Redskins: Gruden notes RG3's "steady climb"

While every NFL team tends to place a fair amount of attention on their quarterbacks during camp, the Redskins have paid a fair amount more on Robert Griffin III. 

Like a cheap firework, Griffin shot way up in his rookie summer, and a little more after his fine first season, before the gravitational pull of injuries and poor play dragged him slowly back down to earth.

The team is taking a step back from all that and looking to start over, almost from scratch. Stick Griffin in the pocket and keep him there. Relearn the fundamentals. Establish the line of scrimmage. Locate receivers and throw them open. Make your reads patiently. Don't bail on plays too soon.

Those inspirational aphorisms of his and those incessant social media reports of how terribly inspired he is and how he's going to prove everyone wrong, that yadda yadda -- it's all gone. 

Griffin has been more solemn and driven since training camp opened in Richmond, and the headlines featuring his name have been fewer. That's a good sign. Most publicity this early in the game is bad publicity -- guys getting hurt and wanting more money.   

He's been more confident so far in training camp and making the right decisions overall. There's less hesitation and he's getting the ball out reasonably quickly.

"He's been doing fine," head coach Jay Gruden said. "It's just going back to basics really. We're continuing to build off what we did last year and then obviously in OTAs. It's just all about repetition now and gaining more knowledge of the system, anticipation, and a feel for the throws and the protections and the run game."

The alteration of the game so heavily in recent years to the pass has naturally subjected the quarterback position to that much more scrutiny in that time, but Jay Gruden is hoping people take notice of the work that has gone on over the rest of his roster.

"We're trying to make this more about the team than Robert, obviously," he said. "We don't want to put too much pressure on our quarterback. I mentioned before we can do a lot to take away that pressure with [a] strong running game and good sound defense and special teams. 

"But overall, Robert is Robert. He's going to get a lot of attention and deservedly so - he's a great player. We've just got to keep building him and building his confidence and get him ready for Miami."

For all the reps and meetings and opportunities for learning that Griffin will be afforded through camp and the preseason, Miami really will offer he and the other 52 the only proper measuring stick to gauge where they are in every department. Running around in shorts is nice, but it's not Ndamukong Suh who's glaring at him in the hole.

Still, the impression Griffin is giving in shorts and the special yellow jersey is going according to plan.

"Overall I think he's handled everything extremely well," Gruden said. "He's benefiting from coach [Matt] Cavanaugh's presence and he's benefiting from the repetitions. I feel like he's on a steady climb and we've just got to keep him that way."