As the second overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft, Robert Griffin III got off to a brilliant start but ultimately disappointed, amid talk that he and coach Mike Shanahan did not see eye to eye. Which makes Griffin’s advice to this year’s crop of top quarterback prospects interesting.
Griffin was asked what he’d tell the quarterbacks who will be drafted this year, and he said they need to listen to their coaches.
“The advice I would give them, to keep it short and frank, is [if] they are able to play at a high level in college, they can do that in the pros,” Griffin said. “Right now, it’s all about what everybody is saying, and you can get caught up in that. Don’t get caught up in that. It’s about playing the game. Play it at a high level and listen to your coach. Know exactly who you are as a player and know that they’re there to make you better.”
Griffin, who signed with the Ravens this week after being out of the NFL last year, said he worries that young players will get caught up in draft hype.
“Everybody wants to be labeled the best quarterback, the best this, the best that,” Griffin said. “I see the guys get caught up in that a little bit. You just want to make sure you don’t. It is important to feel a certain kind of way, but where you get drafted, where you go, is as important as the number behind your name. Hopefully, those guys get in a great organization that will take care of them.”
Shanahan has faced criticism for not taking care of Griffin, particularly in the playoff game when Griffin blew out his knee. Perhaps that comment was a bit of a criticism of Shanahan. But Griffin’s other comments suggest he knows he bears some of the blame as well.