Redskins are optimistic Robert Griffin III will play Sunday

By Houston Mitchell

Oct. 9, 2012 12 AM PT

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000226”&amp;gt;Washington Redskins&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; quarterback &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”PESPT0014793”&amp;gt;Robert Griffin III&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;, who suffered a concussion on Sunday, still has to complete the league’s mandated return-to-play protocol before he’s cleared for practice, but his teammates and Coach &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”PESPT00008938”&amp;gt;Mike Shanahan&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; were optimistic he will be able to play in this week’s game against the &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000048”&amp;gt;Minnesota Vikings&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;. &amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;“We should find out in the next few days exactly what happens,” Shanahan said. “Right now it looks good. I’m not really sure if it stays that way. The professionals will monitor his situation and let us know if he’s able to play or not. We surely have nothing to do with it.”&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Griffin was injured while scrambling near the sidelines during the 24-17 loss to the &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000032”&amp;gt;Atlanta Falcons&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt; on a hard hit by linebacker &amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”PESPT0014358”&amp;gt;Sean Weatherspoon&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=”https://graphics.latimes.com/ranking-times-nfl-rankings-after-week-5/”&amp;gt;NFL: The Times’ power rankings&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;“In my experience, when the quarterback gets that first hit like he received, they slide a little bit sooner in plays to come,” Shanahan said. “They kind of protect themselves a little bit more.”&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Shouldn’t Griffin have just run out of bounds?&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;“He’s very competitive, like most young quarterbacks are,” Shanahan said. “They want to make every first down, they want to extend every play to the last second, but part of that is knowing that, hey, we have to have you out there, so these quarterbacks learn in time when to slide. Now if it’s a Super Bowl or you’re going for a playoff win, you’re going to take some of those chances. But part of the process is staying healthy and being out there for your teammates.” &amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;Griffin came off the field after being hit in the head and didn’t know the score or what quarter it was. He was then taken to the locker room, where the concussion was formally diagnosed. &amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br /&amp;gt;Shanahan said Griffin experienced “no dizziness, no headaches, no vomiting” on Monday. Griffin was scheduled for tests, and, if he passes them, will get a session on the treadmill Tuesday. If all goes well, he’ll be able to practice Wednesday without contact and be on pace to play Sunday when the Redskins host the Vikings. A possible complication is that Griffin suffered a concussion last season with Baylor, and the side effects are known to be cumulative.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;The Associated Press contributed to this report.&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;ALSO:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=”https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-1009-texans-jets-20121009,0,2241880.story”&amp;gt;Texans hold off &amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;runtime:topic id=”ORSPT000199”&amp;gt;Jets&amp;lt;/runtime:topic&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=”https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-1009-texans-jets-20121009,0,2241880.story”&amp;gt;’ late push for 23-17 win&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=”https://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-farmer-nfl-20121009,0,2393808.story”&amp;gt;NFL Week 6 preview: &amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a class=”taxInlineTagLink” href=”https://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/football/san-francisco-49ers-ORSPT000057.topic”&amp;gt;49ers&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=”https://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-farmer-nfl-20121009,0,2393808.story”&amp;gt; have ‘unfinished business’ vs. &amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a class=”taxInlineTagLink” href=”https://www.latimes.com/topic/sports/football/new-york-giants-ORSPT000197.topic”&amp;gt;Giants&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=”https://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-brian-cushing-20121009,0,5814417.story”&amp;gt;Texans’ Brian Cushing could be out for the season with a torn ACL&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

Redskins are optimistic Robert Griffin III will play Sunday

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