RICHMOND, Va. — Robert Griffin III put on his knee brace and passed the perfunctory Washington Redskins 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 in 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 no need really for that. Patience is the key.”

Griffin had reconstructive surgery on two ligaments in January after injuring his right knee multiple times in a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Team doctors and coaches cleared him for practice within the last week, setting a remarkable pace for a rehab that can typically take a year or more.

“In my mind there’s nothing left to prove,” Griffin said. “And that’s the way you have to approach the game when you’re coming off of an injury. If you pass the test, then in your mind, you feel like you’re ready to go.”

But Shanahan is determined to play it safe with his franchise quarterback, having said he wants to make sure Griffin is 100 percent before playing in a game.

“I think we’re on the same page,” Griffin said. “We all made mistakes last season. We all understand that. We all talked about it, and it’s time to move on.”