NFL notes: Redskins' Griffin, Shanahan disagree again

So much for perfect harmony. Even on a night when the news is good, Robert Griffin III and Mike Shanahan can't sing the same song.

Minutes after the Washington Redskins quarterback tweeted to the world that he was "Cleared for Takeoff" in his return from major knee surgery, the coach kept him sitting on the runway for a least a few more days, declining to name Griffin as the Week 1 starter.

There is agreement on one very important matter. On Thursday night, when the Redskins were in Florida to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Griffin was cleared to play after being examined yet again by Dr. James Andrews, a remarkable development that comes less than eight months after he repaired Griffin's right knee in January.

Then it gets murky. Griffin celebrated the news by tweeting: "Operation Patience....Complete. Cleared. To God Be The Glory." "Operation Patience" was the catchphrase Griffin used to help deal with the frustration he felt when he was limited in practice by Shanahan during training camp and not allowed to play in preseason games. Griffin also tweeted a link to a photo of himself saluting while wearing his Redskins uniform, with the caption "Cleared for Takeoff."

Shanahan held his postgame news conference and announced that Andrews did indeed clear Griffin to play, but: "There's a couple concerns that he has. I'll talk to Robert over the weekend and I'll let you guys know on Monday."

Shanahan declined to identify the "concerns" the doctor supposedly has. Asked directly whether Griffin would start against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 9, Shanahan wouldn't give an answer.

Andrews himself seemed to distance himself from Shanahan's comments on Friday with a text message to the Washington Post: "None of it is true. No concerns."

Around the league

Eagles • Philadelphia placed defensive end Joe Kruger, a draftee from Utah, on the injured reserve list with a shoulder injury. The team also cut backup center Dallas Reynolds, a former BYU player.

Bills • Buffalo placed quarterback Kevin Kolb on season-ending injured reserve with a concussion and released his potential replacement, Matt Leinart.

Falcons • Atlanta waived Brian Banks, the linebacker who was attempting to make a late start to his NFL career after spending five years in prison on a conviction that was later overturned.

Chargers • Left tackle Max Starks was among 11 players cut by San Diego. The 10-year veteran allowed three sacks in a 41-6 loss to San Francisco in Thursday night's exhibition finale.

Bengals • Defensive end DeQuin Evans has been suspended for the season's first eight games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances for a second time. —

Week 1 schedule

Thursday's game

Baltimore at Denver, 6:30 p.m.

Sunday's games

Atlanta at New Orleans, 11 a.m.

Cincinnati at Chicago, 11 a.m.

New England at Buffalo, 11 a.m.

Tennessee at Pittsburgh, 11 a.m.

Tampa Bay at N.Y. Jets, 11 a.m.

Kansas City at Jacksonville, 11 a.m.

Seattle at Carolina, 11 a.m.

Miami at Cleveland, 11 a.m.

Minnesota at Detroit, 11 a.m.

Oakland at Indianapolis, 11 a.m.

Green Bay at San Francisco, 2:25 p.m.

Arizona at St. Louis, 2:25 p.m.

N.Y. Giants at Dallas, 6:30 p.m.

Monday's games

Philadelphia at Washington, 5:10 p.m.

Houston at San Diego, 8:20 p.m.