RG3 WANTS TO MAKE CAMP AN EVERY-YEAR THING
6/15/2019 6:20:00 PM | Football
Rhule Made Heisman Trophy Winner ‘Feel Like I Was Still Part of the Family’
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
More than two years in the making, former Baylor All-American and current Baltimore Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III returned to his roots Saturday for the first RG3 Quarterback Academy.
Baylor coach Matt Rhule first reached out to RG3 when he was hired in December 2016, "and we had really good talks about getting me back involved and doing some things here," Robert said.
"Since then, we've just been working on some things to not make this just a one-year thing or a two-year thing, but (something) we can do for 20, 30 years, where it's an every-year thing, coming back and being a part of this beautiful and great Baylor Family" said Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, who threw for a school-record 10,071 yards and 78 touchdowns during his Baylor career (2008-11).
"That's what took it so long to get it going, but the genesis was when Coach got hired and he just wanted to make me feel like I was still part of the family. Even though Coach Rhule never coached me . . . they just wanted to let me know they were going to welcome me with open arms."
Although he has been supportive of Rhule for the past two years, Robert said coming back for Saturday's camp was more of a public gesture, "showing him that I support him and his staff in their quest to get Baylor football back to where we all want it to be."
Rhule took a big step in that direction last season, leading the Bears to a 7-6 record and Texas Bowl victory over Vanderbilt after a 1-11 debut season in 2017.
"I think Coach Rhule does a great job of walking that line of being approachable but also being respected by his players, being able to encourage them and motivate them in ways other coaches can't," Griffin III said. "When you hear him talk, you sense it from him, there's a presence about him. And it's been that way from Day One."
As soon as he saw the smiles on the faces of the dozens of campers on Saturday, Robert said it let him know why he came back.
"It's for them," he said. "I know they have my name and the camp written all over them, but today is really about them and showing them that when they do make it – because I do believe some of these kids will make it, not only to college but into the pros – they need to come back and give back to their community. That's why I'm back."
More than any specific drill or finetuning skills, the message from RG3 at Saturday's camp was about perseverance.
"I just want people to know that even when it looks like it's over – in 2017, everyone thought (my NFL career) was over, I never believed that. And I kept working," he said. "You can get angry and stop, or you can get angry and keep working. That's what I think people have to do when they're going through rough times."
The No. 2 overall draft pick coming out of Baylor in 2012, Griffin III led the Washington Redskins to a division title and the playoffs, earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and a Pro Bowl invitation. Barely three years later, following knee and ankle injuries and a concussion, Robert was released by the Redskins and eventually signed with the Cleveland Browns.
After starting five games in his one season with the Browns, and battling through a shoulder injury, he was released again and then sat out the 2017 season altogether. He was signed by the Ravens for the 2018 season and then signed a two-year contract extension in March.
"It's tough when you go from being the guy, being QB1 (starting quarterback) all the time . . . to QB None in 2017, I wasn't on the field, that was tough for me," he said. "What it taught me through that year and when I was able to come back and do what I've done since, is that this is what God has called me to do.
"Many guys in my situation . . . typically bow out and go do something else. I just didn't want to be that guy. I wanted, when I got my opportunity, to be able to say I stayed ready and this is my comeback story."
A year later, Robert is appreciative of the Ravens and coach John Harbaugh for giving him that chance, even if it was as a backup quarterback behind Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson. With Flacco traded to the Denver Broncos after the 2018 season, RG3 is now No. 2 on the depth chart and mentoring Jackson, the Ravens' first-round draft pick a year ago.
"At this point, my job is to make sure I'm ready, make sure the guys I'm working with are ready, help Lamar get ready," he said. "And that's going to ultimately help the Baltimore Ravens. . . . The goal is to always be supportive in whatever role you're in, and then things will come to you in the end. But, I can't be supportive as QB2 if I'm not ready to go. I kind of lead by example and then also help (Jackson) where I can. And he's been great about that."
Robert had rising Baylor junior quarterback Charlie Brewer working with him in Saturday's camp and describes him as "scrappy."
"He finds a way when people constantly doubt him and feel like he can't find a way," RG3 said. "It's been great to have him out here working with the kids. (I'm) really just trying to talk to him, help him increase his leadership role here at Baylor and really take the reins. I'm excited for him next year. I think he played really well last year. And then coming into this year being the QB and the guy that everybody looks to, Baylor's got a bright future with Charlie Brewer at the helm."
