Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 5, 1995 TAG: 9509070024
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
It took about 10 minutes Sunday for the Redskins to turn the corner, literally, and perhaps figuratively. And after they did, it was Westbrook standing in the end zone.
On the Redskins' first possession of the 76th NFL season, coach Norv Turner called for a reverse left. On third-and-five from the Arizona 49, wide receiver Leslie Shepherd ran 26 yards. On the first play of the next possession, Westbrook went the same misdirection for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Washington led 10-0 after 10 minutes against an aggressive Cardinals defense that was predictably into the overpursuit of happiness.
``We set it up when we played [Arizona] last year,'' Redskins coach Norv Turner said. ``You have to do things like that when you play someone twice a year. The ability to get those plays early ... obviously we wanted to do something. Things haven't exactly been positive around here in the last month.''
Not only were the Cardinals stunned, they also found themselves suddenly having to respect the Washington flanks. That helped open the interior for Terry Allen's 131 rushing yards in a 27-7 victory.
Westbrook is the Redskins' rookie first-round draft pick. He held out three weeks of training camp, then signed a seven-year, $18 million contract as the No.5 overall pick. Then he became the first Washington rookie to score an opening-day touchdown since running back Ralph Nelson - a one-year Redskin who didn't go to college - 20 seasons ago. Nelson caught a scoring pass from Billy Kilmer.
Westbrook's presence gives the Redskins several ingredients they didn't have in last year's 3-13 finish. He uses his 6-feet-3 and his 215 pounds. He has the speed to go past cornerbacks, the height to go over them. He will go over the middle on slants and initiate contact and battle safeties, as he did Sunday in one end zone tussle - no interference was called - with fellow rookie and Newport News native Kwamie Lassiter.
``It just happened,'' Westbrook said. ``It wasn't important. I just want him to know I'm there.''
Westbrook made rookie mistakes, like lining up a step behind the line of scrimmage and having what would have been his first NFL touchdown reception called back on a penalty. Then, he also turned a somersault to get into the end zone on the play.
``He made a great play on the touchdown,'' Turner said. ``Then he lined up off the line and it cost us a touchdown. Those things are correctable. He's a rookie, but he's obviously an impressive athlete.
``You find ways to get Michael the ball. He's one of those players who can make the big play.''
Shepherd is similar, if less celebrated. In addition to his 26-yard run, he caught a game-clinching 73-yard rainbow from Gus Frerotte late in the third quarter. A Redskins fan as a youth in nearby Forestville, Md., Shepherd impressed Washington in a preseason game last year, and the Redskins signed the former Temple star when he was cut a few days before the season. He spent most of last year on the practice squad.
Westbrook and Shepherd should give opposing secondaries someone to shadow other than Henry Ellard, the future Hall of Famer who ranks seventh on the NFL career receiving list. Imagine how good Westbrook might be once he's been around long enough to learn the playbook.
Another old Redskin QB, Sonny Jurgensen, figures this team for a 5-11 finish. He also is predicting Westbrook as the NFL Rookie of the Year. And make no mistake, he is a rookie. In the RFK locker room, he shares a cubicle with fourth-string running back William Bell.
``I have a lot of confidence,'' Westbrook said, not sounding like a player who just finished his first NFL game. ``I just wanted to go out there and do what I'm capable of doing. And I think I'm capable of doing just about anything anybody else is capable of doing. I came around the corner [on the reverse TD], and there was nothing but green.''
He wasn't referring to $18 million.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB