Robert Griffin III made clear as Washington Redskins training camp began last week that he would toe the line drawn by coach Mike Shanahan and ease his way back to full speed as camp unfolds.
Only a few practices in, though, the quarterback not surprisingly seems to be pulling at the reins — and the Redskins are giving a bit.
“I’ve just got to take it as they give it to me,” Griffin told reporters in Richmond at his weekly press conference. “I got a few reps in the walkthrough today and that’s a little bump up from last week. We’ll just keep going like that.”
That means, according to Griffin, he’ll continue to ramp up with more reps in the morning walkthrough each day.
“After that it’s just about him putting me into the team reps, trusting me in there, that I’ll be smart, and them trusting that I can make the moves to avoid guys,” Griffin said. “I feel like I can, but once again I’ve got to defer to coach and let him make that decision.”
It’s a balancing act for all parties, but more so for those charged with saving Griffin from himself. Griffin indicated there is a formal timeline of sorts for the early weeks of camp, but it gets “pretty vague” after this week, leaving plenty of flexibility based on how Griffin’s surgically repaired knee reacts to increased football activity.
SEE ALSO: Redskins have realistic Super Bowl expectations after playoff run
His next big milestone will be participation in team drills, which remains a couple of weeks off based on what Shanahan said last week. But Griffin already is looking in that direction.
“I think if I can show them after six straight days of practice [this week] that my knee is fine, they’ll be a lot more receptive to putting me out there,” he said.
Griffin obviously wants to do more — always. But he said he has been pleased with the opening days of camp, which he has dubbed “Operation Patience.” He has been particularly gratified by his teammates’ reaction to his return.
“That’s what you play for, you play for your teammates, and I’m just glad that they can see it,” he said. “I know how I feel and they know how I look, so we’ll just go from there.”
Please read our comment policy before commenting.