RICHMOND – Jon Gruden said Friday that quarterback Robert Griffin III should enjoy the changes his brother, Jay, the Washington Redskins’ new coach, will make to his game in their first season working together.
Jon Gruden, speaking at a high school coaching clinic sponsored by the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation, doesn’t believe the transition from a run-first quarterback to one who has a greater pocket presence should be too difficult.
“He’s gonna have to change a little bit,” said Gruden, the former coach in Oakland and Tampa Bay who is now an ESPN analyst. “He’ll have to learn some new things. I think he’ll love it. I think it’ll help him sustain himself for a longer period of time.”
The Redskins offense will not put as much focus on Griffin’s running ability as it did during his first two years, when Mike Shanahan was the coach and Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator.
Griffin has long said he would like to prove his worth as a pocket passer, especially after he sustained a knee injury in a playoff game during the 2012 season.
“This could be a period of a couple years where he transforms his game to a different level, hopefully,” Jon Gruden said. “But I think he’s coming along quickly. … This is going to be a process that’s going to take a little time, but the kid clearly has the aptitude, the intelligence and the talent to be a great quarterback in this league no matter what offense you run. I’m going to temper everything right now. This is the first day I’ve seen him, but all signs are good.”
Jon Gruden was invited to the clinic by Redskins general manager Bruce Allen, who asked him to attend even before Jay Gruden was hired to replace Shanahan in January.
He flew in Friday morning, watched the Redskins’ morning practice from the sideline, addressed approximately 100 coaches and then was set to head home to Tampa, Fla. that night. The visit was the second Jon has made to one of Washington’s practices, as he also attended an offseason workout in June.
Asked if he drew up any plays for the Redskins to run during Friday’s practice, Jon Gruden laughed.
“No, not today,” he said, “but I’m sure that will be in the works at some point.”
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.