Redskins teammates impressed with RGIII

After a morning walk-through indoors, the Redskins took the field Thursday afternoon for the first of 13 practices open to the public.

All eyes are understandably on quarterback Robert Griffin III, who seems to be the topic of nearly every conversation and interview.

"He's just a cool guy," said cornerback DeAngelo Hall. "The guy is just exciting to watch. He makes plays. He's charismatic. Has a lot of energy. It's hard to find that all in one package.

"He's just gotta win games. If he wins games, he's going to be a rock star."

While Griffin III is used to the limelight following his Heisman Trophy run at Baylor last year, the expectations are astronomical as he's expected to immediately take command of the Redskins' offense.

"He has a lot of expectations on him. But for us as his teammates, it's our responsibility to rise to the occasion and help his transition," said running back Tim Hightower. "Take some of that pressure off of him."

"We're going to go as he goes. So he has to rise to the occasion just like we all do."

While Griffin III acclimates to the NFL and the Redskins work in several new pieces on offense, the defense knows it will likely have to shoulder the burden of keeping the team in games in the early going.

"We know we got the most experience coming back on this team, especially on the front seven," said linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. "We're excited for the challenge that this season is going to bring. We know we have the potential, now we just have to live up to it."

One thing everyone seems to agree on is that RGIII has the makeup to handle the heft expectations.

"He's already a humble kid. He doesn't put too much on himself," said Hall. "He's good to go."

--Running back Tristan Davis, safety Tanard Jackson and right tackle Jammal Brown opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list. They count against the 90-man roster limit and can be activated any time before final cuts are made.

Brown, 31, worked out regularly at Redskins Park during the offseason, including yoga classes to help heal scar tissue in his hip. Davis has a knee injury and was unable to pass the camp-opening physical.

--Hightower said his recovery from knee surgery is going well. He has reached out to other players who have returned from similar injuries to discuss the rehab process and how their knees felt at different stages.

"It'll get better with time. I'm not worried about it," said Hightower. "All I know is that when they put me in there, I'm full speed. I've never gone through this process. I've just been taking it one day at a time."

--Wide receiver Leonard Hankerson has recovered from the torn hip labrum that ended his rookie season in Week 10, and said he "feels pretty good right now."

Hankerson did not participate in the offseason program and the training staff is monitoring his progress closely.

"Through college and high school, I didn't really have any major injuries or anything like that," he told the team's website. "It's all good, it's over now. I'm looking forward to getting back on the field with the players, making plays, and having fun."