Robert Griffin III Claims He Can Run 4.3 40-Yard Dash After Knee Injury

Maybe Robert Griffin III's knee isn't going to be such a major issue after all.

Griffin told Kevin Sheehan of ESPN 980 that he could still run a 4.3 in the 40-yard dash, according to DC Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg, who recorded the conversation:

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“Are you just as fast as you were?” Sheehan then asked.

“I don’t ever say that,” Griffin answered. “I just tell people I can still hit turbo.”

“Is turbo 4.3 something?” Sheehan asked.

“Oh, I think so,” Griffin said. “If I went out there and had to run a 40 today, like at the combine, in my underwear, I feel like I could go 4.3.”

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Griffin's recovery from the knee injuries he suffered at the end of the 2012 season has been one of the ongoing storylines of the preseason. The biggest questions—such as when he will return to the field and what kind of player he will be when he returns—have yet to yield any concrete answers.

Regarding the latter, the news is trending toward the positive. His surgeon, Dr. James Andrews, has already gone on record to call Griffin "unbelievable" and put him in the same category of rehab success as Adrian Peterson, per ESPN.com.  

Peterson tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee in December 2011. He infamously returned in 2012 and ran for 2,097 yards, just eight shy of Eric Dickerson's single-season record. This has now become the example of how quickly and effectively an athlete can recover from such a significant injury.

Griffin's return date has not been set. The Washington Post's Mark Maske reported a few weeks ago that the Washington Redskins would target Week 1, but Andrews has yet to sign off on RG3 getting back on the field. More will be known after Washington's last preseason game, on Aug. 29.

Redskins fans will be encouraged by what Griffin had to say, though. He's put in the work in the rehabilitation process, and he has enough confidence in himself to not question what kind of player he'll be post-injury.

The former Heisman Trophy winner might not have the same kind of freedom to run the ball as he did last year, but he appears primed to be the RG3 of old in no time.