Teammates Concerned for RGIII’s Knee
07 Jan, 2013
ASHBURN, Va. — Robert Griffin III’s teammates expressed no day-after regrets and said there’s no second-guessing whether the hobbled quarterback should have remained in the game until his aggravated right knee buckled and forced him from Sunday’s 24-14 wild-card loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter.
But his teammates are worried about the short-term ramifications.
“I’m concerned,” receiver Santana Moss said. “But at the end of the day, the season’s over with. If it’s something major or something more than what it is, you have nothing but time to get it healed up.
“Honestly, when it comes down to whatever he was dealing with, he was healthy enough to go out there and play. He wasn’t injured. That’s how I look at it. I’m just hoping it’s nothing major and he’ll have the time to heal up.”
The players don’t believe coach Mike Shanahan should have turned to rookie backup Kirk Cousins, even with Griffin struggling to move, plant his feet and complete passes.
“Not at all,” Moss said. “Robert’s our starting quarterback, if he can go at 60%, he’s better than half the guys out there. He could barely run the last three weeks and he’s still hard to catch.
“I don’t think his knee changed us from not doing well. (With a 14-0 lead), we missed out on some plays, There were some third downs, we didn’t make a play. He’s been hobbled the last three weeks.”
Griffin had an MRI on his knee, and the team is expected to announce the results Monday afternoon at coach Mike Shanahan’s press conference.
Griffin had just 16 yards passing and 9 yards rushing after re-injuring his knee before throwing his second touchdown pass in the first quarter. But Griffin made it clear Sunday he knew the difference between playing hurt and hurting his team.
“Many may question, criticize and think they have all the right answers. But few have been in the line of fire in battle,” Griffin posted on his Twitter account.
Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander saw Griffin in the Redskins Park training room early Monday morning.
“He’s in the training room getting treatment and he looks fine and his spirits are up,” Alexander said. “He’s just trying to get healthy now. He understands what he was able to do this season and how much better he can get this offseason.
“Getting healthy is his main priority right now. I think he’ll be just as dynamic and even better next year with a full season under his belt.”
Moss felt a diminished RGIII was still the Redskins’ best shot to beat Seattle.
“Him giving it his all and being out there for us, that’s all he can do for us,” Moss said. “And I’m OK with that.”
Fullback Darrel Young wondered if the injury was a repeat of the torn ACL Griffin suffered as a junior at Baylor, but “whether it’s torn or sprained, he knows what it takes to come back,” Young said.
Quarterback Rex Grossman said, “He’s a competitor. I have no idea how bad he’s hurt. I severely doubt it will affect him for being back by August (training camp).”
Added receiver Pierre Garcon: “You have to live or die with your quarterback if he says he can play,” receiver Pierre Garcon said. “If he feels he can help the team, we gave him the say so. You don’t want to second guess your quarterback.”
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