Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III knows leadership needed for offense to reach its 'potential to be great'

The offense has a sneaky talented group at the skill positions with running backs Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson, wide receivers Josh Gordon, Corey Coleman, Andrew Hawkins, Rashard Higgins and Terrelle Pryor and Pro Bowl tight end Gary Barnidge as the headliners. Three-fifths of the offensive line is established with center Cameron Erving and right tackle Alvin Bailey hoping to solidify the other two spots.

But ...

Quarterback is the most important position. It's his duty to ensure the offense coalesces.

"You have to lead," coach Hue Jackson said. "... He also has to be able to uplift his teammates and have his teammates come follow him."

It can be a difficult task for anyone joining a new team like Griffin has. Fair or not, his reputation as a bad teammate and an uncoachable player in Washington can add to the challenge. There's also the issue of him sitting out all of last season, buried behind Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy on the depth chart.

So how is Griffin progressing from a leadership standpoint?

"When you come into a new locker room a new team, a new organization and a new coach, everybody wants to see what you do and how you respond," said Griffin, who has taken all of the first-team snaps in camp. "What I try to do is go in and work hard, show up every day and prove it to them that they can trust me. Now have I done that? You got to ask them."

Jackson has an answer: "He's improved by leaps and bounds, and he's growing,"

Nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas called Griffin "a natural leader."

"That's what you need as a quarterback from a tangible standpoint," Thomas said. "Everyone knows how talented he is as an athlete and throwing the ball, and I think the one thing that maybe guys didn't know about that have been really impressed with him so far is his work ethic, his intelligence, the way he prepares, and he studies just like the great quarterbacks in the game right now. You put all those things together and you put a guy like Hue Jackson in his corner, and I think he can have an excellent season."

Outside linebacker Nate Orchard has gotten to know Griffin and his family.

"You can see everyone gravitates toward him and they trust him and know he's going to do good things for us," Orchard said.

There's evidence of leadership, too.

Cornerback Joe Haden said Griffin, 26, has set up ways to bond with his teammates away from Browns headquarters, including bowling outings.

"He just wants team camaraderie," Haden said. "I could just tell he's a team-first guy, and that's what I really, really love about him."

Rookie quarterback Cody Kessler said Griffin gave him pointers while they worked out in Los Angeles before camp under the guidance of throwing guru Tom House.

"Robert has been great for me," Kessler said. "He's been a teammate, a friend, someone who's helped me out as almost a mentor in a way."

Gordon and Griffin are neighbors in the locker room and friends from their days at Baylor.

"He looks out for me," Gordon said. "That's part of my support staff ... guys I know I can lean on and count on. I know he's a big brother in that regard. As much as I need him, everybody else in this building needs him just as much."

If they get the version of Griffin they need, the offense will have a much better chance of reaching the potential he sees.

"There's no shortage of speed for us at wide receiver and there won't be," Griffin said. "These guys are like a track team running up and down the field."

Griffin said he also detects reasons for optimism because Pryor's "transition from quarterback to wide receiver has been phenomenal."

And he's confident Erving can anchor the offensive line.

"His first year playing full-time center and Cam's done a great job," Griffin said. "There's always going to be growing pains here and there, but he's being physical, he's calling out his points and then making all his checks."

But ...

An offense's performance boils down to its quarterback. Whether Griffin will be able to revive his career remains to be seen, but all signs point to the Browns giving him every chance to do so as their starter.

Jackson has vowed to name a starter before the Aug. 12 preseason opener at the Green Bay Packers. On Tuesday, he said he hasn't decided who'll start yet, but "we're getting close."

Griffin insists he's in no rush.

"There's no eagerness to it," he said. "You come out every day with the same mindset to get better, continue to prove yourself out here on the field every day, and that's all you can control. You can't control when coach makes a decision, how he makes a decision. One thing we all know is we're all going to have each other's back."