ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, August 26, 1996 TAG: 9608270035
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ASHBURN
SOURCE: Associated Press
EDDIE MURRAY SAYS there's still some kick left in his 40-year-old legs as he goes for an NFL record.
Eddie Murray, a 17-year veteran who ranks fifth on the career NFL scoring list and second in points scored by kicks, was released by the Washington Redskins on Sunday in favor of rookie Scott Blanton.
With the signing of center Jeff Uhlenake on Sunday, Washington needed to release eight players to trim its roster to the league-mandated 53. Along with Murray, the cuts included defensive tackle Ryan Kuehl of Virginia, tight end Coleman Bell, center Vernice Smith, guard Ron Lewis, former James Madison University linebacker Dion Foxx, corner back Eric Sutton and wide receiver Greg McMurtry.
Murray, who turns 40 on Thursday, said he has seen how rapidly other players can fall victim to the numbers crunch and that Sunday was his turn.
``It was the thought pattern to have two kickers,'' Murray said. ``But things can change in 24 hours. I'm fully aware of that kind of situation. I'm not really shocked that it happened.''
Murray handled the decision with class, praising the preseason performance of Blanton. Blanton spent all of last season on injured reserve after a season-ending groin injury in training camp. He was signed in 1995 as a free agent out of Oklahoma.
``It's something where it's Scott's turn,'' Murray said. ``He deserves the job. He's kicked well in the preseason and he's kicked well in practice.''
Murray wants to land with another team. That would allow him to continue pursuing the NFL record for points after touchdowns, which is 234. Murray currently has 228, his last miss coming on Dec.11, 1988.
``I'm not ready to quit yet,'' he said. ``There's still a lot of kicks left in my leg. My desire is still extremely high ... I'm a now person and it's still football season. I still want a shot at that record of the extra points.''
His only complaint is that he wishes Washington would have released him sooner to give him more time to catch on with another team.
``I'm disappointed because of the timing of things,'' he said. ``I would have preferred it to be at the 60-man roster and not now. If someone might have been interested, then it would have been a situation where I could have had a preseason game with someone else, but now teams are pretty set. It's going to be highly unlikely that I can get an opportunity until maybe even the midpoint of the season.''
Speculation had been that Washington would keep both kickers, with Blanton mostly performing the kickoff duties.
Now, the untested 22-year-old Blanton will be forced into pressure situations. One of the reasons for Murray's longevity is his consistency in making game-winning field goals under difficult circumstances.
``I think they were waiting on that situation, they wanted it to come up in the preseason, so they could throw me in there and see how I handled it,'' Blanton said. ``But that didn't come up, so I still have to prove I can make a last-second field goal in the NFL. Every kicker does. I just have to wait for that chance.''
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines KEYWORDS: FOOTBALLby CNB