This just in: Being healthy and able to practice in the offseason is apparently a beneficial thing.
That’s what Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III has figured out, saying he understands now what he missed a year ago.
“You always understand the value of the offseason,” Griffin said, via Mark Maske of the Washington Post. “That’s when you build your foundation to get ready for the season. When you have a hand dealt to you where you don’t have an offseason, you don’t use it as an excuse. That was the message that was trying to be sent last year.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to have that offseason. I was getting healthy, getting ready for the season. You don’t whine about it. You don’t cry about it. I think maybe it was taken the wrong way and people thought I thought I didn’t need it. You always need it. But when you don’t have the opportunity to have it, you have to play that hand. And I did the best that I could with that hand.”
Of course, that wasn’t the only obstacle for Griffin, as his dysfunctional relationship with coach Mike Shanahan became as much of a hurdle as his knee reconstruction. These days, it’s nothing but bouquets for new coach Jay Gruden, as the two appear to get along swimmingly.
“I don’t know,” Griffin said. “Everybody wants me to compare this year to last year. We haven’t played any games yet. And even when we do play the games, I’m still not gonna compare them. It is what it is. That question will not be answered.”
It just was.