“It’s not a matter of the pro-style system only fitting a certain quarterback,” he said. “It’s fair game. Everybody’s got to make the same reads, and last time I checked I was able to throw the ball a little bit. So it’s not a problem to me.
“I don’t want teams to just entirely focus on my running ability and say he can’t throw, because they’ll be mistaken. Because that’s something I take pride in. . . . Running backs are supposed to run, quarterbacks are supposed to throw, receivers are supposed to catch the ball. So if we all do our jobs, we’re fine.”
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Quarterback Robert Griffin III discusses becoming “the man of the house” upon his father’s deployment to Iraq on his 13th birthday.
A living archive of everything the Washington Post has published on Robert Griffin III — blog posts, articles, columns, photos and video.
While the Redskins’ offense will not change, they will look to emphasize parts that best suit Griffin’s abilities. Griffin will continue to work on dropping back, but coaches are eager to see how he runs bootlegs.
Former Indianapolis general manager Bill Polian saw plenty of this offense facing the Houston Texans twice a year when it was led by current Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
“If you just extrapolate what Houston does . . . and just say, ‘Okay, we’re going to replace Matt Schaub with RG’ — it’s enough to make you lose sleep at night,” said Polian, now an ESPN analyst. “Just in the bootleg game alone, to say nothing of what he can do with option, short yardage and goal line.”
Griffin likely will hit the field for the first time with coaches during the team’s organized team activity May 21. While he’s already met multiple times with Washington coaches, he’ll likely receive a playbook to study this weekend.
“That offense is perfect for him,” NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci said. “Mike Shanahan’s West Coast offense will utilize his skills very well. The run game will be his friend. The play-action and movements and keeps will be a large part of what they do because he’s so good at it. It will be fun to watch.”
At Copperas Cove High in Texas, Griffin operated from multiple sets and even had some experience in a pro-style system. Jack Welch, Griffin’s high school coach, said the talented quarterback gives coaches options and they don’t need to be married to a single system or philosophy for every down of every game.
“That’s why I think it’s a match made in heaven,” Welch said. “I think Shanahan will have a lot of fun with Robert.”
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