Robert Griffin III said he is ready to go, but admitted he likely will not participate in any full-contact drills or play in any preseason games. And he said he is OK with that.
The goal is for Griffin to be ready for the regular season opener Sept. 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“They want to make sure we’re not doing anything too soon that we don’t have to do,” Griffin said. “Let some of these other guys get ready for the preseason. If it comes around that I’m ready to go, then maybe in the third preseason game. But as far as my understanding goes, preseason’s really not even in the air. … I think coach (Mike Shanahan) feels like I can play without any preseason, so there’s no need really for that. Patience is the key.”
“In my mind there’s nothing left to prove,” Griffin said. “And that’s the way you have to approach the game when you’re coming off of an injury. If you pass the test, then, in your mind, you feel like you’re ready to go.”
But Shanahan was roundly criticized for playing his franchise quarterback when it was obvious he was hurt during the Redskins’ playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Griffin went to great measures to assure that he and Shanahan are simpatico.
“I think we’re on the same page,” Griffin said. “When we sat down and talked about what I was going to do in training camp and the weeks to follow, it was a good moment for me because of all the hard work had paid off. And they’re going to allow me to get back out there and do what I do, and that’s play football and just have fun with the guys.
“We all made mistakes last season. We all understand that. We all talked about it, and it’s time to move on. … Me and Mike Shanahan’s relationship is paramount to this team being successful.”
“The goal is longevity in the league. You also want to win,” Griffin added. “And so, as a quarterback, I don’t like to conform and say you can’t win outside the pocket. I think you can win outside the pocket. You’ve just got to be smart about it. And that’s what I’ve learned over the past six months about myself and what we need to do to win. Maybe that’s keeping me in the pocket a little bit more. Maybe that’s throwing the ball away a little bit more.
“If they want me to be patient right now and ramp it up later, then I’m willing to do that,” he said. “And they know that I’m going to be — I wouldn’t say compliant — but I’m going to follow those rules, follow those guidelines, do as much as I can within that, and when it’s time to go full-go, then I’ll be ready to go.
“If you talk to a lot of the vets, they don’t like the preseason,” he added. “That’s a well-known fact. Even I know that — and I’ve been in the league only one year.”
