Today, Robert Griffin, III tweeted that doctors had cleared him to practice during training camp, which begins this Thursday at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center in Richmond, Va. This revelation makes head coach Mike Shanahan’s decisions about the 2013 preseason – and Griffin’s involvement in it — critical.
The issue for the team right now is, how quickly and how much the second-year quarterback should be given to do during training camp drills and work outs. He will be able to work with all of his weapons (as opposed to just those also rehabbing) which will mean he can begin the process of solidifying timing and rhythms with them. While not the same as game action, this is important to wins. But to what extent Griffin practices, including taking the hits handed out in practices, is yet to be determined.
Griffin said, during the tweet that his coach would “ease” him in to practices. Head coach Mike Shanahan has said all offseason that he will work him in slowly, using the QB’s body and his surgeon, Dr. James Andrews’, advice on how much to do and when. Andrews currently being happy with the structural integrity, strength and movement of his patient’s right knee does not mean Griffin will throw on full pads and begin 11-on-11 drills with the rest of the team right away.
Once training camp has come and gone, the question of how much the Pro Bowl QB should be played during the preseason comes into play. This is a tricky question and one that has already been addressed today on sports talk all around the country. It will continue to be debated for weeks.
The second year for most quarterbacks is an important one but Griffin is not a typical second year quarterback. If his performances early last season are any indication, at least a small amount of playing time in August will be imperative.
The Baylor grad was named the starter soon after he was drafted in 2012 and Shanahan had a unique situation on his hands in the preseason because of the rookie status of his quarterback. The veteran coach played Griffin in all but the last game and, like the rest of the world, was impressed with Griffin’s football savvy.
I doubt anyone expected the full-on mastery of the game that Griffin exhibited in the Redskins’ first game of the season against the New Orleans Saints. Leading Washington to a 40 – 32 win, Griffin looked like a vet, showing composure and smarts that would have fooled anyone not aware that he had only been in the NFL five months. Keep in mind that Griffin, looking so good in Week 1 against the Saints, had the benefit of a full preseason.
Should Robert Griffin, III play at all before September? THAT is the $1M question. Many will shout “NO! We need him 100 percent going into the first Monday Night Football game of the season!” They will undoubtedly remember how awful it was seeing him go down in that playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks when his knee gave out.
But it may be because of his injury that he does need to play – at least a little bit – during the upcoming preseason. Griffin is a smart man, to be sure. He was making the most of the mental reps he was getting during OTAs (Organized Team Activities) and minicamp. He will, no doubt, do as much as humanly possible to get the most he can out of whatever Shanahan and the trainers let him do during training camp.
But when September 9th arrives, and it’s time to go out and play the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, it’s going to be important that Griffin has had some contact beyond that of practices against his teammates.
There is going to be a target on this man throughout the season, there’s no doubt about it. It will be important that he is ready for it. While he doesn’t need to play a lot during those four preseason games, he does need to get on the field and make his body ready ─ i.e., get into “football shape” ─ before Washington’s games do count. While there is hitting during camp, linebackers London Fletcher and Brian Orakpo are not going to purposely hurt Griffin in practice. Nothing in camp can accurately mimic a game situation.
A player recently told me that contact is important because no conditioning you do in the offseason can prepare you for what you are going to do physically while running in training camp and in games. Come September, no matter how many mental reps Griffin has gotten or how solid his knee is, nothing can replace the in-game experiences that will help get him into football shape.
It’s a tough call. I don’t envy Mike Shanahan having to make the decision that puts his star player in harm’s way for irrelevant preseason games. But the trade off for the chances taken in a few series during the preseason could provide the learning and muscle memory recollection that will make a win against an NFC East rival on the national stage in Week 1 even more possible ─ when it really counts.
Hail.
Diane Chesebrough is Chief Editor, writer and photographer for SportsJourney Broadcast Network. Accredited media with the NFL, she has been a feature writer for several national magazines/periodicals. Follower her on Twitter: @DiChesebrough