Is There Hope for Robert Griffin III on another team?

The following are five reasons why Robert Griffin III has struggled, and why a change of scenery would be good for him.

1. Dan Snyder happened.

Dan Snyder is a Disney comic book villain. In a sports landscape littered with megalomaniacs and crooks, Snyder consistently rises to the top of the "Worst Owners in Sports(tm)" lists. For a few good reasons why, see this hilariously succinct article.

From Day 1, Snyder put himself in the "food chain" for RG3, creating tension among veteran players and coaches. The player was pampered and handled separately from the rest of the team, creating a sense of entitlement and discord. The Shanahans, not known for their smooth candor when dealing with management, sparred with ownership and players about how the QB was handled.

They probably should have saved time and just generated a Powerpoint presentation.

When (not if) RG3 finds a new home, he will no longer be the darling of the owner. He will be another guy on the 53 man roster attempting to cobble his career together. He will have a chance to work hard, be humble, and earn the respect of his team mates. He'll be in a better locker room situation from the first moment, and his demeanor at Baylor lends credence to the idea that a lot of the "RGME" attitude could be a media construct. RG3 was polished, polite, and grounded before entering the NFL, and there's a chance (however small) that he could return to those roots.

2. Running an adapted college offense as a rookie stunted Griffin's growth and exposed him to injury

It's indisputable that Griffin runs like a track star, and takes NFL hits like.....a track player in pads. A Washington player was recently quoted saying that when Griffin gets hit, it's like a car accident. His slight build and lack of feel for when to slide or get out of bounds leads to defensive players lowering the boom on him, figuratively. As a rookie, the zone read offense simplified his reads and allowed him to efficiently throw high percentage routes, but exposed him to hits that his body was incapable of taking.

When the coaching staff reevaluated their game plan for the offense and asked Griffin to learn more route concepts and go through standard NFL progressions, Griffin struggled. The prevailing sentiment was these struggles were because of his knee; I believe that his struggles were because he was forced for the first time in his career to operate as a pocket quarterback and read defenses. His struggles should have been expected; he was essentially a rookie quarterback.

In 2014 Griffin took his lumps, but showed progress executing an NFL offense. His stat lines were still poor, but his pocket presence improved and his accuracy and decision making were less awful. The options for Washington were limited, but he showed enough to make coaches pass on starting a more reliable journeyman (such as Colt McCoy or Kirk Cousins) to chase the higher ceiling (and much lower floor) of Griffin.

3. RG3 is not a running quarterback.

I made this statement in 2012 after the draft, and was soundly mocked for it. Teams drooled over Griffin's elite short area burst and long speed, and yearned to make that a large part of his attack.

In reality, teams acquiring Griffin as a prospective backup quarterback will know that his body can't hold up from repeated open field hits. They'll look at his other tools, which include an incredibly sharp mind and plus arm strength/velocity and attempt to work with that.

It could be that the protection schemes are Griffin's responsibility, but the beating that he's taking from the pocket suggests that the Washington offensive line is the quickest way to a career ending injury RG3 will ever experience. In what may be his last start for the team, Griffin was hit resoundingly on around 6 of 7 drop backs)

4.  If Griffin's ego is holding up the process, a reality check is forthcoming

There is nothing quite like getting cut and finally seeing where the league places your a players value to effect an attitude adjustment. If Griffin does end up as having the Browns (and their QB purgatory) as a primary suitor, it will mean that none of the stable NFL franchises were willing to take a chance on the talent. Josh Freeman went through a similar situation in Tampa Bay, and is now completely out of football. Few QBs in NFL history have ever made anything of a second chance.

5. I desperately want my pre-draft analysis of Robert Griffin III to look reasonable

Selfishly, I'm disappointed in RG3. Every moment of his college tape and interviews screamed, "Can't miss NFL Prospect." A legitimate ROY season had Griffin on the cusp of greatness, and the cliff that his career has careened from is as shocking as it is precipitous. Industry sources would advise you to bet against RG3 ever realizing his potential, but will uniformly agree that a change of scenery is his best and only hope.

There aren't many Griffin cheerleaders floating in the ether, but consider this place one of the last bastions of hope.