Sept. 30, 2012; Tampa FL, USA; Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis (83) makes a catch for a first down in front of Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Mark Barron (24) late in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Washington defeated Tampa Bay 24-22. Mandatory Credit: Matt Stamey-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis is recovering from a torn Achilles’ tendon and is currently a free agent. As he rehabs to get ready for the upcoming NFL season he hopes to remain with the only NFL team he’s played for.

“I definitely would [like to stay], but at the end of the day, I’ll play wherever,” Davis said. “It doesn’t matter to me. It’s about football to me. I would like to stay here, but if I can’t, I’m fine with that as well.”

One of the hurdles facing Davis, aside from his Achilles tendon, is the $18 million salary cap penalty facing the Redskins. But his rehab is going well.

“I’m good,” Davis said, via CSN Washington. “I’m just rehabbing and working out right now. I started running a couple of weeks ago. I’m back on my pace. A little bit ahead of schedule, which is really good.”

Davis isn’t the only Redskins player recovering from a torn ligament, quarterback Robert Griffin III is recovering from an ACL injury. And like Davis, he is ahead of schedule.

“He definitely looks really good,” Davis said of RG3. “You can barely even tell that he’s hurt. He’s doing every drill. He looks comfortable and normal to me. When he first got back, I was surprised, like, ‘Did you just have surgery?’

“He works hard,” Davis added. “Whenever he says he’s going to do something, he’s going to do it. I believe that he’ll be back sooner than people expect.”

Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner (39) during the first quarter of the NFC Wild Card playoff game at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Griffin III lifted a franchise, the Washington Redskins, from the bottom rungs of their division to NFC East Champion in his first season at the helm. A division that had the reigning world champion New York Giants in it. But RG3 suffered a gruesome injury in the last game of the season and he is now trying to get ready in time for the 2013 opener.

But it’s his competitive spirit and fire that might have him playing to recklessly, like Michael Vick, in many ways. And Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan wishes he’d do more to protect himself.

“You can’t take shots consistently,” Shanahan said, via Mark Maske of theWashington Post.

This will not encourage Shanahan to abandon the offense that made them successful in 2012. The offense that made many teams in the NFL successful this year.

“The option will help a quarterback stay healthy,” Shanahan said.

While those in the Redskins organization remain optimistic about RG3′s rehabilitation and say he is ahead of schedule, many are moving forward cautiously. Even RG3 said he wouldn’t risk his health to return in Week 1 and he’ll take the time he needs to get back to 100% health.

“If hard work has anything to do with it, he’ll be ready,” Shanahan said. “You’re always optimistic.”

Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) runs the ball for nine yards during the second half of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks at FedEx Field. The Seahawks won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Griffin III or RG3, tweeted out the video for his new Adidas commercial.

I’m #allinforweek1 with @adidasusbit.ly/allinforweek1

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 19, 2013

The commercial is entitled “Blow Up” – All in For Week 1.

So Redskins fans are celebrating all over Washington and as RG3 is set to complete his Adrian Peterson like return to the NFL this season right?

The video features scoreboards catching on fire and field exploding and goal posts blowing up. It also features kids working out, and some RG3 working out. He is doing that ropes exercise while seated. And it ends with the camera zooming in on him with the tag line for “All in for week 1.”

Well RG3 felt the need to clarify what that means.

“Feel like I need to say this..Although my goal is to start Week 1, that doesn’t mean I will compromise my career to do so,” Griffin wrote.

What!?!?!?! But you just said!

Well I think the meaning of the tag line is that you, the general athlete, focus on week 1, that is the work in the offseason that is important for you to be successful during the season and not so much a guarantee from RG3 himself.

Feel like I need to say this..Although my goal is to start Week 1, that doesn’t mean I will compromise my career to do so.

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 19, 2013

Starting Week 1 will be the result of healing, hard work, dedication & God’s anointing. No rush, just determination

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 19, 2013

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) against the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Will the option be an option in the NFL? In towns like Norman, Oklahoma, old men gathered to watch NFL games this year, and smiled knowingly as Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III did their best Jamielle Holloway impersonations. College teams have been running the option in one form or another since Don Faurot designed the split-T at Missouri in the early 1940’s. While college teams like Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska won national championships with the option, the NFL never followed suit.

NFL coaches and executive have always preferred their signal callers to be of the drop back variety, the bigger the better. NFL coaches have long preferred the stability of rocked armed statues, glued in the pocket, like Dan Marino. GM’s prefer that their priciest assets remain in one piece. Once a mobile quarterback himself, Broncos GM John Elway traded away playoff winner Tim Tebow and signed Peyton Manning faster than Tommie Frazier ran the 40.

Maybe it was fitting that maverick coaches like Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh, who each had great success in college, finally thumbed their nose at NFL convention. So as the NFL transitions into its offseason, will the option be a fundamental part of the NFL in 2013, or will it go the way of Tony Sparano’s wildcat.

For years I wondered why an organization didn’t give it a shot. Using the law of supply and demand it made sense to me, if a team ran the option, they could have their pick of a large pool of players no other franchise would touch. And, as evidenced by the success of playoff teams quarterbacked by Griffin, Kaepernick and Russell Wilson the option can be an effective offense at the pro level.

The option adds another dimension to an offense, making it more difficult for the opposing team to gameplan against and to stop on Sunday. Time for NFL GM’s and coaches to kick those glue footed 6’4” pocket passers to the curb and grab an option quarterback faster than Chip Kelly reuniting with Dennis Dixon, right. Well, as Lee Corso would say, not so fast my friend.

There a few reasons why the option may be more than a passing fad, but not yet the offense of choice for most. Running the option is hard at the college level, the quarterback must learn to read defensive ends and linebackers. At the pro level, with the complexity of passing schemes and defenses, another layer of difficulty is added. A team willing to commit to the option must have a quarterback who is both an option runner and an NFL quarterback capable of deciphering zone blitzes and complex coverages.

The transition has been difficult for the many who have tried. Scott Frost and Eric Crouch of Nebraska weren’t strong enough passers. Tim Tebow shares the same problem, limited by his long throwing motion and lack of accuracy. The best spread quarterback of the past decade, Vince Young flamed out after initial success and Pat White was a wasted second round pick by the Dolphins.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle for an option offense are the behemoths on the opposite side of the ball. Robert Griffin III was the most exciting player in the NFL through 13 weeks of the season and appeared to be a transcendent player. But when a quarterback is exposed to players of Haloti Ngata’s speed and size, the inevitable eventually happens. For a team to run the option, its coach might need to train a different quarterback each week (and its GM might need to pay one each week).

Even with the NFL trying to create a safer league and protecting its quarterbacks, there is no way to mitigate the risk. If the NFL legislates against hitting quarterbacks running free outside the pocket, we might as well be watching soccer.

As you watch the combine hoping your GM can find the next Colin Kaepernick in the second round, keep this in mind. Haloti Ngata’s not getting any smaller, Bernard Pollard is not getting any nicer and Dick LeBeau has an offseason to scheme.  After Ngata’s handiwork on RG3’s knee, who would you rather have your GM invest a $20 million signing bonus in Andrew Luck or Griffin III?

Watch this: Griffin Number 10. (Photo by Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

“Everybody keeps asking if we should let our sons play football… I’m not so sure I wanna let my son watch football.”

–Cousin Sal, of Jimmy Kimmel Live, on the B.S. Report podcast lamenting another loss by his beloved Cowboys.

Why football?

Why does this national pastime have such a stranglehold on us that it can at once rule our economy and pop culture and also be so dangerous that we ponder whether it will still exist a generation from now?

The just-completed 2012-13 NFL season featured a few main themes, and while grand questions like the ones in the previous paragraph are asked in vague terms about what nameless faceless fans “want,” I will reflect them here through the eyes of a child, for that is who the NFL needs to become fans and start this cycle again. Again, it’s not so much about will our kids play football… will they watch?

Of course every season actually starts in the offseason. And last season started the day the Washington Redskins gave up a couple of first round picks and a small farm to move up in the draft to select QB Robert Griffin III. Once again, the Redskins were the Spring Champs. By the time the season started, it was quickly apparent that Griffin wasn’t a bust, and it was safe for this long-suffering Redskins fan to point at the TV screen and tell his son to watch Number 10.

I didn’t know what would happen, but I knew something would happen… and I wanted my son to see it.

As the season got underway, the replacement refs were as big a storyline as the games themselves. My son is only 5. He doesn’t understand the game. But he notices and says “I saw a yellow flag.” He knows the guys in the striped shirts are there to enforce the rules. He’s not old enough that I had to engage in any philosophical discussions about fairness and integrity as it related to having under-qualified, over-matched replacement refs trying to officiate NFL games.

The other subplot to this season was the concussion and player-safety issue. Long before President Obama and NFL players past and present were weighing in on whether they’d let their kids play football, I’d already been thinking about it. Hell no I’m not gonna let my beautiful and smart little boy bash his skull in! Are you kidding me? Watching a guy get lit up over the middle, seeing him lay motionless on the ground as the TV affiliate quietly excuses itself for a commercial break… this was The New Fan Experience. I didn’t know if the guy was okay… and I wasn’t sure if I wanted my son to see it.

But my son’s still young. I haven’t had to explain replacement refs and performance-enhancing drugs and whether a couple of guys beat their wives and which ones got DUI’s and which ones are the good guys. The real super heroes. Griffin’s leadership, humility and personality off the field are what really make him a hero, but he was also otherworldly on the field.

Week 6: Minnesota at Washington. My son started calling RGIII “Griffin Number 10,” which was way cuter and less annoying than the game announcers insisting on saying “THE THIRD” every single time they called his name. Late in the game, I once again pointed out Griffin Number 10. I didn’t know what would happen, but I knew something would happen… and I wanted my son to see it. RGIII took off down the sideline for a game-sealing 76-yard TD run.

After years of wallowing in putrid mediocrity, the Redskins mattered again because of this guy Griffin Number 10. And just as my son was reaching the age of learning team names and colors, I suddenly found myself instantly transitioned from “fan” to “father” faced with decisions about concussions and role models and the age of questioning whether I want my kid wearing certain guys’ jerseys….

It’s a little much, y’know? I just wanna sit on my couch and watch the game! But when we ponder the future of the league, and “bringing in new fans,” this is where it comes from. The kids.

So we show up at my cousins house on Thanksgiving just before 4pm. Tables are set and flatscreens are tuned to a little pregame warmup and there’s a blue team with stars on their helmets, and there’s a burgundy and gold team. Shortly after our arrival my son tugs on me and asks to whisper something in my ear. I lean down, “Yea, go ‘head, what is it?”

He says, “Is Griffin Number 10 playing?”

Fast forward to the end of the year, after 7 straight wins and a second victory over Dallas in the season finale had landed Washington in the playoffs. Somehow, with a suspect defense without the injured Brian Orakpo, with a rookie QB and RB, they won the NFC East. That’s “why football,” because a guy like Robert Griffin can swoop in make dads tell their sons to “watch this” as they transform a crappy team back into a respectable franchise seemingly over night.

I tried to explain what “playoffs” meant and that only a few teams were left, and that tomorrow we’d watch Griffin Number 10 play the Seattle Seahawks. He said, “Is his knee okay?” Either my son was having some freaky premonition, or everyone on the planet inherently understood this injury was an issue except Mike Shanahan.

I grew up a Redskins fan; my wife is a Steeler fan. We live in Ravens country. I figured I would raise my son a Steeler fan, as my only retribution toward Dan Snyder and because I didn’t want my son wearing racist logos and nicknames. (There are plenty of ways to boycott Mr. Snyder, and in addition to several recent columns in the Washington Post, a Redskins blog Hogs Haven gave a nice quick breakdown on accepting a name change.)

My wife and I aren’t so hardcore that we’ve drilled any of this fandom into his skull. We just love football. In fact, despite the rivalries, we don’t care if he ends up going to school and loving the Ravens cuz all his friends do.

So then I tried to explain what “Super Bowl” meant, and that there was only one game left for the championship. He knew that Griffin Number 10 was done. He understood that our local team the Baltimore Ravens were in the Super Bowl. And I told him that the San Francisco 49ers had his initials, SF, on their helmets. The two coaches were brothers.

I found myself trying to explain what “retirement” meant, and that this guy #52 running out from the smokey tunnel was one of the best players ever, and that he was gonna stop playing. Thankfully my son is still young enough that I didn’t have to explain deer-antler spray and cheating… or why I’d want him to be more like the Ravens Brendon Ayanbadejo, who was compelled to use his Super Bowl media platform to speak out against homophobia, and less like the Niners Chris Culliver,  who told a media throng that he wouldn’t accept a gay teammate.

Watching the season through a child’s eyes, or eventually having to explain some challenging issues to our kids as they become fans…. what happens? What actually “works”  as far as bringing in new fans? What sells? Busty beer ads and power rankings and graphics and bloated panels of talking heads from the jockocracy? No.

Players like Robert Griffin come along. And Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson for fathers and sons in other parts of the country. They make us tell our kids to “watch this.”

Sadly my boy wont be as athletically gifted as RGIII. So, no, I probably won’t let my son play football. Just letting him watch it might drive him crazy enough.

Jan 6, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) drops back to pass during the second half of the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks at FedEx Field. The Seahawks won 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Many fans in Washington were immediately overcome with pessimism and doubt after watching their star young quarterback go down with a gruesome leg injury in the playoffs. Robert Griffin III tore several ligaments in his knee and it seemed that the Redskins’s fans were headed back to the bottom of the NFC East, but there was hope.

Hope in one man, who defied the odds, and returned from an ACL surgery and had one of the greatest NFL seasons ever by a running back, falling 9 yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s single season record and becoming the 7th man to pass the 2,000 yard mark. That man is likely set to win Comeback player of the year honors and even, possibly an MVP award.

That man is Minnesota Vikings’s Adrian Peterson.

But Peterson could be the exception, and not the rule. That certainly is what makes his season so incredible and miraculous. So it could be said that while his quick recovery if a beacon of hope for Redskins fans, it shouldn’t be the bar to which RG3 is held.

“That’s not fair,” Peterson said, via NFL.com. “Everybody’s body heals differently. That’s something nobody is going to understand.”

Griffin though has a history with these injuries, unlike Peterson. This is RG3′s second ACL surgery on the right knee and third total. But RG3′s doctor, orthopedist James Andrew says you can expect RG3 to return by season’s start.

But Peterson maintains he is the exception, not the rule.

“This is also a matter of genetics,” Peterson said. ”Look at my dad. And my mom’s side, my aunts and uncles, they’re all ripped. At 50 years old, they’ve got six packs and eight packs.

“My body just heals differently. I know it has a lot to do with rehabilitation and work ethic — but I really credit my genetics for my recovery as much as anything else.”

Do you think RG3 will be ready in time for next season?

Dec 23, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) calls a play against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III is one of the most dynamic young quarterbacks in the league, but there is some concern that his playing style could lead to a shortened career if he continues to take the big hits from defenders on a weekly basis.

Griffin’s knack for gaining the extra few yards led to him being shaken up this season and there was no hit that served as a bigger wake up call than when Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata struck Griffin in the knee. It resulted in a ligament sprain, but the injury could have been much worse.

The rookie star knows his season could have been ended on that big hit and it has caused him to move forward with caution.

“The injury has shown me a lot – just from a quarterback perspective,” Griffin told the media.  “This game is not easy, but [the injury] did show me some things I can do to make the game easier for myself, easier on my body.

“Ironically, I’ve done a better job of protecting myself since the injury – sliding, getting down, getting all the possible yards I can and getting out of bounds.  Sometimes, things have to happen like that for you to really, really grasp that.  It’s shown me a lot.  I don’t think I’ve ever rushed for 10 yards a carry in a game and I did that in this past game.”

Griffin has shown flashes of brilliance during his first year in the NFL, but if he continues to take big hits his career could be shortened. That is something no one would like to see, so let’s hope Griffin will play with this level of caution for the remainder of his career.

Nov 22, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) is hit by Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware (94) during a game on Thanksgiving at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

When the Dallas Cowboys take on the Washington Redskins Sunday night in Washington, everything will be on the line. The winner of the rivalry game will win the NFC East title and earn a berth in the postseason.

In the first meeting between the two teams, rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III had his way with the Cowboys defense. If Dallas is to win the second meeting, they need to have a different strategy and a former player has offered one up. The original No. 88, Drew Pearson, offered up some advice for the Cowboys as they enter the pivotal match.

“We need to let him know that it’s not going to be that easy or we’re not going to lay down for them and we’re not intimidated by him,” Pearson said. “The way you do that is you go out on that field and you knock him around. Even if it costs you a 15-yard penalty, and I’m only saying this if it’s not a critical situation or anything.

“Sometimes you have to deliver that kind of blow and that kind of message to let him know it’s going to be like this all day and not a walk in the park. We need to establish this with RG3and the Redskins as well.”

There is no secret that the Cowboys will need to contain the rookie Pro Bowl quarterback if they hop to make the playoffs. If they need to get rough and physical, that will be just what the doctor ordered.

December 9, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) runs with the ball against the Baltimore Ravens at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III is expected to start on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles barring a setback, but any doubt could be removed as soon as Thursday.

Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan explained that Griffin could receive clearance to play as soon as tomorrow.

“What the doctors will do is evaluate him tomorrow,” Shanahan said.  “Hopefully there is no setback, no swelling with the knee.  He will be evaluated through the week.  When the doctors tell me the ligament is ready to go, I will announce when he is ready to go. . . . I think they will be able to look at him tomorrow and watch him practice tomorrow. Hopefully there is no swelling but you just don’t know.  So, they will look at it tomorrow and hopefully they will tell us it is full-go.”

The Redskins are in the thick of the playoff race and are currently in a three-way tie for first-place in the NFC East. With the return of Griffin, the Redskins will be favorites to take down the Eagles and remain in the drivers seat for the division title.

December 9, 2012; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) stands on the field prior to the Redskins

Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III will be listed as questionable on the team’s final injury report for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said that Griffin performed much better at practice on Friday, but his status is still up in the air.

“We’ll get a chance to evaluate him [Saturday] and talk to the doctors tomorrow and make a decision,” Shanahan said, per Rich Campbell of theWashington Times.

According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, fellow rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins has received all of the first-team reps during practice this week, with RG3 only participating in individual drills.

Griffin will be a game-time decision.