Redskins Ramblings: Premature Rehabilitation

When Robert Griffin III’s knee bent more awkwardly than Kentucky Basketball’s Senior Night, Redskins Nation held her collective breath.  When we watched Robert Griffin III’s knee split apart like the sod of FedEx Field that he tried to plant on, we all became paralyzed with despair and uncertainty.   So why are we all in such a rush to feel this anguish and gut-wrenching gloom all over again? Please  SIMMER…DOWN…NOW…

Like a movie written by M. Night Shymalan...NEVER AGAIN!

“RGKnee” was and still is a black cloud hanging over the MOST fun season I’ve had watching the Redskins.  I was too young to remember the last Super Bowl, and even though 2005 and 2007 were special seasons, 2012 was just something different, because it feels sustainable. 

The 2012 season ended too soon, and Griffin’s knee was shredded worse than a bag of mozzarella cheese.  Remember the fetal position we all curled up into for three weeks following the loss to the Seahawks in addition to watching our Savior go down in agony?

It is probably safe to say none of us ever want to see RGIII go down like that again; for the sake of our franchise, or for the sake of the young man who has been entrusted with bringing back said franchise to glory.  Therefore it is time to stop rushing his recovery! Enough with the commercials! Enough with the reports from friends that Griffin is ahead of schedule! Enough with the quotes from Dr. Andrews, (even though he is a God in the Surgery world) who is just making statements now, so that when RG3 does not come back by week 1, Dr. Andrews will not be blamed. 

“Hey I performed the surgery, and Robert is ahead of schedule, so if he does not return by week 1 than it’s on him and the Redskins. Not. Me. ” That’s not a direct quote, but that's the obvious gist of Andrews’s public statements.

While Adidas is putting out television ads that say “All In for Week 1” and his friends are claiming RGIII is ahead of schedule, some of the responsibility needs to be placed on the chiseled shoulders of Bob himself.  There is a fine line between tough and stupid.  Even thought this line is thinner than what I imagine Jennifer Lawrence’s g-string to be…mmmmm….

Robert Griffin III is one tough son of gun. That was obvious to anyone who watched a Redskins game last season.  He played through significant pain, and was very effective in doing so.  However, as he gets more seasoned he will need to understand the impact of his in-the-moment decisions.  Forcing himself to play in a game too soon could cost him years off his career.  We’ve already seen what can happen when Griffin was rushed back from his initial knee injury, and by speeding up recovery, we could see the same thing happen all over again. This needs to be avoided like the way Louie Anderson needs to avoid a diving board.

If Robert Griffin III’s knee is completely healed and the rest of the muscles in his leg are built back up from the months of grueling rehab he has had to endure, then and only then should he play in week one.  If there is a any shred of doubt, then rest him for however many weeks it takes. What’s more important to our beloved football franchise? Having Griff back for a few weeks, or killing it for over a decade?