2012 NFL Draft: Why Robert Griffin III Is a Must for Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns have a decision to make: draft quarterback Robert Griffin III, sign free agent Matt Flynn, or stick it out with Colt McCoy? It is a long way until April’s 2012 NFL draft. Until then, this is the rollercoaster all Browns fans will have to ride.

Sides have been drawn, arguments stated, but few have vocalized why this debate is so heated. Most fans understand the importance of getting the right guy under center. They just differ on how that is achieved.

The real problem, however, is that Cleveland has become gun-shy when it comes to fixing their team. More than a decade of floundering in ineptitude can do that.

But there is one choice the Cleveland Browns can make this offseason that makes the most sense: draft Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Unfortunately, Cleveland’s current quarterback, Colt McCoy, is not the guy. While I agree that he will improve, could even be a viable starter, it must be admitted that he has a talent ceiling, and it is not Super Bowl champion.

I hate to simplify it so much, but McCoy does not have the arm strength to beat NFL coverage. His ball just takes longer to reach its target than other NFL passers’ throws. It is a difference of fractions of a second, but that is all it takes for a defensive back to close on and break up the play, or worse, jump the route and intercept the ball.

Just see any number of quick outs or slants last year where the receiver was tackled directly after catching the ball.

Nor do I see Green Bay Packers free agent Matt Flynn being the guy, at least not for us. I believe he can be a franchise quarterback. For every five-yard-slant-turned-80-yard-touchdown by Jordan Shipley, there is also the beautiful pass by Flynn, I mean a fitting-the-ball-downfield-between-two-defenders type of throw.

But the real problem with Flynn is that he is the jewel of the free-agent pool. The team that acquires him is going to have to commit a multi-year, multi-million-dollar contract that is going to eat up cap space and prevent other moves in free agency.

Flynn is one case where we have to weigh the what-ifs, because being wrong about him could set the team back multiple years.

The most sensible option is for the Cleveland Browns to pursue Robert Griffin III in the 2012 draft, even if they need to trade up.

This is not about Griffin’s extreme athletic talent or Heisman hype or comparisons to Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, and Michael Vick. In Griffin, we have to throw the whole running quarterback thing out the window.

Pat Shurmur will not run that kind of offense, nor should he. It is a fad that puts your star player in jeopardy. Just look at what injuries do to the Philadelphia Eagles when quarterback Michael Vick gets hurt, and that is before we even factor in the longevity of that type of player’s career.

Have you ever compared the average career span of NFL quarterbacks to running backs? There is a reason for the disparity.

When evaluating Griffin we should only be evaluating him as a pure pocket passer. And you know what? He grades out well. He has an extremely deft touch on short and intermediate passes, a quick release and one of the best deep balls of any college prospect in a while.

I understand he is not Andrew Luck, the highly coveted field general from Stanford. Nor am I buying into the “better than Luck” propaganda.

I understand there are also those who question Griffin's ability to read defenses because of Baylor’s spread offense. But there is no reason to believe Griffin will not be able to handle the mental aspects of the game. 

He is an extremely bright young man who graduated high school early, already received his bachelor’s degree, and is actually just a few credits shy of finishing his master’s degree.

So what do we have in Robert Griffin III?

A high-character leader, who has elevated the play of those around him, has all the physical gifts to succeed in the NFL as a pure pocket passer, is smart enough to maintain a 3.67 grade point average in political science while playing a major college sport and is grading out as a top-10 draft prospect.

Why would Cleveland not want that?

Fear.

Fans are too afraid the Browns will pull the trigger on a prospect only to wind up shooting blanks. But we cannot let past failures keep us from wanting the right quarterback now.

Yes, Cleveland’s previous two forays into the realm of first-round quarterbacks during the expansion era did not work out. There is some debate about what Tim Couch could have done under different circumstances, but everyone outside of Cleveland knew about Brady Quinn before the Browns ever selected him.

But should the Browns never take a first-round quarterback again because of the evaluation mistakes of past regimes? Should the Browns just keep taking fliers on late-round quarterbacks or other teams’ castoffs, hoping they suddenly develop into something they have never shown a hint of being before.

No.

The reason to select Griffin is simple: If you look at the twelve teams who made the playoffs this year, eight teams (Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay, Baltimore Ravens) were led by first-round draft picks.

Two teams (New Orleans Orleans, Cincinnati Bengals) were led by second-round draft picks selected so early in the round they may as well be considered first-round talent.

The Houston Texans backed into the playoffs with the help of fifth-rounder T.J. Yates, but that was only after third-round selection Matt Schaub had all but clinched the division for the team.

Then, there is the always infuriating sixth-round pick Tom Brady. Brady will forever be pointed to as evidence when fans want their late-round quarterback prospect to magically develop into an NFL star.

While there will always be Ryan Leafs and JaMarcus Russells, the truth shows that you find far more first-round draftees leading NFL teams than late-round prospects who suddenly become good. We cannot have the foresight to see which Griffin will be, but the Browns would be idiotic to pass him up.

The conditions are never better for selecting quarterbacks early. Even if the Browns have to trade up, moving two spots should cost us at most the second-round pick, but more realistically a third-round pick. That is a small price to pay for your franchise quarterback.

For those who hate to see draft picks traded, just remember that being a little more active in free agency can also fill holes. If that does not convince you, then try repeating these words: David Veikune, Brian Robiskie, Mohamed Massaquoi, Montario Hardesty, Shawn Laovao, etc., etc. Still sounding like a dire situation?

The new collective bargaining agreement has also curbed the ridiculously large rookie contracts that made a first-round bust a franchise killer. So even if Griffin fails, the Browns can try again in 2013, really no worse for wear than after a usual Cleveland Browns' season.

Nor, for Colt McCoy enthusiasts, is it a foregone conclusion that drafting Griffin means the end of the McCoy experiment. Does it make any sense for a team without the answer at quarterback to have a backup who will never develop into a starter (i.e. Seneca Wallace), especially one who has shown no interest in being a mentor?

I say trade Seneca Wallace for a low draft pick, bring in Griffin as competition for McCoy, and put whoever loses the quarterback competition as the backup. It’s a win-win solution.

There is little Cleveland has to lose by drafting Robert Griffin III. Until the Browns find their franchise quarterback, it will not matter how many holes they shore up elsewhere. For a fan base that constantly laments that the Browns lose by playing not to lose, it amazes me that they would want the team to use the same philosophy in the draft.

The Browns must stop leaving fans asking "what if?" and take a clue from the other teams who have turned it around by drafting their franchise quarterback now.

Or to put it in the more eloquent words of Britain's former prime minister David Lloyd George: “Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps."