Head coach Joe Gibbs said Monday that the team expects to take a "conservative approach" with LaVar Arrington's recent knee surgery. Gibbs added that Arrington should be healthy again by the start of training camp in July.
Arrington underwent arthroscopic surgery for the second time on his right knee after seeing Redskins' team medical consultant Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., last week. Arrington was walking on crutches at Redskins Park on Monday.
"[Dr. Andrews] feels like it's going to be a two-month process in which we don't want him running on it," Gibbs told Larry Michael on Redskins Radio on Monday evening. "Then he'll be able to start working back out and running. He should be ready for the season."
Gibbs said that the team has been conservative with Arrington's injury since a lateral meniscus tear was diagnosed last August 2004.
"We always try to err on the side of caution," he said. "LaVar really wanted to play, but he still didn't feel good after coming back late in the season. So we felt like he needed to go on injured reserve list and we'd take the whole offseason to get healthy.
"When we started working out in the offseason, he'd have very good weeks--some good workouts--and then he'd have a setback. It wouldn't feel as good, there'd be slight swelling. We just thought that was part of the process."
About two weeks ago, Gibbs said Arrington told him that he had a great workout. But then he came back in over the weekend, worked out again, and it didn't feel as good. That's when the decision was made to have Arrington visit with Dr. Andrews.
After examining the knee, Dr. Andrews determined that another scope was needed.
In media reports on Monday, Arrington expressed his frustration that the injury had lingered so long.
Responded Gibbs: "He was emotional. LaVar was upset because he had to have another scope in there. The good news is that, as Dr. Andrews said, he should be ready for the regular season. And also the good news is that his knee looks fine in all of the critical areas. I think we did what needed to be done."
