He’s got a lot of nerve. That is for sure. Who said that Washington Redskins’ quarterback, Robert Griffin, III, could have a life outside of professional football? So he’s only 23 years old. So he’s got a fiancé. That doesn’t mean he can do anything that doesn’t involve X’s and O’s.
The team has opened their 2013 mini-camp and the quarterback met with the media today. Not only was he asked about his healing ACL and rehab schedule, he was asked about his upcoming nuptials and whether or not he had any say in the planning of them.
“I have no say,” Griffin said. “Basically that’s just how it rolls. But I’m just trying to make sure she doesn’t become a Bridezilla. She’ll be fine. I’m doing little things here and there behind the scenes with the groomsmen… little stuff for the wedding. She’ll set everything up and then ask me and sometimes I actually have a choice and sometimes it doesn’t really matter what I say so…It’s her day so she’s gotta enjoy it.”
That sounds like any other red-blooded American male getting ready to tie the knot. But most of those males are not superstar signal-callers for America’s Team (yes… that would be the team that resides in the nation’s capital, not that one that resides in the oil capital). It has been difficult, at best, for Griffin to behave like “any other red-blooded American male” in any part of his life since joining the team. The fact that he’s doing something as normal as getting married must be a logistical nightmare for the people around him who have worked so hard to keep an eye on him since he was drafted last season.
Much has been said about the “MTV” type of lifestyle that the Baylor grad has had to endure since he came to town. At just 23, it would not be surprising if Griffin wished he was not so popular. This is not a guy you see popping into a 7-11. In any football city across America, it’s not uncommon to see one of the guys at a restaurant with friends (my son saw Peyton Manning at an Indianapolis restaurant two years ago), playing basketball at the local gym or at a gas station pumping gas. Not so with our young Mr. Griffin as every movement he makes is closely monitored. But he has decided that he still needs to do what he should do to make his fiancé’s special day well… special.
“I’m going to be here for another week – another two weeks,” the groom-to-be said when asked about his schedule between now and when training camp begins in July. “Then I’ll be gone for a little bit. I gotta live a personal life too so I can’t take that away from my fiancé just for football. So, I’ll make sure I stay prepared, ready to go, stay in contact with everybody and then we’ll go from there.”
Good for him. He’s a football player, not Mick Jagger.
He’ll stay prepared, there is no doubt. He already looks good in OTAs. The explosiveness that was a hurdle to be addressed in his rehab has now appeared during the drills in which he is allowed to participate. He was asked whether the running he was doing during drills today showed the explosiveness that he wanted.
“I thought it was explosive,” Griffin said on a chuckle. “I always joke with those guys like, ‘I’m not going to race you guys today’ And then we all end up racing so… it’s not that we’re NOT supposed to do that… you’re supposed to gradually get into it. So the first couple we weren’t running as fast but then, you guys saw us pick it up there on the last three or four so they’re doing a good job and they’re healing. [Tight end] Jordan [Reed] is looking great and so is [running back] Chris [Thompson] so…I just gotta make sure I keep up with the young guys even though I’m only 23.
“Fast guys like to say ‘We never run as fast as we can’ so…”
Apparently the sprints weren’t as explosive as they could be. That should be encouraging to Redskins Nation.
The schedule that Griffin has set up for himself shows a distinct idea of what coaches, doctors and fans can expect from now until it is time to report to training camp. With the “explosiveness” having already been addressed, a few more hurdles still need to be cleared (the cutting, drop-backs and side-to-side sprinting, continuing his weight training and the mental aspects of the game) and Griffin gave the media an idea of his timetable.
“You saw today, the explosive sprinting part,” Griffin said. “I feel comfortable sprinting now. The next big stage is just cutting and, it’s not that I go cut for two days and I’m ready to go… it’s just a month of doing cutting drills, change of direction, that way I can train my body to get back for that so I’ll start that next week. I’ll start cutting next week and then, after that it’s just everything over and over. I’ll continue to work out in the weight room over the next four or five weeks. I’ll continue to keep sprinting and just get more and more comfortable. And then, whatever I feel like I have a deficiency at, I’ll make sure I fix that. There are little exercises you can do to help with that so, really…
“You can’t get ready for [contact],” he went on. “It just happens. So whenever camp rolls around and I’m out there practicing, that’s when you get ready for that but, you usually don’t get your first hit until game-type of situation and I’ll be ready for that too.”
Robert Griffin, III has a lot of nerve thinking he can just go get married like a normal person and then actually go off and enjoy a honeymoon. He might even have a week or two of normal life.
Hail.
Diane Chesebrough is Chief Editor, writer and photographer for SportsJourney Broadcast Network. Accredited media with the NFL, she has been a feature writer for several national magazines/periodicals. Follower her on Twitter: @DiChesebrough