Tim Tebow and Alex Rodriguez must love game-days in the nation’s capital. The media circus that surrounds the surgically-reconstructed knee of the Redskins’ franchise quarterback rivals any in sports. Robert Griffin III has become the face of a city, fans everywhere hang on his every word because his residency in Washington has captivated Redskins nation. t Mike Shanahan is no antagonist in the District of Columbia. Sure, Shanahan drew the ire of many after his decision to leave Griffin III in the Wild-Card matchup with Seattle that resulted in the destruction of Griffin III’s knee, and the end to a promising season; but the Coach brought Washington its’ first division title since 1999.

Daniel Snyder purchased the Washington Redskins in 1999, and the team hadn’t sniffed the playoffs since 1992. But quarterback Brad Johnson is no Griffin III; no Redskins’ team has had as much promise as those commanded by the Shanahan clan, especially the 2012 draft class. After acquiring both a franchise quarterback and tremendous starting tailback in Alfred Morris , Washington found their future, and a legend was born.

Sixteen months later, the former Baylor quarterback has the keys to a kingdom, so long as he has a leg to stand on. Coach Shanahan was butchered by the media during the offseason over the Griffin III injury, and many speculated about a rift between the two leaders of the franchise. With the preseason schedule passing its halfway point Griffin III is itching to play, and Shanahan wishes to avoid being thrown back into a media-driven feeding frenzy.  Shanahan has stated that the return date for Griffin III will be the teams’ season-opener September 9th, on Monday Night football against division-foe Philadelphia. Griffin III still itches to play, and the media have found their faux-cause for a rift.

Both Griffin III and Shanahan respect the other, and both understand that Coach Shanahan’s word is law. The two even shared laughs on the sideline after Griffin III took the field in uniform for Monday Nights’ preseason contest against the Steelers’ Yet, the media continues to badger the sophomore quarterback about this make-believe fracture in the quarterback to coach relationship. Recently Griffin III commented on the issue at hand on ESPN’s NFL Live.

Griffin III recognized the need for communication between arguably a team’s most-important duo “bottom line is, I gotta talk to coach more.” The Redskins quarterback also noted Shanahan’s ability to communicate as well as his availability to his players “part of being a great leader is being a great listener…I trust him.” If that wasn’t enough to convince all that there is no trouble in paradise, Griffin III went on to note that he does not blame Shanahan for his part in the injury he suffered against the Seahawks “it is my job to stay safe in those situations, what I decide to do is entirely on me, that is something I learned from last year.”  Don’t stress about the past Washington, the future is bright.

While the decision to take the field is up to Griffin III as a career decision, Shanahan will decide when the sophomore gunslinger will return to the gridiron on a weekly basis. The necessary pieces are in place for a contender to be built in Washington; only time will tell if a fictitious petty-strife will derail a team on the peak of contending relevancy. For now, a three-tent affair rivaling anything Cirque du Soleil has in their repertoire continues in the heart of Redskins’ nation, and Griffin III has a specific date circled on his calendar.