After a full screening for concussion-like symptoms, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III was cleared to practice with the team on Wednesday afternoon.
After practice, Griffin III briefed the media on the injury, his removal from the game, and his speedy recovery.
"Practice went good," he said. "I felt sharp. I felt good – no symptoms of a concussion or anything like that, no dizziness, or off balance, or things of that nature.
"I feel good."
Griffin III was injured on a third quarter play involving Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who hit him just as Griffin III hit the ground.
He was aware that Weatherspoon was in the area, and said he should have done more to slide or get out of bounds.
"I tried to get down, but if I had slit a half second earlier I would have been safe," he explained. "I tried to get down too late and he had already launched. At that point, it was just a matter of absorbing the hit, and I absorbed it the wrong way."
Griffin III was tested on the sidelines after pleading his case with head coach Mike Shanahan, who deferred to the NFL's rigorous procedures on head injuries.
"Robert said to me he was fine," Shanahan told reporters Monday. "I said, 'You are not fine. I don't think you are fine. Your eyes look a little glassy.'"
Griffin III told his half of the conversation today, saying he was prepared to return to action, if necessary.
"I came back to, literally 15 minutes later and I started talking to [the trainers] in the locker room – explaining everything that happened so they knew that I was fine," he said. "They told me it was too late and I had to shower up and watch the rest of the game.
"You want to play and your survival instincts take over. It just shows that I care about this team and I didn't want to leave them hanging."
Griffin III said he considered his long-term health when returning to practice, but did not intend to play scared or dread the next hit.
"I'm not scared of it," he said. "I pretty much put myself through the concussion test and knew that I was OK.
"Our game plan and the call sheet we've had has been different for every game. Whether they dial up QB runs or not, it doesn't matter to me. It's just a matter of winning."
Shanahan said that Griffin III will be monitored over the next two days for any signs of symptoms, and that if there are no setbacks, he could be available for Sunday's start.
In the interim, the testing and precautions have not interrupted his preparation. In an unexpected way, it actually may have helped.
"I've been able to do the same things," he said. "If anything, it keeps me here longer. Whether it's with their scouting report, what they do, talking to different people about the team, watching film. I still stay on top of all those things."
Shanahan did not announce a starter if Griffin III was unavailable, saying he had confidence in both Rex Grossman and Kirk Cousins.
Griffin III has yet to be cleared for contact or full participation, but said he feels confident that he will be ready to start Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings.
"There's never doubt as a player; you always feel like you're going to be ready to go," he said. "I continue to get evaluated every day.
"Like they told me: things might look right, but if you don't feel right then you shouldn't play. I feel right today and we'll see what happens come Sunday."
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