The biggest question of the NFL offseason has finally been answered, and just in time for the start of the regular season.
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has recovered adequately from offseason ACL reconstructive surgery to be cleared to play in Week 1.
"I'll address this one right away," head coach Mike Shanahan began his postgame press conference. "I did talk to Dr. [James] Andrews, and Dr. Andrews—after talking to him—he's going to approve Robert [Griffin III] to play."
This is great news for the Redskins, who welcome the return of a Pro Bowler and reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year at the league's most important position.
It also caps off one of the most remarkable recoveries in the history of sports, as Griffin III has been cleared to return to action at FedExField just 242 days, or a shade over eight months, after suffering the injury.
Compare this to the normal timeline of 12-18 months necessary for most top athletes to recover. Consider that many athletes never recover fully from ACL surgery and that this is already the second surgery for Griffin III.
Even the incredible recovery of Adrian Peterson to return to action last season required 260 days to come to fruition, or almost a full nine months.
Not that anyone is counting.
"I'm not Adrian; Adrian is not me," Griffin III reminded the media during offseason workouts. "Everybody's body heals a little differently.
"I feel confident in my body and the way it has been responding, so there is no pressure there. It is just a matter if I am ready, I go. If I am not ready, I sit."
Fortunately, Thursday's news gets the impatient patient back out on the field, ready to go.
Despite the good news, there are still questions to be answered this weekend.
Robert Griffin III broke the happy news on Twitter, classifying it as a done deal:
"Operation Patience....Complete. Cleared. To God Be The Glory."
Shanahan, however, noted that there are still discussions to be had, and did not want to preview them before speaking to Griffin III this weekend.
"There's a couple concerns [Dr. James Andrews] has," Shanahan said. "I'll talk to Robert over the weekend and let you guys know on Monday."
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