As if losing a playoff game at FedEx Field after clinching the NFC East division title for the first time since 1999 wasn’t painful enough for the Washington Redskins, the fans, players and coaching staff in Washington also witnessed the new face of the franchise go down with another serious knee injury.
Back in Week 14, rookie sensation Robert Griffin III went down with a nasty knee injury that appeared to have ended his season. Fortunately, Griffin was able to quickly bounce back from the injury in order to get back on the field for the Redskins and help lead the team to a division title in the final few games of the 2012 regular season.
Although the second-half resurgence by the Redskins was impressive to say the least and had a lot to do with Griffin’s presence under center, the rookie quarterback probably shouldn’t have come back from injury as quickly as he did. That was painfully obvious with the Baylor product going down yet again in the playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
As a result of Griffin partially tearing his LCL and ACL, the rookie had to undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair the ligaments in his knee. Despite the consensus being that Griffin might miss considerable time next season while rehabbing from knee surgery, it appears that the team is optimistic he’ll return for the season opener according Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com:
Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III had total reconstructive surgery of his right knee early Wednesday morning to repair torn anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments, but he is expected to be ready for the opener of the 2013 NFL regular season, according to team sources familiar with the determination made by orthopedic specialist Dr. James Andrews.
Although the Redskins organization is hopeful for an early return for Griffin, there’s no telling how long the quarterback will be on the shelf while recovering from surgery. Returning for the start of the 2013 NFL season is wishful thinking, but possibly not out of the realm of possibility with Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings making a quick recovery from his surgery to return this season.
