It's been 10 weeks since Robert Griffin III went down in a heap on the beat-up turf at FedEx Field.
Dr. James Andrews continues to paint a positive picture on Griffin's recovery from reconstructive knee surgery, but Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting that he remains in wait-and-see mode on the quarterback's recovery.
"He is ahead, but it is a process that takes time," Shanahan told NFL Network's Kimberly Jones in his first extensive comments about Griffin's recovery process. "Any time you're dealing with a knee, or dealing with ligaments, you can get the muscles around it, but it does take some time.
"Robert will do it the right way and we'll find out in July exactly where he's at. You're hoping he's ready, but you can't plan for him to be ready."
Shanahan shot down the notion that the read-option attack puts Griffin in danger, countering that the scheme actually helps protect a quarterback when used effectively. He stressed that Griffin won't be on the field until he's all the way back physically.
"Kirk Cousins will work at the quarterback position. He'll have all the reps in the offseason," he said. "Robert will have a lot of reps, but it will be mental. You'll know when he's 100 percent. What he can do on the football field, what he can do through practices, and he will not come back until he's 100 percent."
Shanahan was heavily criticized for allowing a hobbled Griffin to remain in the game in the Redskins' playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The coach won't take any chances this time around.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
