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ASHBURN, Va. -- The first time he noticed a culture change occurred at Baylor, where Robert Griffin III helped take a once-downtrodden program to national prominence. Now he's trying to help the Washington Redskins do the same. Three years into his career, Griffin already has been through quite a bit: From starring as a rookie in 2012 to a major knee injury, a coaching change, another injury and then a benching. He's back in the starter's role, where he can affect any change with his performance. But he said it starts before the team hits the field. "It all starts upstairs," said Griffin, after the Redskins' OTA session Tuesday. "It's a mindset change with not accepting mediocrity. We're getting there and I think the guys all have the right attitude. I'm not just saying that. "I'm a very optimistic person, everyone knows this. But I can truly feel that in the locker room." The Redskins have finished a combined 7-25 the past two seasons -- after winning the NFC East in 2012. They haven't made any splash moves this offseason, but they did change almost the entire defensive coaching staff. They added quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh and line coach Bill Callahan. And, of course, the past two years were filled with a corrosive atmosphere for a variety of reasons.  That's why Griffin says they need to just play. "It shouldn't be about who likes who and who doesn't like who and who said what; all that stuff doesn't matter," Griffin said. "What you do on the field matters, and we haven't been up to par the past couple years. I haven't been up to par in the last couple of years to my own standards -- doesn't matter what anybody else thinks. Let's go back to that, let's get back to having fun playing football and winning football games. The whole city will enjoy it." What Griffin doesn't want to do is limit his game. He used his legs quite often as a rookie, in the zone read game and on scrambles. Last season, the Redskins wanted him to develop more in the pocket. "You have to be true to who you are and right now I'm a 25-year-old young man who can do a lot of different things," Griffin said. "I'm not going to limit myself to just being a dropback passer." But if the coaches ask him to be that, then he said that's what he would do. Just like if there's a chance to make a "spectacular play" then that's the route he would take. "When you get into casting yourself into a certain role, you can limit yourself as a player," Griffin said. "For me, I don't really even worry about it anymore. I just focus on what I know I can do. As long as I'm able to be the athlete that I can, it's my job, my duty to make sure that I do it." Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Griffin playing a second year in his system will help. "Usually the second year you have a little bit more confidence, a little bit more of an air about you that you should show improvement," Gruden said. "Robert's going to be fine. We have high expectations for the quarterback position and Robert in general. We expect significant strides to take place from Year 1 to Year 2."
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