ASHBURN, Va. — If Mike Shanahan and the Redskins are as serious as they claim about being careful with Robert Griffin III’s right knee, The Franchise isn’t going to make it easy for them.
The first of what surely will be many public clashes over timetables and target dates came down yesterday, when Griffin said he expects to be ready for Day 1 of training camp and Shanahan responded by trying to apply the brakes.
“Without a doubt,” Griffin said, when asked if the first day of camp is a realistic goal to be in uniform and practicing.
That’s quite an aggressive target, considering the first day of Washington’s camp is July 25 — not even seven full months after Griffin needed surgery to repair both his lateral collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments.
Dr. James Andrews, who performed the surgery, predicted Griffin would need 7-9 months of rehab, which is why Shanahan — perhaps still smarting from the flak he got for leaving his star in to take a repeated beating from the Seahawks in their January playoff loss — attempted to be an immediate damper.
“The doctor’s got to OK him,” Shanahan said. “From the beginning, they’ve talked about recovery time being anywhere from seven months to nine months, and I think Aug. 9 is seven months. So we’ll just have to wait and see.”
The problem for Shanahan and the Redskins is two-fold: Not only does Griffin appear to be making incredible progress just five months after surgery, but Vikings running back Adrian Peterson set the bar for everyone coming off a major knee injury with his incredible comeback last season.
It also doesn’t help that Griffin is so proud and determined to stay on the field. Shanahan couldn’t say no to his quarterback last season, but he keeps trying to sound like a changed man after the infamous Seattle game.
“I’m going to ask the doctors,” Shanahan said yesterday when asked how he will handle Griffin’s rehab. “They’re the best at what they do, and they’re going to tell [me] if he’s ready to go and when he’s ready to go.”
Shanahan appears to be sticking to his guns, at least so far. Griffin threw lightly at the start of yesterday’s practice, then spent the rest of it running on the side and with his rehab group. Griffin showed some straight-ahead burst despite a bulky brace and appeared to really let loose at times, but he also walked with a noticeable limp afterward.
Griffin admitted the restraints have been frustrating.
“The [recent team practices] have been fun to watch, but I’m pretty tired of watching,” he said.
Shanahan’s caution with RG3 also has been evident in the Redskins’ offseason moves. They signed former Dolphins draft bust Pat White to run the read option and Wildcat packages in Griffin’s absence, adding him to an already deep stable of backup quarterbacks that includes Kirk Cousins (who played well as a rookie fill-in last year) and the immortal Rex Grossman.
Cousins has been reveling in all the extra work he is getting this spring, and the former Michigan State standout said yesterday he is preparing with the mindset that he will be the opening-day starter.
Of course, the only way that will happen is if Griffin’s rehab slows down and he isn’t ready to go — two possibilities RG3 doesn’t want to think about.
“Over the last three weeks, I’ve had a lot of progress, and I feel a lot better,” Griffin said. “Training camps, what, a month-and-a-half away? I feel really good about that, and the start of the season is even farther than that.”