- The Washington Times - Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Quarterback Robert Griffin III was surprised not to feel very sore when he woke up Monday morning. In addition to being knocked to the ground 13 times before the whistle in Sunday’s 31-28 loss to the St. Louis Rams, he absorbed some punishment after it, as well.

For example, a TV camera caught Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar give Griffin a forearm to the head as he got up from knocking Griffin down after a first-quarter pass.

“They were doing a lot of dirty things,” Griffin said Wednesday. “I still think they have an extremely good team. That doesn’t take anything away from them. But the game was unprofessional.

“Who am I to talk? I’ve barely been a pro for very long, but from what I experienced against the Saints to that game, it was definitely unprofessional, and it does need to be cleaned up.”

The Rams game became a circus of sorts as players engaged in skirmishes or trash talk after most plays. Some late hits weren’t called. Occasionally, punches were thrown.

“As I said after the game, I thought the officials did not control the game, and that’s a mistake,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “You’ve got to have people take control, and there wasn’t any control in that game. I was disappointed in that.”

Griffin believes the Rams targeted him.

“They made it a point, obviously all week, to hit me,” he said. “Some of the shots were cheap and of that nature. It’s nothing I could control.

“Teams are going to try to hit me because they don’t think I can take a hit. I think I proved that over my career that I can, so it’s football. I remember one play, after the play, the guy said: ’We’re going to hit you every play.’ I said, ’Isn’t this football?’ It’s nothing that I’m not used to. It was extremely weird the way they went about it, though.”

Replacement officials will officiate Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but that doesn’t mean Griffin is expecting a repeat of last Sunday.

“You don’t go into a game saying, ’If they’re going to let it go, we’ve got to be the first ones to do it that way,’” he said. “It’s just something you can respond to, and hopefully going against the Bengals, they’ll be a lot more professional.”

Wilson, Davis practice

Cornerback Josh Wilson and tight end Fred Davis practiced Wednesday after suffering head injuries against St. Louis.

Wilson, who was diagnosed with a concussion, has been cleared to play, Shanahan said. He was limited in Wednesday’s practice.

“It’s definitely something serious,” Wilson said. “Anytime you’re talking about your brain or your body at all, all these injuries are something you need to take into account in full, not just long-term affect but short-term affect, being able to do what I need to do on the field.”

Davis passed concussion tests, which included a hospital visit, after absorbing a helmet-to-helmet hit in the fourth quarter.

“I was a little dizzy afterwards, but I’m good today,” Davis said. “I worked out yesterday and today.”

Receiver Pierre Garcon (right foot) and safety Brandon Meriweather (left knee) were limited in practice.

Worthington gets his shot

Doug Worthington acknowledged it’s been a long time coming. Defensive end Adam Carriker’s season-ending quadriceps injury wasn’t what the 25-year-old wanted to see, but this week Worthington was elevated from the practice squad to the roster.

“It’s a blessing in disguise,” Worthington said. “Adam’s a great leader on this team, he’s never going to be replaced. But next man up, and coach Shanahan and [defensive coordinator Jim] Haslett gave me a great opportunity to step up and contribute to the team.”

Worthington was on the roster for the final two weeks last season but remained inactive for both games. Given the Redskins’ need at defensive end, he could make his NFL debut Sunday.

His specialty is stopping the run.

“With this 3-4, long arms, tall guy, you’ve got to play lateral and whatnot, and coach [Jacob] Burney has done tremendous with me the last year and a half with working on my technique and getting better,” Worthington said. “Getting from the run to the pass is something I’ve been working on this offseason.”

• Rich Campbell can be reached at rcampbell@washingtontimes.com.

• Stephen Whyno can be reached at swhyno@washingtontimes.com.

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