The road to recovery is never easy, but in the case of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III, many are hyping it as downright elementary.
The surgeon who performed Griffin’s surgery, Dr. James Andrews, has already come out and described Griffin’s recovery as superhuman. Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan seems to be sipping the same positive Kool-Aid, because in a recent interview with NFL Network, Shanahan said Griffin has already made significant progress.
“He’s over at the facility, rehabbing all of the time. He’ll set a record for coming back because that’s how hard he works,” Shanahan said.
That quote is sure to add fuel to the fire with the Redskins faithful who are still counting on RG3 to bring about their return to dominance. But before those fans get ahead of themselves with excitement, it’s important to mention that Shanahan also added that the team won’t rush Griffin’s recovery.
“He is ahead, but there’s a process. It takes time. Robert will do it the right way and we’ll find out in July exactly where he’s at,” Shanahan said. “He will not come back until he’s 100 percent.”
So, there’s no timeline on RG3’s return, but even when he does come back, fans can expect to see the Redskins run the same read-option offense that many people blame for leaving Griffin exposed to too many hits.
“When most people take a look and they take a look at Robert, they’re thinking, ‘Oh, you can’t run the option,’” Shanahan said. “People don’t realize that the option protects the quarterback. The thing I have to get with Robert is when to slide, when not to take a hit. These quarterbacks are so competitive but they don’t realize sometimes how valuable they are to your franchise.”
Only time will tell if RG3 will take the Adrian Peterson route and return from reconstructive knee surgery better than ever. Based on commentary on his recovery, it’s entirely possible that he will.
