RICHMOND, Va. -- Robert Griffin III put on his knee brace and passed the Washington Redskins' perfunctory conditioning test on the eve of training camp, then declared he has "nothing left to prove" -- at least physically -- in his return from major knee surgery.

That's doesn't mean he's all the way back.

Griffin said Wednesday he won't participate during 11-on-11 drills in the early days of camp and likely won't play in any preseason games. The quarterback who likes to keep the throttle wide open is going to have to exercise a bit more patience as he and coach Mike Shanahan, who have shared blame for how Griffin got hurt, try to work together to get him on the field for the regular season opener Sept. 9.

"They want to make sure we're not doing anything too soon that we don't have to do," Griffin said. "Let some of these other guys get ready for the preseason. If it comes around that I'm ready to go, then maybe in the third preseason game. But as far as my understanding goes, preseason's really not even in the air. ... I think Coach feels like I can play without any preseason, so there's no need really for that. Patience is the key."