Damn RG III, Just Damn

12 Sep, 2016

Robert Griffin III has a fractured bone in his left shoulder and will miss at least the next eight games for the Cleveland Browns, the team announced Monday.

Griffin was placed on injured reserve; if he is designated as the team’s player to return, he could return to practice in six weeks, but he must miss a minimum of eight games. Browns coach Hue Jackson was asked if Griffin is done for the season.

“No, I think he’ll be designated for IR,” Jackson said. “We’ll get an opportunity to see where he is four weeks from now and go from there.”

Though surgery is not immediately required on the fractured coracoid bone, the team said Griffin’s shoulder will not be re-evaluated for three to four weeks. The earliest he could return would be Nov. 10 at Baltimore.

Jackson said the team is hopeful surgery will not be needed at all.

“But I don’t think we’ll know until we get an opportunity to evaluate him again,” Jackson said.

Griffin hurt his left shoulder when he was tackled at the end of a run with 3 minutes, 41 seconds left and the Browns down 22-10 Sunday against the Eagles. Griffin scrambled from his end zone and took an angle toward the sidelines. Eagles cornerback Jalen Mills drove into Browns tight end Gary Barnidge, then bounced off Barnidge and wound up at the sideline right where Griffin was heading out of bounds.

Griffin was criticized during his tenure with the Washington Redskins for not protecting himself, and Jackson had demanded he slide or go out of bounds in Cleveland. Jackson said Griffin was trying to go out of bounds on this particular play but the defender bounced off a block and wound up where Griffin was running.

“It wasn’t as if he was trying to take on a defender during a scramble or anything like that,” Jackson said. “It was just very unfortunate. These things happen in football, and we’ll move forward.”

Griffin said Sunday he did not see Mills and that he was trying to protect himself. Jackson said Mills was out of bounds on the tackle, but it seemed when he and Griffin first made contact that Mills was right on the edge of the sideline.

“I think [Griffin] was so close to the sideline that you would think you could run out and be OK,” Jackson said. “I don’t think he saw the guy at all until the very last second.”

The hit was significant, and Griffin was checked on the sideline. At one point, trainers took Griffin’s helmet away, but he convinced the medical staff he could return. He went back for the final three plays of the game, handing the ball off three times.

Griffin otherwise struggled in the opener, completing 12-of-26 for 190 yards with 0 touchdowns and 1 interception (on a tipped pass). The Browns had three drops and one bobbled catch, but 102 of Griffin’s yards came on two deep passes. On other throws, he was 10-for-24 for 88 yards.

Griffin’s injury puts Josh McCown back on the field. The Browns kept the 37-year-old McCown for this insurance. Griffin has had injuries throughout his NFL career, and when he runs, the risk increases.

Jackson said the Browns initially will go with the guys they have — McCown and rookie Cody Kessler, with rookie Kevin Hogan of Stanford on the practice squad.

ESPN

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