Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 23, 1995 TAG: 9507240081
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: FROSTBURG, MD. LENGTH: Long
``There were days when I asked myself, `Am I ever going to complete a pass?''' Shuler said.
It took awhile, but Shuler began to show some of the promise that made him the Redskins' No.1 draft pick in 1994, the stuff of which eight-year, $19.25 million contracts are made.
Believe it or not, Shuler finished with a better quarterback rating than Troy Aikman had as a rookie in 1989, than John Elway had in '83, than Terry Bradshaw posted in '70.
And there's no turning back now. Last year, Washington began the season with NFL veteran John Friesz as the starter while Shuler tried to cram for the not-too-distant future.
Shuler didn't win the job; it was given to him.
Now, with the Redskins in camp at Frostburg State University seeking to rebound from 4-12 and 3-13 seasons, Shuler is the club's most experienced quarterback. As five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darrell Green said, ``We're hoping Heath can carry us through. If he can't ... ''
If he can't, well, then those Washingtonian magazine readers who recently voted Shuler ``the athlete they'd most want to trade'' really will be rushing this passer.
What's comforting to coach Norv Turner, however, is that Shuler is the same person the Redskins drafted from Tennessee. He just isn't the same quarterback.
The worst thing that happened to Shuler last season wasn't a 1-7 record in his starts, nor his .453 completion percentage in a league in which the average was .580.
It was missing the first 13 days of training camp.
``I'm a lot more relaxed now,'' said Shuler, who held out after being picked third overall. ``I'm the kind of person who when he's tense and uptight has a harder time focusing. There's a difference between working hard and pressing yourself.
``This year I'm working hard. Last year I was pressing myself. I was driving myself absolutely crazy when I wasn't in camp last year. I wanted to get here so bad.''
And when he got there, he was so bad ...
``It's like when you're reading a book,'' Shuler said. ``You don't start at Chapter 13 and read to 15. You start at Chapter 1.''
By December of his rookie season, Shuler was more comfortable with himself and his teammates. His command of the huddle didn't come easily, because he's not a yeller but a cheerleader - and he hadn't been giving his teammates much to cheer about.
``This year in camp, he's so much more relaxed,'' Green said of Shuler. ``He talks more. We've had more conversations just in the last few days than we may have had in all of camp last year.
``That's not to knock him. That's just reality. And that comfort level should pay dividends on the field. He came in late last year, with a lot of pressure and a lot of money, and that makes it tougher.
``He was more, last year ... I guess the best words would be `aggressively stirred up.' Now, it's a relaxed leadership. It's kind of like having a big, strong horse you know you can count on, and that's his strength.''
Green said that through the Redskins' successful years, the quarterback he appreciated most was Joe Theismann.
``He maybe didn't have the most talent, and he wasn't the biggest guy,'' Green said. ``But I had the greatest respect for him as a leader. He was a strong horse. I think Heath can be that.''
Not only are the Redskins seeking consistency and stardom from Shuler, they're seeking stability. In the past two seasons, Washington has used six starting quarterbacks - Shuler, Friesz, Gus Frerotte, Cary Conklin, Rich Gannon and Mark Rypien.
Shuler knew he would become a rookie starter eventually, he just didn't know when. Even when Friesz was No.1, Shuler received an inordinate number of repetitions in practice because of his future.
It's the same way in Carolina's camp this year, with rookie third-stringer Kerry Collins being groomed and cutting into the practice snaps for NFL veterans Frank Reich and Jack Trudeau. The situation doesn't make the inevitable quarterback competition any less strained.
Shuler, 23, will be throwing behind a veteran offensive line. The difficult first year hasn't dimmed his confidence, and his can-do attitude has roots much deeper than his days as a Volunteer.
When Joseph Heath Shuler was 11, growing up in Bryson City in western North Carolina, one day his dad challenged him to give up something he liked to test his mental discipline. He chose soft drinks.
His dad told him he would pay $1,000 if Heath could go 25 years without a soda. Not that he now needs the $1,000, but he hasn't had a soft drink since, and he has 11 years to go.
Shuler's work ethic and smarts are obvious, although he said he probably only knew about half of Turner's intricate offense as a rookie. So, he arrived at Redskin Park in Ashburn, Va., at 7 a.m. almost every day for 31/2 months to study and throw.
Besides that knowledge, Shuler sees some omens of success in this camp. He said that although Frostburg is larger than his North Carolina hometown, the mountainous terrain reminds him of his roots.
The Redskins will be returning to his college campus for an Aug.12 preseason game against the Houston Oilers.
``And just down the road here, there's a Deep Creek Lake,'' Shuler said. ``At home, we have a Deep Creek, a stream. I lived about 200 yards from it.''
In a very visible job in a football-mad capital, Shuler hasn't yet been recognized much by what could become an adoring public. He's not so much worried about his Q rating as he is about his QB rating.
``I'm just a little over average height, and I'm not built like a linebacker,'' said Shuler, who is 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. ``So, people don't recognize me as being a football player.
``If you continue to play well, and we start winning some games, you're going to lose your anonymity. To me, that would be important. That would be a positive to lose that, because then we'd be winning some football games.''
by CNB