During the Redskins OTA's on Thursday, Robert Griffin III clarified a lot about the status of his injury with his actions, but especially his words.
The second-year phenom, who underwent knee surgery on Jan. 8, said he hopes to be ready in time for training camp, which begins July 25. He also said that there aren't many phases left for his recovery.
"There's two phases left. Explosive sprinting and cutting," Griffin said in a press conference on Thursday. "You know I was running out there obviously, but as for the explosive sprinting, [the timetable is] next couple of weeks. Cutting, a couple weeks after that. So, I'm not really worried about those phases. They'll come when they come."
A 'couple of weeks' isn't very specific, and though there's only two phases left in his rehabilitation, they aren't insignificant ones. But it's reasonable to think "a couple of weeks" followed by another "couple of weeks" would still be before the team's opener on Sept. 9.
During OTA's, Griffin ran a few light drills with other recovering teammates Fred Davis, Pierre Garcon, Jordan Reed and Chris Thompson. He was able to run, jog, throw, run bootlegs and practice handoffs.
It's with good reason he feels optimistic that the timetable will be shorter than initially perceived, but Griffin reiterated that he is not going to rush or force anything despite having his eye on an early return to action.
"My goal is to be out there for training camp. I know everyone's seen the commercials, the statement of ‘All In For Week 1,' and I stand behind that," Griffin said. "As soon as I woke up out of surgery, I put the first game in my phone. That's always been the goal, but once again I'm not going to risk my career to play in one game. I'm definitely all-in for week one, but I'm also all-in for my career."