ASHBURN, Va. — Robert Griffin III was ready to return a week ago. Jay Gruden was close to putting him back in the lineup. Then they decided to wait one more week.
Maybe it wasn’t a direct nod to Griffin’s injury past, but the Redskins didn’t want to put him back in before he was fully ready.
“We wanted to give it more time and be smart about it,” said Griffin, who will start Sunday at Minnesota for the first time since dislocating his left ankle in Week 2. “With the past, you learn from that and you learn from those mistakes. You learn from those trials and tribulations.
“I thank Coach for keeping me sane and allowing me to be involved with the game plans and everything. I had to keep my mind working when my body wouldn’t.”
Gruden said Griffin again received the majority of first-team practice reps this week, as he did in the lead-up to the game against the Cowboys, and that he will start Sunday barring a setback. Gruden added that there was no consideration given to resting Griffin another week, then having him face 1-6 Tampa Bay on Nov. 16 after a bye week.
“We [already] waited a week to get him ready,” Gruden said. “He’s had his time, he’s had his rehab. There’s no easy team on our schedule.”
Like the other quarterbacks, Griffin is playing in a new offense in Gruden’s first season. That’s why Gruden wanted to make sure he was mentally ready to return, knowing that it was not only a new offense but that the offense had evolved since Griffin last played.
Griffin has stayed in the meeting rooms, so he is up to date on the changes.
“I think he’s going to be fine,” Gruden said. “Will he show some rust? Will he be perfect? No. But like I said before, Robert at 100 percent gives us the best chance to win Sunday.”
Griffin won’t be limited in the plays he runs, meaning the zone read option game is a possibility, along with bootlegs or any play that requires him to get outside the pocket. But he said he knows he doesn’t need to perform magic to do well, not with strong weapons around him in receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon and tight end Jordan Reed.
“If there is any rust, I’ll lean on the guys,” Griffin said. “It’s a game we need. They have a great defense, but I’ll lean on my guys to help get me through this game and work with me. I expect them to make a ton of plays, just like they expect me to make a ton of plays. If there is any rust, I’m sure they’ll overshadow it because they’re playing at a high level right now.
“The line has played at a high level. We’re running the ball well and the receivers are making plays. My job is to get them the ball. All these guys making plays down the field. I look forward to being able to dish it out and let them do the work.”
Griffin acknowledged he’ll have to battle nerves Sunday, though he said that’s not unusual. What he’s excited about is putting into practice what he learned while sitting out.
He also said he watched more film — twice as much as he normally would — during his hiatus, especially early on when he was limited physically. He focused on quarterbacks such as Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning.
“My eyes were a little red and my wife was wondering what I was doing,” he said. “But you’re always working hard.”
It all adds up to the Redskins saying he’s ready.
“Everything is checking out good,” Gruden said. “Last week was a bonus week for him. He’s good to go.”
25% Bonus via Western Union
