Griffin is rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee and thinks he'll be back by the start of training camp

Two things immediately come to mind when we look back on Robert Griffin III's rookie season: One, the Redskins' second overall pick exceeded everyone's expectations. And, two, he took a beating while doing it. Ultimately, Griffin suffered a serious knee injury during a playoff loss to the Seahawks.

Skeptics blamed the read-option offense, which often left RG3 exposed to big hits, but produced big plays. And, according to Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, it also offers Griffin the best protection. This has been a talking point for most of the offseason, and it was reiterated again Wednesday, this time by Shanahan's son, Kyle, the Redskins offensive coordinator.

“He stayed healthy last year running the zone read,” Shanahan said, according to the Washington Post's Mark Maske. “So I feel pretty good about that. You really hope no one gets hurt. It's hard to control injuries. … When you do the zone read, everyone [on the opposing defense] is accounted for. There's not many free hitters in it.”

Griffin is rehabbing his surgically repaired right knee and thinks he'll be back by the start of training camp.

Mike Shanahan made similar remarks about the zone-read offense earlier this offseason.

“When most people take a look and they take a look at Robert, they're thinking, ‘Oh, you can't run the option,' ” Mike Shanahan said earlier this offseason. “People don't realize that the option protects the quarterback. The thing I have to get with Robert is when to slide, when not to take a hit. These quarterbacks are so competitive but they don't realize sometimes how valuable they are to your franchise.”

Not everyone associated with the Redskins is buying into the Shanahans' theory. Team radio analyst and former 'Skins quarterback Sonny Jurgensen has a simple message for Griffin: "Quit running."

“As a quarterback, you make your living throwing the football," Jurgensen said in April during an interview with the Washington Post. "If you make your living running the football, you're gonna play 10 games a year. Quit running. Run when necessary; get out of bounds."

Jurgensen's views mirror those of Redskins fans all too familiar with what's it's like to watch mediocre quarterbacks play mediocre football. Now that a legit franchise QB is on the roster, media and fans are understandably concerned.

Kyle Shanahan, however, is not.

“You just look at all the zone-read clips,” he said. “I mean, not many big hits happened on that. Usually everyone is blocked for. You know who isn't blocked. Look at the big hits. Look at what plays they were. The three injuries were pass plays. They weren't the zone read. The zone read is something that I learned going through the year that I think really helped us. It's the least pass rush I've ever seen as a coordinator -- guys just sitting there scared to death, just watching everybody, not moving. I really enjoyed sometimes, actually, being able to drop back and not have four guys just teeing off on the quarterback, all trying to hit him in the pocket.”

The true test will come once the season starts -- and RG3 is cleared to return to the field. Until then, the Shanahans will be hard-pressed to convince critics that the read option is in Griffin's best interest.

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