Our apologies to Donovan McNabb, but Robert Griffin III is back on the mic.
The Washington Redskins quarterback addressed reporters after Wednesday's organized team activities and expressed confidence that his return to the field would come long before the regular-season opener.
Asked by NFL.com's Albert Breer if the first day of training camp was a realistic goal, Griffin barely thought about it: "Without a doubt," he said.
"One: It's a month (away). And then, two, it's just how I feel, and how it's progressed," Griffin said. "Over the last three weeks, I've had a lot of progress and I feel a lot better. ... While training camp's a month, month and a half away ... I feel really good about that. And then the start of the season is even farther than that. ... That's why I say 'without a doubt.'Â "
Said Griffin: "I think it is the right target if I'm ready. ... If I'm not, I can swallow my pride."
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Other notes from Griffin's weekly presser:
»Breer attended Thursday's practice and watched Griffin throw the ball for roughly 30 minutes to an assortment of rehabbing players, including receiver Pierre Garçon, running back Chris Thompson and tight ends Fred Davis and Jordan Reed. Griffin said his two weeks of work with the injured players has built chemistry, which is especially important for his connection with Davis, who missed all of last season.
» Griffin is gaining speed: "When the Redskins broke into special teams work, he started doing some conditioning runs," Breer told NFL Network. "It started with a light jog. By the end, he was coming very close to what looked like, at least, a sprint. And then, at the end of that, he took his knee brace off. He showed a little bit of a limp."
RG3 downplayed reports that he was hobbling: "I didn't feel like I was limping, wasn't sore at all ... some people said I was limping, but I wasn't."
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» Griffin also swatted away McNabb's suggestion that he's being overexposed in his second offseason: "I heard what he said. It is what it is, you know, everybody's going to have their opinion. He's free to have that opinion, so I just leave it at that," said Griffin, who said he's open to chatting with the former NFL quarterback.
» Despite his progress, Griffin remains a star player sitting to the side. "It's been fun to watch," RG3 said, "but I'm tired of watching."
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
