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Mike Shanahan: 'Fit the system' to Robert Griffin III

Donovan McNabb said earlier this spring he felt sorry for Robert Griffin III.

The former NFL star suggested the Washington Redskins would find a way to temper their rookie quarterback's gifts by squeezing him into their offensive scheme.

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Coach Mike Shanahan has faced questions about the use of RG3 since.

"Any time you have a quarterback, you try to fit the system to what he can do. You have to fit," Shanahan told WGFX-FM this week, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. "If you take a look at the talent of the quarterback and the system that fits him.

"When Steve Young or John Elway or Steve Young or Jay Cutler or Brian Griese or Jake Plummer, every quarterback was a little bit different. Robert's a little bit different than anybody I have ever been with relative to his talents. You take a look at the supporting cast that you do have and surround them with the quarterback and come up with the system that is the most effective for your team."

Sour grapes from McNabb aside, Shanahan hasn't possessed this type of weapon at quarterback since Elway. He faces the same challenge any of his peers would confront had they drafted RG3. This is an unusual passer, not easily comparable to quarterbacks past or present, from what we've seen. Shanahan deserves the benefit of the doubt. We expect the Redskins to lean heavily on what the rookie has to offer.