Robert Griffin III Uses Call of Duty Analogy to Describe Young Lamar Jackson with Baltimore Ravens

Last playing in the NFL in 2020, Robert Griffin's previous stop was in Maryland with the Baltimore Ravens.

Because of injuries, Griffin's career didn't go according to plan. After a spectacular senior year at Baylor that saw him the Heisman Trophy as he completed 291 passes for 4,293 yards and 37 touchdowns and six interceptions, he was drafted in the first round by the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) with the second pick of the 2012 NFL Draft.

The expectations he had entering his rookie season were huge, but he lived up to them in spectacular fashion. He put up 258 completed passes for 3,200 yards and 20 touchdowns and five interceptions, setting league records for the highest rookie passer rating and touchdown–interception ratio, while leading the Redskins to their first division title since 1999, earning him Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl honors.

That was the highest peak he ever got in his career. A severe knee injury he suffered in the playoffs that year prevented him from playing at a superstar level, eventually losing his starting job at Washington in 2015.

After a short stop at Cleveland in 2016, he had a two-year hiatus from the league until he returned in 2018 after signing with the Ravens. He would play his last three years as a backup there, where he crossed paths with a young Lamar Jackson.

Griffin III recently spoke to SB Nation's JP Acosta in an exclusive interview , going over several topics like Call of Duty and his time in the NFL among others.

Acosta eventually asked Griffin III about Jackson, who was drafted by the Ravens in the first round of the 2018 Draft. Originally going to serve as a backup, an injury to Joe Flacco propelled the young quarterback to the starting spot. And the rest was history.

In Robert Griffin III fashion, he decided to use a Call of Duty analogy (promoting the upcoming Black Ops 6) to describe what it was like being around Jackson during his first years in the league.

"The thing that people love about Call of Duty: Black Ops, especially Six that’s coming out is the fact that you kind of feel like you’re like a secret agent, you know what I mean? Like there’s some stealth to the game. When I got to Baltimore, they hadn’t drafted Lamar yet, but once they drafted him, I was like, ok, well now my immediate future here completely shifts and just like in Call of Duty, sometimes you’re gonna be the attacker, right? Sometimes you’re gonna be the support, you gotta be able to be nimble and move in a way that’s gonna help your team win," Griffin III said.

"So once they drafted Lamar, my first instinct was man, I get to be for Lamar, what I never had when I was in the NFL, which is a quarterback in the room who played like I did, who had the same experiences that I had and, and would know how to help me see the game the right way and not make the mistakes that I made in my playing career. So that’s where my mind shifted with Lamar."

There was plenty of impressive things Griffin III accomplished throughout his career, despite the ups and downs, but he admitted that a specific moment from Jackson confirmed to him that the young quarterback was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

"Lamar Jackson hit that spin move against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 and I’m on the sideline and I was like, ‘I ain’t never seen no, ish like that before,’ to spin between like two or three defenders, not lose speed and run it in for a touchdown. My jaw was on the ground and I came home, told my family I was like, ‘listen, I’ve done a lot of crazy runs. I ain’t never seen nothing like that,’" Griffin III said.

"It was his ability to go to the game and play better. Like if you ask anyone there and they give you an honest assessment of like, how did practice go, how did training camp go? It was like, it was a work in progress but his ability to go to the game and make throws that I’ve never seen him make before, and make plays or make reads that he maybe like struggled a little bit with just showed me his process and all of our processes are different. Some people get it right away, some people it takes him a few days, some years. But when he got it, he had it and he wasn’t letting that go. His first MVP season was something I’ll never forget."

Jackson's career has been one to admire so far, coming off an MVP campaign last season in which he led the Ravens to the top spot of the AFC. They came up short in the AFC Championship, losing 17-10 to eventual Super Bowl champs Kansas City.

Griffin III will continue having immense praise for his former quarterback teammate, getting ready to see him make a potential Super Bowl run with the Ravens once their season begins on Sept. 5 against the defending champions.

Related: Robert Griffin III Praises Rookie Quarterbacks for Handling NFL Expectations