Full circle: RG3 back as Browns starting quarterback
BEREA, Ohio (AP) Three months later, Robert Griffin III is starting anew with the Browns.
RG3 wants to make the wait worth it.
''It's all about being in the right situation at the right time,'' he said Thursday.
Griffin, who didn't make it out of Cleveland's season opener without getting hurt, will make his second start on Sunday when the 0-12 Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals.
Griffin hasn't played since breaking a bone in his left shoulder in the Sept. 11 season opener at Philadelphia, an injury that only strengthened the argument that he's brittle and set the stage for the worst stretch in Browns history.
But after showing coach Hue Jackson in practice that he's healthy and ready, Griffin will make just his second start since 2014.
It's another chance to show doubters that he's durable and perhaps the beginning of a four-game audition to prove to the Browns that he can be their long-term answer at quarterback.
''My job is to go out there and make them believe that,'' he said. ''Every single day that you come into the building, you have to show the coaches, show the organization you're going to do what it takes to be that guy.
''That doesn't change just because they name you the starter or just because you're playing. It's an everyday thing. Not just a Sunday thing.
''That's always been my focus is to come in here and show my teammates that I can do this for them. If we all do our job equally, we can go out there and win football games and that's the bottom line.''
In a season that's been a straight line drop, the Browns have come full circle with Griffin, who signed with the team in March hoping to revive his career after being released by Washington.
Jackson held off until Wednesday night before telling Griffin he would start. It's the sixth quarterback change this season for the rebuilding Browns, who have been overrun by injuries. Jackson watched and re-watched practice film before settling on Griffin, who will be backed up Sunday by rookie Cody Kessler.
''He gives us a chance to win,'' Jackson said, adding that he needs a larger sampling size on Griffin before making any judgments about him for the future. ''I'm not expecting for everything to go perfect.
''You don't want to put that kind of pressure on anybody. Again, it's his second game in a little over maybe two years. So hopefully it will go right. But if it doesn't that's OK, too.
''We all understand the situation that he's in and that he's facing. But I think he's up to the challenge.''
In his debut for the Browns, Griffin completed 12 of 26 passes for 190 yards and an interception. He got hurt in the fourth quarter when he was hit while trying to run out of bounds, taking an unnecessary hit near the sideline.
But after knocking off some rust, Griffin made good throws in practice and showed enough of a grasp of the offense for Jackson to bring him back.
Jackson's counting on Griffin to play without fear.
''That is what I have seen in practice,'' he said. ''I wanted to really evaluate it all because sometimes, guys tell you they can do that, but they will not do that. We won't really know until Sunday, but I think what I have seen in practice is a guy who is ready to play. We will put him out there and go from there.''
Griffin wore a ''No Pressure, No Diamonds'' hooded sweatshirt when he met with reporters. It's a motto he first adopted while winning the Heisman Trophy at Baylor, where the Bears turned around their program and it's a mantra he lives by now.
''It's nothing that I force on anybody, but it speaks volumes to what we're going through here, too,'' he said. ''We're trying to change the culture and we want to get late in the season, and then next year to have an opportunity to make a run for a championship.''
Jackson said Griffin needs to show the Browns he can make it through a grind through a 16-game season. The 26-year-old has missed time with knee, ankle and shoulder injuries.
''The most important thing about that position is availability,'' Jackson said. ''And I think he gets that. It (the shoulder injury was) unfortunate. We can't change that. All he can do is play now and show what he can do for this team and for all of us.''
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