Robert Griffin III working on throwing the ball away

When you think of quarterbacks practicing, you probably think of them throwing to receivers running patterns, or to targets and such. But in the case of Robert Griffin III, practicing properly also means working on not completing passes.

One of the criticisms of RG3 when he was with Washington was that he didn’t throw the ball away or slide to end plays when no targets were open. That’s something his former coach Mike Shanahan said was one of the former Rookie of the Year’s weaknesses. But Griffin is trying to fix that with the Browns by working on conceding when plays are busted.

“Just throwing it away,” Griffin said of what he’s been working on. “Coach asked me to work on those things. If he asked me to throw it away, I’m going to throw that thing as far as I can — all the way away.

“I’m just being coachable,” Griffin said Wednesday via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “You have to practice the way you play — sliding, throwing the ball away, all those things, keeping positive downs and distances. Those are important. It seems funny throwing the ball over the fence, but it’s just part of the process. You have to take everything into account.”

In Washington, Griffin was hugely successful early in his career. He had a lot of confidence and cockiness, and that may have played a role in him not wanting to give up on plays. Plus, throughout his career, with his elite speed against inferior defenders at lower levels like high school or college, he probably could turn busted plays into big gains. That likely reinforced his instinct to try making things happen on broken plays. Never giving up on plays is tough habit to shake, but it’s necessary once you get into the NFL where the linebackers can run down quarterbacks.

Now finally in his fifth season in the NFL, it seems like RG3 is starting to learn and accept some important messages. These sorts of things are encouraging signs that he may be able to return to his once dominant form.