happen soon. Jackson was encouraged by what he heard during their two-day session Friday and Saturday, and feels 'humble' is the appropriate word for the former Heisman Trophy winner.

"Absolutely,'' he said. "You have to be. You have to have a side to you that says 'look, it's not them, it's part me too.' And I think that goes a long way with me. Until that happens, can you start to rebuild if you still think it was about them? You're kind of walking with that gook on you and that doesn't come off as fast.''

He said he's already told Griffin III they might draft a quarterback high and isn't worried about how he'll respond.

"If it did (happen), he would have to compete and I don't ever worry about that,'' he said. "The cream always rises to the top, and if a guy is afraid of competition, then you have the wrong guy anyway.''

He said Griffin explained to him "some things that everybody didn't know about'' in regards to whether or not he was a good teammate.

He also said he needed to hear "a lot'' from the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year about why things didn't work out his last three seasons in Washington, including last season when he lost his job to Kirk Cousins.

"But again it's the environment that I think the organization along with myself creates,'' he said. "We're talking about the young guys too. They're going to be well-schooled and well led in that manner as well. I believe in our process to get guys to do what we need them to do. As long as a guy is willing to put in the work and he understands that there is a lot to do.

"There's more to playing quarterback than just throwing the ball, handing the ball off. You got a lot of responsibility, just as i do. As long as you can make guys understand that, whether they're young guys that are coming up in the draft ... I'm not saying anything to you that I haven't said to the young guys too. It's just the way we're going to do it here, and just the way the expectation is. Guys got to meet that expectation.''

Jackson said Griffin is "in a great place right now. I think he wants to play. He understands he's talented enough to play and I think he knows there's some things he needs to fix and I think he's willing to do that. He knows there are some things he could've done better and I think he wants to take on whatever challenge lies ahead however it unfolds for him.''

Jackson said he believes Griffin will be open to improving his skills, including reading defenses and a quicker release.

"At some point in time if someone's telling you that this is your issue, you've got to fix it,'' he said.

He said he doesn't buy into the notion that defenses have figured him out.

"Everybody has a book on everybody in this league,'' said Jackson. "But at the same time it's the people that are supporting you or creating an environment for you and I think that's what's most important.

Jackson said Griffin III answered all of the questions to his satisfaction. The only thing left is for the Browns to sign him.

"Our visit was very informative, a lot of dialogue back and forth,'' he said. "A lot of tough questions asked, a lot of tough questions answered. I don't baby people. I'm sorry. That's just not who I am. I ask the tough questions and I expect to get the tough answers, and he handled all that extremely well. He answered some questions that I had and I think he represented himself the right way.''

Jackson said his interest in Griffin III doesn't mean he believes that Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, their candidates at No. 2, aren't ready or not good enough.

"No, I don't see it that way,'' he said. "When you're talk about Robert, you're talking about a young man who was (NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year) at one time. There's been success there. So we'd be remiss if we said we're not going to look at everybody and see how it fits with us. We know there's some young talented passers that are coming up, and we've all seen young players start to play in this league at an early age, a la Joe Flacco, and they can play.

"But your team has to be able to receive them and handle them. There's a lot of factors that go into all the things we're trying to decide, but at the same time there's not a decision that has to be made today.''

Jackson, who has worked with the likes of Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton, Jason Campbell and Joe Flacco, is convinced he can help Griffin III fix some of his flaws.

"I could see some areas where I can help him and that's what this is all about -- can you help a player ascend and get better?'' he said. "Can you help Robert get to where he needs to be? So at the end of the day, let's be honest, everybody has some kind of flaw. It's 'are you the one that can help fix the flaw?'''

Jackson was asked why he's talking Griffin up so much but not signing him yet. One reason might be that the Browns Executive Vice President Sashi Brown's wife is expecting their third child and flew home from the meetings early. Griffin's agent, Ben Dogra, has also been suspended, but he's still practicing while appealing the suspension.

"You asked me a bunch of questions so I answered them and so everybody believes I like him -- I do,'' said Jackson. "He's a good young man. But to me we're still in our process. We're not going to just jump on the table and just go do something to do it. We have to weigh all the factors here.''

At present, the Browns don't have much competition, so they can take their time. The Jets brought him in for a visit, but didn't follow up. The Broncos have evaluated him, but don't seem interested -- likely because coach Gary Kubiak has gotten an earful from his mentor Mike Shanahan, who was fired in Washington after a fallout with Griffin III. Still, aren't the Browns running the risk that someone else will sign him? He supposedly has interest in playing for the Rams in Los Angeles next year.

"You know what? That's a possibility and that's something we have to live with,'' said Jackson. "But again, we're going to stay true to our process and how we go about it.''

He said he doesn't see Griffin's three-year drought as a disadvantage because "he's played at a high level. He understands the pressure, the stress. He understands what it takes to get ready during the week playing a game, as opposed to the other guys who are coming out. How can you expect a young guy to understand how to do this when he's never done it? At least he has that in his pocket. Now, some people may say he's done it very well. But experience is a great teacher.''

Still, he believes Griffin will need a reboot.

"They all need to be loved on a little bit, pushed, prodded, pulled on, all of it,'' he said. "He needs to feel good about the people that he's with. And the people that come for him need to feel good about him.''

Jackson acknowledged that he has some inside information on Griffin from Redskins coach Jay Gruden, with whom he worked in Cincinnati.

"But at the same time we're going to trust in what we know and what we feel that we find,'' he said. "He was, and is, a tremendous player. And sometimes things just don't work out. So I trust all the information given to me about him, but at the same time I'm going to trust instincts and my gut.''

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/03/robert_griffin_iii_has_convinc.html

Jackson stressed that if the Browns sign Griffin III, it won't preclude them from drafting a quarterback at No. 2, and they're strongly considering Goff and North Dakota State's Carson Wentz at that spot.

Likewise, he said he's not necessarily inclined to start a veteran because the Browns are in rebuild mode, or what he prefers to call reboot mode.

"Yes and no, because you want to know the rest of your team as fast as you can,'' he said. "One thing about me, if a guy's not ready to play I'm not putting him out there. I don't think you can do that. You hurt that position. We've all seen it in the National Football League if he doesn't have the right support cast that it's not fair to the player, so as an organization, we would never do that.

"But if a guy is ready to play and the pieces around him are right, we're going to play him.''

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/03/hue_jackson_raves_about_jared.html

Damn. I don't even care what your opinion on RG3 is. If you didn't come away from that article with at least a quarter chub from Hue's outlook on things then are you even a Browns fan?

Hue is the right man for this job

 

[chrisrich91]

I agree that if his medicals check out, there's little downside. I'm skeptical that his knee is healthy and I honestly don't have a clue what the Browns are trying to do anymore.

I disagree that RG3's game was never based on running the football, though. Seems like the less he ran, the harder it was for him to play QB at the NFL level. Whether that was because of injury, his inability to read a defense, playcalling or whatever, he really struggled for two consecutive seasons and was benched for a third season.

Personally, I think the traits that made RG3 so tantalizing just simply aren't there anymore due to injury. The injury happened nearly 3 1/2 years ago, i'm not sure time is going to help him in this case based on what we've already seen. I understand the point your making, an RG3 signing is pure upside. I just don't think RG3 has anything to offer anymore.....

I am still just as intrigued by RG3 as a prospect as I was before his draft, and it still has little to do with his ability to run. As long as he is mobile enough within the pocket, I am still very impressed with his QB talent. And I am pretty confident his injuries didn't rob that level of mobility from him.

RG3 has as much natural arm talent as anyone who has entered the draft in the last 5 years. This dude can throw an elite deep ball, can throw on a frozen rope on comeback routes with the best of them, and has shown the ability to put touch on all the intermediate throws. If Hue Jackson picked his brain and came away content with what he saw from a mental standpoint, there's no reason RG3 doesn't still have time to turn his career around.

 

[macbdog]

I know folks won't like this, but this sounds like the Browns QB plan is to hedge their bets- a Griffin or Kaep to brew the starter now and possibly longer if they can bounce back. If not, then they serve as a bridge for the project QB they draft. Either way too it buys a developmental year for the drafted QB. I do think it kills the idea of Goff at 2 tho- Goff should be considered pro ready. Wentz on the other hand would benefit from a year acclimating from the bench...

 

[Seiklis]

I know folks won't like this, but this sounds like the Browns QB plan is to hedge their bets- a Griffin or Kaep to brew the starter now and possibly longer if they can bounce back. If not, then they serve as a bridge for the project QB they draft. Either way too it buys a developmental year for the drafted QB. I do think it kills the idea of Goff at 2 tho- Goff should be considered pro ready. Wentz on the other hand would benefit from a year acclimating from the bench...

Goff's body isn't ready though. He could definitely use a year getting a lower body

 

[Sebastian]

Goff's body isn't ready though. He could definitely use a year getting a lower body

So true. He needs to put on at least 10-15 pounds of muscle. Though he has the skills to play from day one, he would take an awful beating.

Give him a year behind someone, all the sandwiches he can eat and weights he can lift, and then put him out there Game 1 of the 2017 season. Or because it is the Browns, McCown and RG3 will be done for by Game 12 and he starts the last quarter of the season. Either way, every sack prevented increases his chances of not being the next Tim Couch.

 

[Juice is Loose]

Per Jay Glazer this morning

Prevailing feeling among coaches and GMs here in Boca at NFL owners mtg is that most expect Browns to be able to get deal done w RG3

 

[Surge]

It will be good for RGIII and te Browns.

Next to no pressure on him to succeed. Very little spotlight. He can "relearn" the postion with a coach that has a reputation of getting the most out of QB's.

The Browns will presumably not have a ton invested in him and will be selecting a qb of the future that they don't have to trot out there to learn on the job.

Makes sense for both sides.

 

[macbdog]

This opens up the possibility then of trading down with the 49ers so they can take Goff. Can the Browns still get a stud at no. 7? I would like to see them take 2017 draft picks as the other picks d/t the wealth of picks they already have, plus by 2017 the FO will have had a full year to establish their system I regards to scouting and procurement.

 

[Prime 1978]

I don't think this changes anything in terms of drafting a QB at 2. RG3 is a stop gap for either Goff to get more weight on or Wentz to get some additional learning time and coaching. If the Browns are bringing in Griffin to be the savior they are making a mistake. If they are brining him in as a reclamation project that they can hopefully develop and turn into an asset for the future. I can see a two year deal with a minimum amount of guaranteed money.
Not to mention, this also buys time for the revamped offensive line to gel. There's going to be at least two new starters on that line. If RG3 has to play piñata while the line gels as opposed to our #2 draft pick so be it. I just don't see much downside to bringing in a troubled qb with a ton of upside who needs a platform to showcase his talents (as well needs to be on his best behavior) if he's ever gonna be a long time starter and get paid a big time contract.