Zac Boyer will be entering his third season covering the Washington Redskins for The Free Lance-Star this fall. Make sure to follow Zac on Twitter (@ZacBoyer) for the latest updates or e-mail him with any questions at zboyer@freelancestar.com.
Robert Griffin III Able To Practice A Second Time After Concussion
By ZAC BOYER
ASHBURN – Head coach Mike Shanahan said quarterback Robert Griffin III has continued to progress in his return from a concussion and again “looked fine” at practice.
Griffin III
The Washington Redskins’ rookie quarterback sustained a concussion against Atlanta and returned to practice on Wednesday, only three days after he was forced from the game. Shanahan estimated that instead of taking “85 to 90 percent [of the snaps], it was 75 to 80 percent, so he’s close.”
Griffin has yet to be fully cleared to play for the Redskins against Minnesota on Sunday, though that seems to be a mere formality. Still, it’s possible Griffin could experience symptoms signaling the concussion has lingered; should that happen, the quarterback would not be allowed to take the field.
“If he’s cleared and he’s healthy, then you go into it the same way you always do,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “He’s been great at practice this week. It sounds like he’s going to be all right. Once I wait for that and get that cleared, you go into the game assuming he’s healthy and you see how it plays out.”
Kyle Shanahan said the concussion won’t change how the Redskins plan to use Griffin. If it wasn’t safe for him to play, the team wouldn’t allow him to do so.
“I feel if I went into a game thinking I had to call a different game because if he got hit and he was gonna get hurt, then he shouldn’t be playing,” Shanahan said. “If he’s cleared, he’s cleared – he’s OK. That’s my assumption. I think Robert is a pretty smart guy and I don’t think he would do something stupid like that and act like he’s not OK to get back out there. I feel very confident that if Robert is playing on Sunday, he’s good to go and 100 percent healthy and [I’m] calling a normal game.”
