Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan wants to make sure that quarterback Robert Griffin III is protected this season. As such, he sought the counsel of NFL referees during training camp, in meetings that the refs do for each team during the preseason.
Griffin is of course recovering from a knee injury that has sidelined him for much of the offseason, though he is getting back on the field. The rookie quarterback last season tore ligaments in his knee in a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks and will wear a knee brace for the 2013 season.
It’s not just that injury that concerns the Redskins though, it’s other hits in the future. Washington’s offense centers on Griffin, who runs a zone-read. This gives Griffin, a very mobile and quick quarterback, the chance to read the defense and choose whether or not to give the ball up or keep it.
The result from holding the ball and waiting until the last second can be big hits, for which Griffin had his fair share last season (see video below).
Griffin and Shanahan were asking questions of the refs, trying to find out what it is exactly they will be try to spot during the games this season. The better that Griffin understands the rules and what a ref is looking for, the better he will able to be to protect himself.