Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 12, 1994 TAG: 9411170028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
There are a lot of things to like about Washington Redskins' receiver Desmond Howard. He loves his parents, gets along with people and has never given a coach an ounce of trouble.
He's saddened by all of the crime and drugs in the world and is a regular speaker at inner-city youth functions, preaching the virtues of leading a clean and productive life.
He's bright, intelligent, has a degree in communications and is working on a master's degree in social work.
And he has this cute, infectuous and toothy laugh, kind of a cross between Woody Woodpecker and Bugs Bunny.
Howard is a decent and caring person, but his character has little to do with why the Redskins gave him a four-year, $5.9 million contract before the 1992 season.
The Redskins spent two No.1 selections to move up in the draft and take a guy former coach Joe Gibbs uncharacteristically said had ``no holes.''
And, less than three seasons into his contract, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Michigan has been a bust. He has dressed for 42 games, started 16, and caught just 42 passes for 554 yards and five touchdowns.
Clearly, there's something wrong with this picture. Two premium draft picks and $5.9 million for 42 receptions? Those are not even good numbers for a free agent struggling to make the roster.
Until rookie quarterback Heath Shuler arrived this summer and signed a $19.25 million contract, Howard was the most scrutinized, and perhaps criticized, athlete in Redskins' history.
As each game passed without Howard living up to his Heisman hype and big contract, radio talk shows were filled with ``What's wrong with Desmond?'' questions. Midway through his third year, amid rumors the Redskins are preparing to cut their loss and waive him after the season, there still is no bottom line, clear-cut reason why Howard hasn't lived up to expectations.
There are a number of theories, but no answers.
In order of appearance, Theory No.1 concerned his wasted rookie season. He missed the first 35 days of training camp and was in for just 11 plays in his first 11 games. He wasn't even in the game plan until the ninth game and finished the season with three catches.
The theory was Howard was more interested in squeezing the last $25,000 out of the Redskins than getting into camp and getting a head start on his career. It's a theory Howard doesn't refute.
``I missed training camp and didn't know the offense,'' Howard said. ``I had a worth in my mind and I wanted to reach it. I had to stick to my guns even though there were days when I wanted to get in.''
Last season was supposed to be different. Offensive coordinator Rod Dowhower created a major controversy before training camp by announcing that Howard would open camp as the starter and that Art Monk, the most popular and most productive player in Redskins' history, would be a backup.
But Howard was slowed by a groin injury early in camp, was unproductive after he returned and Monk easily regained his starting job by the first game.
Before the mid-point of the season, Theory No.2 surfaced, that Howard did not work hard in practice and, therefore, was not productive in games.
It's a theory Howard doesn't totally refute and remains with him to this day.
``I would never say that I'm a great practice player,'' Howard said at the time. ``I might not do the things in practice that I would do in a game. But I think I'm a good practice player. I'm more or less a gamer. At game time, that's when I shine.''
But he didn't, catching just 23 passes for two touchdowns in 1993.
The 1994 season was supposed to represent a new start for Howard. Owner Jack Kent Cooke had fired most of the old coaches, including Dowhower. It was Dowhower who, in frustration, suggested late in the 1993 season that Howard neither worked hard enough in practice nor ran precise routes.
By the start of training camp, the Redskins had also gotten rid of Monk and Ricky Sanders, the last members of the outstanding receiving corps known as ``The Posse.'' Shortly before the beginning of the season, new receivers coach Terry Robiskie advanced Theory No.3, that Howard would thrive now that he wasn't overshadowed by the veterans.
``Here, I saw a guy who was lost in the shuffle,'' Robiskie said of Howard's first two seasons. ``At Michigan, I saw a guy who showed excitement. He was The Guy, and he was excited.
``When he got here, he was just another guy. He wasn't The Man, and I feel it set him back a bit.''
In typical Howard fashion, he neither endorses nor refutes the theory.
``You can't compare this to Michigan,'' he said. ``There, the passing game was designed to get Desmond the ball. Here, we're not committed to getting the ball to Desmond like at Michigan.''
Eight games into the 1994 season, though, and with just 12 catches to his credit, the theories are beginning to pile up:
nCoach Norv Turner isn't calling Howard's number;
nHoward isn't getting the ball because he can't get open;
nGeneral Manager Charley Casserly overestimated Howard's ability and determination;
nHoward is playing his last season in Washington if he doesn't take a major pay cut in 1995.
The Howard situation is a touchy subject around Redskins Park. The coaches refuse to speculate on his future, preferring to say positive things in the hope he becomes a contributor before the season ends.
``We still have a lot of games to go,'' said quarterback coach Cam Cameron, who coached Howard at Michigan. ``When the season ends, we'll see how that situation pans out.
``Desmond was the greatest thing since sliced bread coming out of high school, but he didn't do anything for us for two years. When the older guys left, he had to step up and he did. Maybe that will happen here.''
But it hasn't happened and there are times when, if you read between the lines, you can sense the coaches' frustration with his lack of productivity.
Robiskie bristled when it was suggested that Henry Ellard, who has 52 catches after 10 games, was the primary receiver on almost every play.
He said Howard's number was called quite frequently, and that there was a reason Ellard has 52 catches and Howard has 16.
``Henry gets away from coverage while Desmond just gets there on time,'' Robiskie said. ``Desmond is working to do the play as designed and can't make the little adjustments Henry makes.
``We're on Desmond so hard right now that he doesn't want to take chances. He doesn't want to screw it up. Henry will take chances.''
One moment, Robiskie says Howard works hard in practice. Other times, he suggests Howard doesn't work hard enough and that the Heisman Trophy may have gone to his head.
``The problem with a lot of guys is they say they are game players and not practice players,'' Robiskie said. ``That's a lot of bull. You have to do it in practice, not just games.
``The expectations for him are not too high for a Heisman Trophy winner. I think some Heisman guys take a big sigh of relief after winning the trophy. They were a great player in college, but that didn't make them a great player at this level.''
Even Ellard suggested that perhaps Howard hasn't fully adjusted to the pro game, where precise routes are a product of hard work every day in practice.
``I told Desmond to keep working because this offense can be productive,'' Ellard said. ``You can get away with a lot of things in college that you can't get away with here. This is a job, and you must treat it as a full-time job. He has a lot of talent, and it's just a matter of working hard at it.''
Howard, an intensely private person who spends his spare time watching television documentaries and listening to jazz and rap music, acknowledges he hears the criticism.
He says he doesn't let it bother him because he knows the truth, the truth being that a contract holdout, injuries and an unwillingness by the coaches to make him the go-to guy have contributed to his unproductivity.
``I have to be at peace with myself,'' he said. ``If I can do that and know the truth, I don't concern myself with what is said because I can't control what everyone else is thinking.
``It hasn't been a successful journey, but I have to stay at peace with myself and not let anybody invade my temple.''
That's worked for him, considering the amount of criticism that has been heaped on him. But only to a point.
``I'm shocked at some at some of the stories that have been written about me,'' he said. ``I try not to let it bother me because I can't control what is written. I try to let it roll off my back, but it does leave a litle dent.''
Howard, fittingly, has his own theory about his unproductive career.
``There are times when I didn't play, and other times when I played and they didn't throw the ball to me,'' he said.
``It's a funny situation. They really can't gain confidence in you unless they throw the ball to you, and they can't throw the ball to you a few times and get confidence in you. How do they expect Desmond Howard to do things when he's not getting the ball?''
There are no definitive answers. Only theories. But the bottom line appears to be that Howard has had ample time to prove he can get open on a consistent basis, and hasn't.
Until the end of the season, at least, theories will continue to abound about why a highly decorated player with ``no holes'' hasn't made an impact.
But that's about all there is, 42 career catches and almost as many theories.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL PROFILE
by CNB