There was only one other time in my life that I felt the way I did after watching Robert Griffin III absorb that hit by Haloti Ngata: August 21st 2010. That was the day Stephen Strasburg heard something in his elbow pop and took himself out of the game. He needed Tommy John Surgery.
When I saw Griffin's leg whip the way it did last Sunday I feared the worst. I've never seen a hit like that cause a body part move like that. It was as scary as it was disgusting. The PG-rated thought that went through my head was: "Oh no, I hope that's not his ACL."
It wasn't. *Exhale*
Griffin had torn his ACL his sophomore year at Baylor (and actually didn't come out right away), and another injury of that caliber would have been devastating. Not only would it have knocked Griffin out for 7-9 months, and all but killed the Redskins chance of the Playoffs, but it would have radically altered the course of Griffin's career.
Griffin is an extremely talented passer, no doubt, but much of his value to the Redskins comes on account of his legs. The pistol formation, the formation from which most our offense is run, works because of its versatility. The Redskins run a series of option plays: triple options, speed options, and read options. Take away Griffin's legs and his burst, and suddenly that offense is not possible. There is a reason that Tom Brady and Peyton Manning don't run this offense; it takes a certain kind of personnel to make it work. A second ACL surgery for Griffin likely would have impacted his running ability, if not hamper it altogether. If he can't run, he is not going to be as effective.
However this wasn't an ACL, it was an LCL.
Griffin was diagnosed with a "mild" or Grade 1 sprain of the LCL (lateral collateral ligament), one of the most treatable and least disabling knee injuries.
The LCL is a fibrous band of tissue that connects the femur (thigh bone) to the fibula. This mild sprain means that the ligament was stretched too far, possibly tearing some tiny fibers, but not something critical to the stability of the knee.
Which is a good thing. No, or minimal, structural damage to the knee means that through rest and frequent ice and elevation the knee will heal. Question is: when?
Brett Favre had a similar strain to his LCL in 2002, and played the next weekend. Griffin's status is not so clear. The timetable for this kind of strain is anywhere from 1-6 weeks. He could end up playing Sunday against the Browns, but his knee may not be entirely healthy, putting him at further risk of injury. "Mild" strains such as this are often accompanied with bone bruises on the inside part of the knee. In an article for the Washington Post on Tuesday, Neal ElAttrache, an orthopedic surgeon at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, said of the potential impact of such a bone bruise: "it may also cause some discomfort that would prevent the knee from functioning immediately. In my experience, those injuries can take several weeks to heal."
Griffin is questionable for Sunday's matchup against the Cleveland Browns, though he seems to have practiced with the team Wednesday afternoon. The Redskins are in a precarious position: to play Griffin and risk his health (spurning long term investment for short term gain) or to sit him and risk falling out of the Playoff race entirely?
The Redskins need to sit Griffin. The franchise mortgaged an arm and a leg to get him from the St. Louis Rams, in the hopes that he would lead the team for the next two decades. Yes, the goal of drafting Griffin was to get into the Playoffs and contend for championships, but this was not supposed to be the year. RGIII did not go through the growing pains that fans and pundits expected, and the offense has sneakily been consistently good. The defense is another story altogether. Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker were lost for the season long ago, and the secondary hasn't shown up for any game this season. Further injury to Griffin's knee would be disastrous for the Redskins, and they simply cannot risk it.
The Cleveland Browns are 5-8 and steadily improving, but in terms of talent level they leave much to be desired. If RGIII is not ready to start, he should not play. Player safety has been a paramount issue for the NFL in recent years, and if we are to believe that any of what they are saying actually matters the Redskins should not play Griffin until he is pain free. It's not worth the risk. Kirk Cousins can handle it.
No comments:
Post a Comment