They wanted to give new head coach Hue Jackson and his staff the opportunity to revive the career of the former second overall pick.
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Based on the stellar National Football League debut of Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz, it looks as if the Cleveland Browns may be haunted by their decision to pass on him by trading the No. 2 pick in the National Football League draft.
It’s been thrown for a significant loss. Adding injury to insult, Robert Griffin III, who the Browns picked up as their starting QB, suffered a serious shoulder injury in the same game and can’t play for at least eight weeks, if not the entire season. After serving his suspension, Richardson was back on the practice field with the Jets on Monday and is expected to play against Buffalo on Thursday night. As the Browns move forward, they will look to 37-year-old Josh McCown to take the snaps on offense. And although McCown may be a solid backup and an ideal teammate, he’s nothing more than a stop-gap on Cleveland’s never-ending quest to find its future quarterback.
I dont think it was necessarily a dirty play, I just think it was something that was unfortunate that happened, said Griffin, who also got a slight push from cornerback Ron Brooks. It’s not something where I’m saying all bets are off. “But right now I think we’re comfortable where we are and we’ll continue to have those discussions”.
Griffins season of revival is on hold.
Doug Pederson’s game plan was to get Wentz on the move and allow him to make the throws that he is most comfortable with.
On Oct. 11, he completed 36-of-51 passes (70.6 percent) for 457 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 111.3 in a 33-30 overtime win in Baltimore.
Jackson publicly dismissed the notion that he and the Browns’ new front office second-guessed their decision on Wentz, but it’s safe to assume his name came up in their private discussions. “I don’t think you can talk about player safety and then have what unfolded”. He’s a fine young man and they have good coaches and a good organization, and he is going to do well for them, but that was one game. I’ve got to block out the noise – both good and bad – and just get back to work.
Maybe that’s been the strategy all along, but Sashi Brown, the team’s Vice President of Football Operations, said last week that the team views Griffin as more than a temporary, two-year fix. That’s not to say RG3’s career as a starting quarterback could be over. “We’ll develop him over time. That’s what we did this year”. “We have to play better, and I think we all understand that”. With that in mind, it could make sense for the Jets to deal Smith to the Browns for a couple of draft picks instead.
“I haven’t thought that far yet”, he said of the 2017 draft. “When he played in the preseason, he was just totally overwhelmed. My experiences in life have shown me what I need to do to make sure I am ready to roll”.
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In Cleveland, quarterbacks are always a talking topic.
