Cleveland Browns Deserve Credit For Handling Of The RG3 Process

Another day, another indication the Cleveland Browns might be moving forward in signing another quarterback.

Per Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, coaches and GMs at the NFL owners meeting taking place in Boca believe the Browns will get a deal done with former Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. Though nothing is official, it’s becoming clear there’s a lot more happening with Griffin than what was heard regarding Cleveland’s trade talks with San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick.

The potential move itself has been evaluated to death. Griffin would be a risky signing, is injury prone and may require extra attention in order to try and repair his confidence. The Browns don’t look anything like a contender, and signing Griffin wouldn’t change that. Cleveland’s new coach Hue Jackson is seen league-wide as a quarterback guru, and the match would appear to be a solid one if Griffin indeed joins the team.

However, while everyone is analyzing the potential marriage between Griffin and Cleveland, not enough credit is being given to the team regarding how it’s been going about this whole process. Quite frankly, despite the Browns always being known for making the wrong moves, it’s tough to argue against the fact they’ve been doing everything right in their pursuit of Griffin.

Say what you want about whether or not you think the one-time Washington standout will find his game again in Cleveland, but at least the Browns are going out of their way to do their due diligence.

For one, the team didn’t get overexcited when hosting Griffin last weekend and throw him a contract offer. Instead, the parties met for two days and parted ways. Afterwards, the Browns began making calls and doing further research on Griffin, making sure they had a significant amount of information to help guide whatever decision they come to. In other words, it’s the complete opposite of what the team did last year when they essentially held Dwayne Bowe at the team facility trying to get him to sign a contract (as if anyone was actually competing for his services).

The point is, despite clamors throughout the media about how badly the team needs to make some moves, nobody within the front office seems to be letting this sway the decision-making.

Secondly, Jackson noted how humble Griffin seemed during his meeting with the Browns, saying the quarterback wasn’t afraid to shoulder blame for how things turned out in Washington. This indicates Jackson and the rest of Cleveland’s higher-ups didn’t have blinders on when it came to Griffin’s struggles after his sensational rookie year. It also means they likely questioned him about all of that just to ensure he wasn’t saying his downfall was all somehow Washington’s fault.

Good on the Browns for making sure this was addressed in their vetting process, as it implies they didn’t omit some very crucial questions. If the team moved forward with signing Griffin despite him displaying complete ignorance towards how ugly things got with his former team, it wouldn’t bode well for the future.

The most important factor is Jackson’s claim he told Griffin that, if he were to join the Browns, he should be ready to compete for the starting job, presumably with whichever rookie the team ends up picking this spring.

This is crucial for two reasons. First, it proves Cleveland isn’t going to beat around the bush with Griffin, implying he’d be the new franchise quarterback right before drafting a QB with the No. 2 overall pick. Also, it’s a clear message that the Browns aren’t foolish enough to assume they can just rebuild the team around an unproven Griffin at quarterback.

At the end of the day, the way the Browns have handled all of this proves they have a strategy and have no interest in breaking away from it. They aren’t making panic moves or attempts to offer contracts just for the sake of throwing money. Nobody will be signed on a whim, and everyone seems to be going through a thorough inspection process.

All in all, it’s exactly what this team needs. As mentioned last week, Cleveland can’t afford to swing and miss from here on out. If this rebuild is going to work, every move has to be carefully calculated and weighed out before moving forward with it.

It sure seems like this is taking place with Griffin right now, and the Browns aren’t getting enough respect for that. As we know, though, it’s much easier to dump on this team than to actually give it credit once in a while.