Mike Shanahan has no concerns regarding Robert Griffin III running full playbook
By Mike Dyce
The Washington Redskins will start quarterback Robert Griffin III in the season opener barring a “crazy setback” head coach Mike Shanahan said.
“He’s ready to go, full speed ahead,” Shanahan said Monday.
“If we didn’t feel Robert was full-go and ready to play and do all the things you ask a guy to do, he would not be playing in this game,” Shanahan said. “If that’s sprinting out, if it’s running the option, if it’s drop back, he can do all those things because he proved it to us in practice.”
There were reports that Dr. James Andrews had concerns about Robert Griffin III’s knee but that apparently hasn’t convinced the Redskins to hold him out. Shanahan didn’t elaborate or clarify what the concerns were exactly.
Reports last week indicated that Dr. Andrews was concerned about how the Redskins planned to use RG3.
“He said he never said that, and he surely never said that to me,” Shanahan said, via ESPN. “I don’t think a doctor would ever say anything like that. I’m not sure a doctor would ever say anything that had to do with football.
“You’ll have to trust us that the doctor feels good about it regardless of what those concerns were. I’m trying to be honest with you. [There are] certain conversations that stay between a doctor and a player or a coach and a player, this is one of those conversations.”
Shanahan doesn’t understand how this is newsworthy and says he has been saying it all along.
“I told you from day one Robert was gonna be our starter unless there was a setback,” Shanahan said. “I told you that for the last month, so I don’t know why it’s a surprise that Robert’s our starter. All I said was I talked to Dr. Andrews, who gave him a physical and there were a couple concerns, and I shared that with Robert when he was in my office, and I told [the media] that after the game. So I don’t think there’s any big surprise that Robert is a starter.”
RG3’s teammates weren’t surprised either.
“He looks like Robert,” receiver Santana Moss said.