We mentioned earlier in the week that any reports regarding Robert Griffin III's recovery from early January knee surgery should be placed in the "grain of salt" category.

While we still believe it's far too early to become giddy over RG3's perceived progress, the first real indication that he truly has been progressing well has come from the man who performed surgery on the Washington Redskins' franchise quarterback.

"We've got him well on his way," Dr. James Andrews told Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, per Pro Football Talk. "He is an unbelievable athlete as you well know. His recovery is way ahead of schedule so far."

Way. Ahead. Of. Schedule.

With all due respect to Adam Schefter and his sources, I don't feel comfortable with reports on Griffin's recovery speed unless they come straight from Andrews. That's why this really matters.

We also noted that Griffin has the right mentality by thinking long term, and it appears Andrews shares that philosophy regarding one of the most famous right knees on the planet.

"Our whole mode for him, though, is to do what is best for his career, not necessarily what is best for the first game next season," Andrews said. "So all of that has to be put on hold and let him get well."

RGIII first injured the knee on a hit from Haloti Ngata against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 9 in a 31-28 OT win. He re-injured the knee in the Redskins' playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

He had surgery to repair his ACL and LCL ligaments in early January.

We must temper enthusiasm by noting that Griffin is still extremely early in this process. It's not as though it's rare to hear that a pro athlete recovering from surgery is "way ahead of schedule," but not all of those cases end as smoothly as they start.

So far, so good. However, expect many more rumors and reports to come over the next six months.