In an obvious attempt at damage control, Washington Redskins star quarterback Robert Griffin III made an unscheduled appearance in the media room to insist there's no rift between him and coach Mike Shanahan.

"Just want everybody to know if there's any questions about if there's a rift between me and Coach, or if there's a conflict, there is no conflict," Griffin said. "Coaches coach. I'm the player. Coach has a plan, and I'm abiding by that plan. I'm doing everything the coaches are asking me to do. I trust those guys. They want me to have a long career. And that's what part of this plan is about."

It's fairly obvious that Griffin was trying to back off his remarks Monday when he said he didn't like the restrictions on his activity level following an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee suffered during the playoffs and didn't get why Shanahan was being so cautious with him.

"Yesterday I voiced my opinion about it because I was asked about it, and that's been twisted and turned and tried to put against his team," Griffin said. "And that's not what we want."

Well, Griffin said what he said. And Shanahan has a responsibility to the franchise to hold him out of preseason games to get him ready for the important time: the regular season.

Despite Griffin insisting he's nearly 100 percent recovered, Shanahan is doing the right thing. It does no one any good for these two to not be on the same page in front of the public eye.

"Robert is an energetic guy who wants to play," Shanahan said. "He shared with you how bad he wants to play. I do talk to Robert. I talk to him about different ways that I think that you can lead or different ways to handle different situations. I will throughout the year, but it doesn't change a person's personality.

"Me and John Elway used to have knock-down, drag-out fights all the time. And that's part of being a competitor, and that's another reason you have great relationships with your quarterbacks."

Griffin is supposed to take part in full-team drills Wednesday. The preoccupation amuses Shanahan.

"I'm going to try to keep this very exciting for everybody so you guys can count the reps," Shanahan said. "We've got a plan. Each week will be a little bit different, and we'll see how the plan goes. Once I share the plan with you, if I do change it, then all of a sudden the world starts tumbling down. I don't need it on SportsCenter every time he takes a rep."

Follow me on Twitter: @RavensInsider

Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun