RG3 could get green light today

ASHBURN, Va. - Robert Griffin III had a full practice and looked pretty good. Kirk Cousins had a full haircut that looked so bad he had to apologize for it.

The Washington Redskins quarterbacks were back to their regular pecking order Wednesday. Griffin went through a regular full practice with first-team receivers for the first time since spraining his right knee, while backup Cousins was an affable undercard, his mop reduced to a buzz cut by a "communication breakdown" with the barber.

"I have to apologize to my family and friends back home," Cousins said. "I try to represent them well, and my haircut's not doing it."

Griffin said he ran plays at full speed, hoping to persuade doctors to clear him for this week's game against the Eagles at the Linc. He has made known his unhappiness over sitting out Sunday's win over Cleveland, and he's clearly frustrated that the final say is out of his control.

"I'm ready to play whenever they want me to play," Griffin said. "So if it's this week, next week, next couple of weeks. Whatever they say goes, so I'll be ready."

Coach Mike Shanahan said doctors will see how Griffin's knee responds to the practice, particularly as to whether there's any swelling when the rookie shows up at work Thursday.

"Hopefully they'll look at it tomorrow and tell us it is full go," Shanahan said.

Still, the signs are much more positive for Griffin than last week, when the Redskins sent out mixed signals in an effort to the keep Browns guessing. Griffin moved relatively well during the portions of practice open to reporters throughout the week, but then Cousins would take the first-team snaps once the session was closed.

Wednesday didn't have the same smoke-screen feel. After playing decoy for a week, Griffin talked about throwing passes to receiver Pierre Garcon with an arm that was "a little bit more juiced up and ready to go."

Griffin said his relationship with Shanahan hasn't been strained by having to sit out a game - and that it was important not to let personal emotions bring down the team.

Griffin was hurt late in the fourth quarter of the win over Baltimore on Dec. 9. Fellow rookie Cousins led the Redskins to victory in relief, then threw for 329 yards in the 38-21 win over the Browns.

In related news, Griffin was fined $10,000 by the NFL for wearing "unauthorized apparel" at his postgame news conference. Griffin was inactive for the game, and he wore an adidas T-shirt and sweat jacket when he addressed reporters. Griffin has a sponsorship deal with Adidas, but the league has a deal with Nike.