BEREA: When Browns projected starting quarterback Robert Griffin III spoke during his introductory news conference in April, he vowed not to let any baggage from his turbulent days in Washington weigh him down.
Still, it didn’t take long for some observers to question whether the scars from his downfall are too deep to dismiss. Especially once some of his passes were launched into the backyards of people whose houses border team headquarters.
Last month, TheUndefeated.com published a story about Griffin’s decline, outlining many issues former Washington coach Mike Shanahan and his staff had with the 2012 NFL offensive rookie of the year who was ultimately demoted to third string last season and cut in March. Among the qualms were Griffin never having learned how to execute a proper slide and his opposition to throwing the ball away when a play breaks down.
In practices open to the media since the story surfaced, Griffin has seemingly made a point to show he can indeed slide and throw the ball away. He slid last week during an organized team activity session, popped up, yelled and spun the ball. His passes also have twice hit a 16-foot fence surrounding the practice fields and twice cleared the fence on throwaways. After one sailed over the fence and struck a neighbor’s garage Tuesday, Griffin pumped his fist when he realized the ball traveled off the Browns’ property.
“I’m just being coachable,” Griffin said Wednesday before the second practice of mandatory minicamp. “You have to practice the way you play — sliding, throwing the ball away. ... Coach asked me to work on those things. If he asked me to throw it away, I’m going to throw that thing as far as I can — all the way away.
“You have to practice like it’s a game, and I think those are two of the things that I didn’t practice enough. I didn’t practice throwing the ball away enough. I didn’t practice sliding enough. So that’s why I slid last week, and that’s why you see me breaking windows out there.”
It’s no secret that Griffin’s clashing with coaches and teammates in Washington contributed to him not playing last season. So he was asked if he’s hurt when episodes from Washington resurface.
“I don’t get wounded by it because I know the truth,” he replied. “I’m blessed with a new opportunity to be here, so I can’t worry about what’s going on back there. I don’t worry about it. I don’t see what comes out. I don’t read the articles. That’s not my focus.
“My focus is being a Cleveland Brown, changing the culture here and giving this city something to be proud of, and I can’t do that if I’m focused on the past. So I’m moving forward, been moved forward, focusing on this team.”
Griffin’s new teammates are embracing his fresh start.
“He has all the tools to be a really good quarterback for us. I really like him,” veteran cornerback Tramon Williams said. “He’s put in the work. He’s taken the coaching. I think that was one of the things that you hear around about him. But he’s been taking the coaches’ [advice]. He’s been doing an excellent job of leading this team.”
Griffin, 26, has been chasing receivers, catching passes and even occasionally covering receivers during spring practices.
“I like to have fun,” said Griffin, who’ll continue to train with throwing guru Tom House in Los Angeles leading up to training camp. “I like to encourage guys.”
Those types of interactions have prompted center Cam Erving to conclude Griffin has “blended in and meshed with this team as good as I’ve seen anybody, myself included.”
Some may wonder whether Griffin is making a concerted effort to convince teammates his reputation from Washington isn’t fair, but he stressed that’s not the case.
“When you hear rumors, guys are going to make their own judgment on you by what they see,” he said. “The worst thing you can do is try to come in and be someone you’re not. When you ask me if I’m the same guy, you have to be because guys’ BS meters can go off really fast. If you’re BS-ing them, they will know.
“The best thing you can do is be who you are and maybe some of that stuff you might have heard is true. But a lot of that stuff can be extremely false, and that’s the blessing of a new opportunity with a new team — to just go out and be myself and let guys make their own determination on who I am.”
Griffin hopes coach Hue Jackson determines he’s worthy of a permanent place atop the depth chart. Jackson isn’t expected to name a starting quarterback until he sees more competition in training camp, but Griffin has taken the vast majority of first-team snaps thus far.
“When you step out there every day, [your teammates] see how you work, they see your work ethic, they see your leadership ability, and they buy into those things,” Griffin said. “They don’t buy into who’s the starter, who’s not the starter, so I don’t focus on that. That’s coach’s decision, and there’s nothing I can do aside from go out there and ball out that’s going to change his mind.
“So that’s my plan: Go out there, ball out, have fun and prove to the guys that I’m the guy that they should follow.”
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.