The 10 Days with No. 10 series continues on Redskins Nation and Redskins.com, with Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III discussing how his relationship with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan should help him prepare in an offseason when he can't practice.
Redskins fans were first introduced to the tenacity of Robert Griffin III on Wednesday, Oct. 11, following his concussion in the game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Griffin III stood at the podium beside the practice fields at Redskins Park and answered questions from the media, downplaying his injury and assuring them that he would be ready for Sunday.
"For me, no, there's never doubt [I will be ready]. You always feel like you're going to be ready to go," he said at the time. "The biggest thing is just making sure that I'm cleared and ready to play by Sunday."
Griffin III practiced fully by the end of the week and was cleared to start against the Minnesota Vikings.
That same optimistic attitude has buoyed his confidence this offseason, as Robert Griffin III remains ahead of schedule in his recovery.
As team physician Dr. James Andrews told the media in February, the only challenge so far has been holding Robert Griffin III back from working out too much.
"My goal is to do everything that I can do," he told Larry Michael on Redskins Nation. "You always want people holding you back; you don't ever want to have people pushing you forward and that's what they're doing right now.
"They're holding me back from doing certain things, because I feel like I'm ready. My body might look like it's ready, but according to the timetable, I'm not ready. So I'm going to keep pushing forward for what I can do while at the same time being patient."
Much of the national discussion regarding Griffin III's injury has resorted to finding a party to blame for his torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and lateral collateral ligament (LCL).
In his 10-part series with Redskins.comTV, '10 Days with No. 10,' Griffin III said he isn't concerned with blame and intends to focus on the future.
"It doesn't really matter who's responsibility it is, it doesn't really matter who's to blame, because I'm the one that has to go through the struggle that is a knee surgery and rehab to get back," he reasoned. "The people who are also going through that with me are the owner, the GM, the head coach, the offensive coordinator, the organization, the fans; everyone goes through that with me.
"At the end of the day, you just want people to know to just pray for me. Forget about that game, it's in the past. We're moving forward and just know that I need those prayers, I need that help to help me get through this."
Offseason workouts began on Monday at Redskins Park, and Griffin III has remained a fixture at the facilities, rehabilitating his knee injury and catching up with teammates.
While he understands that the timetable for his return is much closer to the regular season, Griffin III said he is comfortable with head coach Mike Shanahan's plan to take mental repetitions from the sideline.
"It's always going to be tough, but it's like coach said you get the mental reps," he said. "You do what you have to do, you do what you can do and that's my goal."
A major asset to Robert Griffin III is his year of experience in Kyle Shanahan's offensive system, which features a combination of pro-style passing and read-option mobility.
While new wrinkles will be added to the offense this offseason, Griffin III already knows the playbook and all 10 of the other starters on offense.
"I think it'll be much easier," he said. "Going through the playbook, now that we're in the offseason program, it's stuff I've done already. To go through it with [Kyle Shanahan] again and to see how far ahead from last year [we are] with knowledge of the playbook, different coverages, different situations, it's a lot easier.
"I think we'll be at a level where we can communicate even better than we did last year and that's the goal."
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