Quarterback Robert Griffin III will receive a chance to lead the Browns to a Christmas Eve miracle, but coach Hue Jackson won't shy away from playing the role of the Grinch if necessary.
Griffin will start Saturday when the Browns (0-14) will desperately try to avoid a winless season in their home finale and second-to-last game against the San Diego Chargers (5-9).
Jackson made the announcement Monday during a conference, but he also said Griffin would be on a short leash with rookie quarterback Cody Kessler waiting in the wings.
"I won't be hesitant in this game, because I would like to see a little a bit of Cody before the end of this season," Jackson said. "And if things are not going as well as I like, I do have that card to where I could put Cody in the game."
But before a switch can happen, Jackson said, he'll give Griffin "another opportunity to take a swing at it," because his performance progressed from his first game back from a fractured coracoid bone in his left shoulder to his second.
After missing 11 games, Griffin returned to the starting lineup Dec. 11 in a 23-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He still left a lot to be desired Sunday in a 33-13 defeat against the Buffalo Bills but played better.
"There was some improvement," Jackson said. "There were some things that I thought he did much better when you go back and watch the tape than the first time he played. Hopefully there can be another jump in this next game. But I think he needs to go play and he needs to play well."
Griffin is 0-3 as a starter this season. Kessler is 0-8. Veteran Josh McCown is 0-3.
Jackson's warning that Griffin could be benched certainly isn't a ringing endorsement for the Browns retaining him in the offseason, when he's due a roster bonus of $750,000 on March 11.
Still, he hasn't run out of opportunities to prove himself just yet.
In his return against the visiting Bengals, Griffin went 12-of-28 passing for 104 yards with an interception and a rating of 38.4, rushed seven times for 31 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown, and took three sacks.
Against the host Bills, he completed 17-of-28 passes for 196 yards without a touchdown or interception for a rating of 81.8, ran eight times for 48 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown, and took five sacks.
According to ProFootballFocus.com, Griffin had one throwaway and four of his passes were dropped by receivers.
During Jackson's postgame news conference Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y., the coach said he would contemplate changing his starting quarterback on Christmas Eve but ultimately decided against it after reviewing game film.
"In the second half, I thought [Griffin] stood in there and threw some good balls," Jackson said. "I thought he started managing and running our offense with efficiency. I thought he was in rhythm. You know for a moment there we looked like the offense that I've come to know a little bit.
"And I thought there was an uptick in performance. ... But there are some things that I think this week we'll focus on with Robert again and see if we can get better. And I think he's up to the challenge to do that."
Jackson wants Griffin to stop running out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage because it results in a sack.
"You've got to get rid of the ball," Jackson said. "The ball's got to come out. I think sometimes we're trying to make more happen than needs to happen. I think we've seen earlier in the game where the ball did come out. He was throwing to the right, know there's nothing there, throw it away.
"He's got to continue that process in the thought process as you move forward. You can't revert back. You've got to stay to it, and when those things happen, it's just got to be a reaction. It's just how we play quarterback here."
Jackson also wants him to stay in the pocket and go through his progressions instead of fleeing it too soon to scramble.
"There was a couple times he might have escaped a little early because maybe he felt some pressure," Jackson said. "You've got to continue to play and keep your eyes downfield and remain a passer, and I think that comes with playing the game a little bit when you haven't played in such a long time."
If Griffin doesn't stick to Jackson's wish list, Kessler will likely be summoned.
