Robert Griffin III was one of the biggest stories to come out of the 2012 NFL season. His playing abilities wowed fans as Griffin worked his way to becoming one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Then he went down with a knee injury during the wild-card playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks, leaving many to wonder if her would ever be the same. However, recent reports from the Redskins have the team believing Griffin will be back to start under center week one of the 2013 season.
While it was only a little more than a month ago that Griffin underwent recontructive knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL, his recorvery has gone better than expected. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that team officials believe Griffin has a "legitimate chance" at starting the season opener.
Griffin is currently in Washington to work with doctors and therapists. He certainly has a long way to go before his leg is fully healed, but it is said he is rehabbing aggressively. When watching Griffin on the field, it is easy to see he is a physical freak, but no one assumed he would be ready to start for the Redskins so soon. Sources say the first two months of rehab are the most important, so a postive start could indcate good things to come.
If Redskins' fans need a bit of encouragement, they can look no further than Adrian Peterson who was able to rush for 2,097 yards and win the NFL MVP award in his first season back following knee surgery. Griffin himself is no stranger to coming back from knee injuries. He tore his ACL in 2009 as a sophomore with Baylor. He returned in 2010 to throw for 3,501 yards and 22 touchdowns, while also rushing for 635 yards and eight touchdowns.
Griffin won The Associated Press 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award after setting the NFL record for best passer rating by a rookie quarterback. He earned Washington its first NFC East tile in 13 years. With how much success he had a Baylor after coming off surgery, the chances of him coming back at full-strength this time are pretty high.