Jay Gruden says Robert Griffin III will take blame for mistakes he makes

Aug 17, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden in the third quarter of a preseason game against the Tennessee Titans at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /

When Mike Shanahan was fired by the Washington Redskins, a lot of people assumed — likely correctly — that it had everything to do with the development of Robert Griffin III and the problems people were having with him. New head coach Jay Gruden addressed such issues in his introductory press conference on Thursday by kindly putting his new franchise quarterback in check.

Gruden, who said he hasn’t yet met with RGIII but is looking forward to it, said the quarterback will be held responsible for some of the bad throws he makes and will take the blame rather than pass it along.

Jay Gruden on RGIII: “I expect him to take the blame on some throws.” Right off the bat. This is gonna be intense for RGIII, like he wants
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2014

Right off the bat Gruden is letting his quarterback know it’s a new regime and it sounds like the start of something special. As amazing as Robert Griffin III is, he has a lot to learn and is now the second smartest guy in the room next to Gruden. The intense relationship will be a friendly one but one that sees RGIII grow upper scrutiny rather than revolt against it like with Shanahan.

For Gruden, he’s seen a quarterback who throws the game away already, and is going to make sure Robert Griffin III doesn’t follow down an Andy Dalton path.

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