RG III, Redskins plan less zone read

— -- RICHMOND, Va. -- The play unfolded like many had in the past, with Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III keeping the ball around left end, sprinting down the field with defenders in pursuit -- and losing ground.

The zone read option was back. Except that it really wasn't.

Turns out the play was improvised by Griffin, which means the Redskins still haven't had him run out of the zone read this camp. The Redskins have said it will be de-emphasized, and based off early workouts, it's clear that is the case.

"It's not how I made my name," Griffin said. "I made my name throwing the ball in college, won a Heisman Trophy with Baylor. ... It's something you want to sprinkle in and keep a defense aware of and make them have to practice it. But it's not something you make the focal point of your offense. That's why we have the guys we have and why we're running the offense we've been running and you haven't seen very much of the zone read. But it is there, and it will be utilized when coach deems necessary."

Griffin's ability to run the zone read option helped him become a dangerous player as a rookie. He ran the ball 43 times for 344 yards out of the zone read in 2012, according to ESPN Stats & Information, while finishing with 815 rushing yards overall. A year ago, coming off knee surgery, he ran it 37 times for 202 of his 489 yards.

In both years, he led all quarterbacks in zone read runs.

But coach Jay Gruden 

Jay