Robert Griffin III’s knee injury clouds the future for Redskins’ offense

The often dazzling success of rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III in the offensive system drawn up specifically for him by his Washington Redskins coaches was one of the leading story lines of this NFL season.

Unfortunately for the Redskins, the story ended in a cliffhanger: Will Griffin be ready to pick up where he left off after knee surgery? That now promises to draw as much attention as anything else that will happen during the offseason.

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After their most successful season in years, the Redskins clean out their lockers: The 10-6 regular season ended with a 24-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the playoffs. The next day, the team went back to its practice facility in Ashburn, this time to pack up.

Of all that the Redskins accomplished in securing their first NFC East title since 1999, nothing was more significant than Griffin’s performance and the team’s efforts to help him establish himself as one of the league’s most dynamic young stars.

Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan and his son Kyle, the team’s offensive coordinator, designed an offense that took advantage of Griffin’s varied skills by blending elements borrowed from the college game with those more traditionally seen in the NFL. Griffin thrived, setting an NFL rookie record with a 102.4 passer rating and joining Randall Cunningham, Bobby Douglass and Michael Vick as the only quarterbacks, rookie or otherwise, to have an 800-yard rushing season.

With fellow rookie Alfred Morris going from sixth-round draft pick to 1,613-yard rusher, the Redskins could have the cornerstones of a highly productive offense for years to come.

“We kind of showed everybody that we are real competition in the NFC East,” tight end Niles Paul said, “and we definitely have a chance to do big things in the future.”

But Griffin absorbed jarring hits along the way, raising questions about the possible consequences of his playing style and the Redskins’ willingness to use him as a runner. And everything changed for Washington when Griffin’s right knee buckled and he crumpled to the turf late in Washington’s first-round playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

He underwent surgery for tears of his anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments three days later. Some medical experts not involved in Griffin’s case say there is a strong possibility he will not be ready to play at the start of next season. So there’s no way to know now whether the Redskins’ task will be able to build on what Griffin accomplished this season or to find a way to make the offense work without him.

“He’s a young guy and a tough guy, too,” guard Chris Chester said last week, before Griffin’s surgery. “So if there’s anything about his recovery that he can do, he’s going to do whatever it takes to get back out there.”

Griffin’s rookie backup, Kirk Cousins, won a big game down the stretch for the Redskins in Cleveland, his first NFL start, in the one game Griffin missed when he initially hurt his knee. There was talk after that game that the Redskins might be able to pick up a second-round draft choice for Cousins if they decided to trade him. That seems inconceivable now, with Cousins slated to open next season as the starter if Griffin isn’t ready.

With Griffin and Morris, the Redskins had the league’s top-ranked rushing offense in 2012 and ranked fifth in the NFL in total offense. Griffin kept opposing defenses off balance with his ability to run the ball on option plays, and prevented them from focusing exclusively on Morris. If Cousins opens next season as the starter, option plays may become more rare and Morris will have to demonstrate that he can be just as effective without Griffin distracting defenses. But the Redskins appear confident they can win with Cousins.