In light of the Washington Redskins' early season woes, receiver Pierre Garcon admitted Robert Griffin III isn't the same quarterback with a knee brace on.
Griffin, eight months removed from ACL surgery, has struggled to return to form. Washington has dropped both of its first two games. While the losses can't be placed squarely on Griffin's shoulders (see: Redskins secondary), the reigning Rookie of the Year has gotten off to slow starts.
He hasn't been effective on the ground, either. After two games, Griffin has just nine carries for 25 yards, according to Pro Football Talk. Garcon blames part of Griffin's lack of explosiveness on the clunky knee brace the quarterback has to wear on his surgically-repaired knee.
"Well, when you're walking around with a knee brace or playing with a knee brace, obviously it's slowing you down a little bit," Garcon told ESPN radio on Tuesday, via the Washington Post. "It's just natural. It's common....I don't know how much it weighs, exactly, but you always think about it when you have it on there, and it's a constant reminder.
"It's not gonna let you be the guy you are without the knee brace. When you have something around your knees - the more equipment you have on, it's obviously distracting you or slowing you down from being as free as loose as yourself without any equipment on."
So, if Griffin continues to look un-Griffin-like, what are the chances the brace comes off by the end of the season?
Very slim. He hasn't ruled out permanently wearing the knee brace, either.
"I know I'll wear it for the rest of the season," Griffin told the Redskins website in July. "After the first time I had the injury (at Baylor), I wore it for a year and I thought I'd wear it the rest of my life. The next year came around, and I took it off, and we won a Heisman and did a whole lot of other things. It just depends on how the leg feels. I don't plan on wearing it past this season, but that all depends on what happens."
Griffin also said during the same interview that he'd get used to wearing the knee brace since he's worn it since his rehab.
While the knee brace certainly takes away from his speed, his early season struggles can't entirely be placed on the bulky brace. Griffin, now in his second year, missed an entire preseason - knocking off rust appears to be just as big of an issue, if not bigger.
Washington hopes to avoid going 0-3 next Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
