NFL roundup: RG3 shines for the Browns, Tom Brady slices thumb
By Brad Weiss
On Thursday, Robert Griffin III showed why the Browns signed him in the offseason as the NFL Preseason rolls on.
The career of Robert Griffin III has been an incredible roller coaster. After shining as a rookie for the Washington Redskins, he was eventually run out of town before catching on with the Cleveland Browns this offseason. After a shaky first preseason game, RG3 shined in Week 2, tossing for two touchdowns. Griffin was 6-for-8 passing, tossing for 96 yards in a losing effort.
Another AFC Central quarterback who had a solid game on Thursday was A.J. McCarron. McCarron is having arguably the best preseason of any quarterback in the NFL, proving he has the ability to start in the league. With his touchdown pass on Thursday, McCarron has a touchdown in both games he has appeared in, with a passer rating over 100.0.
Thursday was a different story for Landry Jones, who played the bulk of the snaps for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones had a rough outing against the Philadelphia Eagles, tossing for four interceptions. He is slated to be the backup to Ben Roethlisberger in 2016, so he had better step up his game going forward.
The big news of the day was that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was supposed to start in their second preseason game on Thursday. Brady was not in the lineup, as he sliced his finger with scissors before the game.
Jimmy Garoppolo got the start instead, and looked much better than his last time out. Garoppolo threw for 181 yards on 16 completions, tossing a touchdown along the way. He will start the Patriots first four regular season games with Brady suspended, so Thursday was a nice sign.
Next: 2016 NFL season: Record predictions for all 32 teams
Off the field, the three active players accused of steroid use in the Al-Jazeera report from January have agreed to meet with NFL investigators. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and Green Bay Packers linebackers Clay Matthews and Julius Peppers all ran the risk of being suspended if they did not meet with them, so their teams must be happy they decided to cooperate. The trio had until August 26 to meet with the investigators or else they would be suspended.