Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has been here before. In 2012, Shanahan was the offensive coordinator when the Washington Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III. Shanahan crafted an offense that mixed his father’s zone-blocking scheme with concepts Griffin was familiar with in college. It produced the top rushing attack in 2012 and won Griffin Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

With a history of success with rookie quarterbacks from spread and read-option based offenses, Shanahan may well opt to incorporate some of the same concepts from his 2012 season with the Redskins in Manziel’s first start. That would start with the basic read-option, leaving the backside defensive end unblocked and having the quarterback read him to decide whether to hand off or keep it himself. But the Redskins’ read-option plays went well beyond the basic read-option in 2012.

The Redskins ran a basic read-option for the first few weeks of Griffin’s rookie season, but had to evolve quickly. By Week 3, Kyle Shanahan was calling triple-option plays. The quarterback has two potential reads on this play. The first is the standard read-option read. If the unblocked defensive end crashes on the run, the quarterback pulls it. Then he has a second read. He can opt to keep it himself, or pitch it outside to another runner. It’s a tricky play to defend as the defense has to cover the threat of the quarterback and a second runner on the backside, while also accounting for the possibility of the running back taking the hand off the other way.

But when Shanahan noticed that Griffin was getting hit on this play too much, he evolved again, adopting the use of “arc blocks.”

This is the play Shanahan used most frequently in Griffin’s rookie year. Lining up in the pistol, Griffin runs a read-option play but has the fullback in the backfield running an arc block, arcing around the unblocked defensive end to act as a lead blocker for Griffin, should the read tell him to keep it himself.

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If Shanahan decides to bring in the read-option with Manziel, this would be one of the first plays I’d expect to see. It was his most successful and commonly used read-option play back in 2012. It offers the threat to the defense of the quarterback running, but also gives the quarterback some extra protection if he does keep the ball and run.

But Manziel will have to throw the ball at some point. Shanahan will always do his best to establish the running game early to open up the play-action passing game. This is where Griffin thrived under Shanahan in 2012, and what could most easily translate to Manziel. Shanahan had a staple play-action passing concept in 2012 that he called multiple times a game and nobody could stop it.

It’s a simple concept. The threat of the run on a good play-action fake brings the linebackers down towards the line of scrimmage, creating a big gap between the linebackers and the safeties. One receiver runs a go route, forcing the deep safety to stay deep. On the other side, the other receiver runs a post route (Shanahan varied this with quick posts and dagger routes).

The linebackers get drawn in by the run fake, creating that space in behind them.

That gives Griffin every quarterback’s dream, a wide open receiver in the middle of the field.

This is one of the first concepts Shanahan installs in his offenses. That play came in the first game of Griffin’s NFL career and resulted in an 88-yard touchdown pass to receiver Pierre Garcon. We’ve already seen Manziel run this play in his limited snaps at the end of the Bills game.

It’s the same play-action pass concept, using Josh Gordon on the post route.

The play-action fake draws in the linebackers, just as we saw earlier.

As Manziel reaches the top of his drop, he has Gordon breaking into the middle of the field. He’s open and is an easy first-read target for Manziel.

You can bet you’ll see the Browns run this concept again this week with Manziel under center. Kyle Shanahan does a fantastic job of window-dressing this concept to keep defenses off-balance. He can use motion in the backfield to create further distractions for the defense and change which receivers are running the routes.

Here, Shanahan has an end-around fake on top of the play-action fake. He also has a tight end running the crossing route instead of a leading receiver. It all causes enough distraction to help get that first read open for the quarterback.

But there are other things Shanahan could adopt from his 2012 Redskins offense that could still hold up well with Manziel. The run-pass option plays were hugely successful for the Redskins in 2012 and again offered the quarterback easy reads.

This is often referred to as the “tight end pop-pass.” The quarterback has an option to hand off or pass the ball on this play. He reads the linebacker lined up over the tight end, who runs up the seam. If the linebacker drops into coverage, then the quarterback can hand off with one fewer run defender in the box.

But in this case, the linebacker crashes down on the run, telling the quarterback to pull the ball and deliver a quick throw to the tight end.

The linebacker is at the line of scrimmage by the time the ball is released, leaving the tight end wide open for an easy gain.

Shanahan got more creative with run-pass option plays as the 2012 season went on. He gave the quarterback two passing options on some plays.

Here, the quarterback can hand off to the running back, throw the slant outside or a quick bubble screen to the other side. It all depends on his pre- and post-snap reads which key on particular defenders and make it easy for the quarterback.

Manziel works at his best on the move. He’s a mobile quarterback that excels throwing on the run. Shanahan’s offense has that covered too. Going back to that Bills game, we’ve already seen Manziel run the bootleg plays off the zone-blocking scheme.

Most of Shanahan’s bootleg plays give the quarterback a three-level read. He’ll usually have a receiver run a deep out-breaking route, an intermediate crossing route and a tight end or fullback leaking into the flat. That’s exactly what we see here.

With Manziel on the run, he only has to read half the field. It’s another play that gives the quarterback an easy read and the option to keep it and run himself should he choose.

One of Shanahan’s preferred ways to get Griffin on the move in 2012 was to roll him out and get the pocket moving.

Griffin starts this play under center, but also ran this play in the shotgun and in the pistol. He immediately rolls to his right and the offensive line moves with him. This combines well with a quick out from the slot receiver.

This makes the most of Griffin’s mobility while again giving him a quick and easy read. The slot receiver breaks to the outside and Griffin has an easy throw.

It results in a simple touchdown pass for Griffin.