Tom Pelissero

USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns erased any doubt Monday morning by announcing Robert Griffin III is their starting quarterback. But what kind of offense will RG3 be running?

Even new Browns coach Hue Jackson may not have all the answers without seeing Griffin in game action, starting with Friday’s exhibition opener against the Green Bay Packers. But don’t bet on Griffin being deployed as the pocket passer he wanted to become in the wake of his electrifying rookie year with the Washington Redskins, which ended with a major knee injury.

The video reel RG3 showed to Redskins coaches after that 2012 season as evidence he could succeed from the pocket was full of first-read passes. Then-Washington coach Mike Shanahan informed Griffin in no uncertain terms it would take three years for him to have a chance of winning regularly from the pocket.

Robert Griffin will start at quarterback for Cleveland Browns

Jackson is a sharp offensive mind. He helped quarterback Andy Dalton craft a career season in 2015 before leaving the Cincinnati Bengals for his new post. And having Griffin drop back 40 times a game is a recipe for trouble — though when I talked with Jackson in his office recently during training camp, he took issue with the suggestion RG3 struggles to process as top pocket passers need to.

“I just know what he’s done for me,” Jackson told me. “I think he’s improved by leaps and bounds. He’s gotten better and better and better. He’s really committed himself to being the best quarterback he can be, and my job is creating the best environment for him to keep growing and be all he can be.

“The quote-unquote saying that ‘maybe he can’t process’ — well, I don’t see that. I think he can. He did it today. He’s done it yesterday. He keeps continuing to do it. He’ll continue to get better at doing it. But at the same time, he knows there’s still another level, and he’s chasing it, and I think he’s going to get there.”

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Jackson also acknowledged “you have to make sure that you fashion what you do around who’s playing quarterback,” which in Griffin’s case is a player with a big arm, better straight-line speed than elusiveness and a history of finding trouble when left to fend for himself in the pocket. (After getting hurt again amidst a series of dropbacks in a preseason game last year under a different coaching staff, RG3 lost the job in Washington to Kirk Cousins, whose ability to process, react and get the ball out is one of his best traits.)

The guess here is Jackson will construct a system that leverages Griffin’s athletic skill set with designed movement and play-action, provides easy outlets if the first read isn’t there and, yes, incorporates some zone-read concepts, since even the threat of that creates issues for defenses, especially when the quarterback has RG3’s speed.

The Browns aren’t completely devoid of talent at the other skill spots, with receiver Josh Gordon eligible to return Week 5 from his latest drug suspension and hiccup-quick rookie Corey Coleman surely destined for his share of touches, including some manufactured behind the line of scrimmage. Beyond stalwart left tackle Joe Thomas, though, the offensive line is in transition — one more reason to be nervous about Griffin dropping back too much.

Cleveland’s chances for even being competitive in the short term hinge in large part on Griffin. Leveraging what he does best is critical to making his second chance work. And nobody needs to tell Jackson that.

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