A former Broncos assistant who spent time on Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan’s staff in Denver (and who requested anonymity because his current team plays the Redskins this season) told PFW this week that Griffin and his unique set of skills will change the dynamic of the Redskins’ run game.
“I am still trying to figure out if the kid (Griffin) is a special quarterback, but you watch, they’ll bootleg and play action off that (outside) zone series and it will mess up some (defensive assignments),” the assistant said. “You have to respect the run, but you also have to honor (Griffin’s) athleticism.”
The stretch or zone running play is a Shanahan staple. He has made some not-so-special runners — before and after Terrell Davis — look very good with a system that involved agile, cut-blocking linemen; one-cut runners who hit the hole quickly; and athletic quarterbacks who were a threat outside the pocket, either scrambling or throwing downfield.
“They’ll move it very well, pull a guard or a center, make it look like a run,” the coach said. “This will be after they have run the stretch that way once or twice, (to) get the defense thinking a little. Then they’ll either have the high-low pass play off the bootleg, or they’ll run it naked."
Griffin comes to the pros with the reputation of being an excellent deep thrower, too, and if he can establish connections downfield, it will prevent safeties from edging up closer to the line of scrimmage.
“It will kill teams," the coach said. "Pretty soon you start thinking only about the quarterback; you tell your guys to stay home more, and that’s when the backs will dice you up.”
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