What RGIII Must Do To Succeed With Redskins

When the 2012 NFL draft begins, Robert Griffin III is expected to go No. 2 overall to the Washington Redskins.

At this juncture, it's basically a foregone conclusion because we have to fully anticipate the Indianapolis Colts selecting Andrew Luck at No. 1 overall. That is, unless a major wrench gets thrown into the draft but we'll obviously know within the next few weeks.

As for RG3 in our nation's capital, he'll be Washington's first legit franchise quarterback since Joe Theismann. All three of the Redskins' Super Bowl wins have come with a different starting quarterback and they haven't had one player at the position for longer than two full seasons since Theismann.

With that, Griffin is walking into a team desperate for some answers offensively,and here are a few things he must do to succeed as a rookie in 2012.

Purposely Buy Time With His Feet

Here, RG3 needs not scramble but use his feet to buy time as the NFC East is loaded with supreme pass rushers like DeMarcus Ware, Trent Cole and Jason Pierre-Paul, among others. Last season the Redskins' offensive line allowed 41 sacks, so trimming that number down is needed.

Griffin at his core is a freak athlete that can outrun anyone on the field. His scrambling ability will undoubtedly be a concern for defenses, but Washington's upgraded receiving corps will assist on broken plays.

The realization from defenses here will happen mid-game. Griffin does need to improve at pre-snap blitz recognition; however, his athleticism will nullify that aspect so a contained defense with a quarterback spy is more likely.

If that happens, well, then RG3 can just sit in the pocket. So, buying time with his feet needed to setup the defense for later in games.

Sell Play-Action

Provided that the former works, RG3's ability to sell play-action will significantly increase. Defenses will be so focused on shutting him down on the outside without blitzing that the running game will become effective up the middle.

Now, since defense won't be blitzing as much to read the developing plays, opponents will react quicker to stopping the run. A big reason resides in Griffin having not played much under center during his college days, which is to a defense's advantage.

Here, it's much easier to adapt to play-action when the quarterback is in shotgun with a running back on either side. From under center, a quarterback turns his back and it's much easier to hide the ball as well.

With his mobility, Washington can use Griffin to use to run to setup the pass from play-action under center. Doing so just buys Griffin more time in and out of the pocket with an improved set of targets in a division that struggles against the intermediate passing game.

Get Acclimated From Under Center

This is where Griffin needs to gain more experience and it's arguably his biggest concern heading into pro football. Nevertheless, coach Mike Shanahan has proven success with great quarterbacks. He'll just be working with RG3 from the beginning.

Although Griffin will be able to buy time and sell play-action quite well from shotgun, adding the ability to do so from under center will take his game to new heights. Getting snaps from under center is another dimension of football, because it's harder for a defense to read pass or run as quickly.

When it's shotgun, it's just an easier play to dissect and the fakes are not as convincing. Griffin has an extreme level of athleticism and learning to setup in the pocket while reading coverages will force a defense to blitz outside, thus creating interior running lanes.

Thereafter, play-action from under center gets setup to allow Griffin outside of the pocket. The quicker RG3 develops here, the less he'll have to play from shotgun, which gives Washington a distinct advantage even in unfavorable situations.

John Rozum on Twitter.