THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 11, 1994 TAG: 9408110680
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Skin Notes
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CARLISLE, PA. LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines
The push to have quarterback Heath Shuler in the Redskins' starting lineup against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 4 has begun.
Shuler, the team's top draft pick and the third player chosen last spring, will play the second half of Friday night's home exhibition against the Kansas City Chiefs. Veteran John Friesz will start and play the first half, Turner said.
That means seventh-round pick Gus Frerotte, the offensive star of the Redskins' 13-11 loss to the Bills, won't take a snap. Neither will Pat O'Hara.
Frerotte's position on the Redskins is solid. Turner already has pronounced him the team's No. 3 quarterback.
Shuler is another question. He missed 13 days because of a contract holdout, then played against Buffalo despite just three days of practice. Turner gave the players the day off Tuesday before reconvening them for two practices Wednesday and what should be a light workout today.
``We're going to have to decide which two or three things that (Shuler) has never seen before to emphasize,'' Turner said.
Turner admitted that Shuler's play against the Bills was hindered by his lack of practice time. Buffalo used an eight-man line to take away the run and force Shuler to use what few passes he knew. He finished 4-of-10 passing for 47 yards.
``When we play our opener, hopefully we'll have had more than four days practice with our rookie quarterback,'' Turner said. ``But there's a lot of work to do.
``The ideal thing would be to have two weeks where we don't have a game, so we could have training camp. We don't have that luxury. This is going to make it very difficult for Heath. We play Friday and we play again on Thursday. We're not going to get great quality practices over the next 10 days, and we're going to have to do the best we can with it.''
WHERE'S REGGIE? Reggie Brooks, the Redskins' leading rusher a year ago, still has not recovered enough from a pulled hamstring to practice. He has been out close to two weeks, which he admitted has turned into a frustrating time.
``I'm more worried at missing practice than I am the preseason, because you get more reps in practice,'' Brooks said after another morning watching Ricky Ervins, Brian Mitchell and rookie William Bell run in his place. ``It's very tough keeping spirits up and to feel like a part of the team, but the coaches have done an excellent job.''
Brooks was injured participating in an offseason made-for-television competition with other NFL running backs. He said he is about 85 percent healthy, or where he was when training camp started. Back then, he came back too soon. This time, the Redskins have decided to wait until he's completely fit.
Turner and Brooks hope that's in time for next week's game at New England. It's more probable, however, that Brooks won't play until the preseason finale against Pittsburgh on Aug. 26.
MORE M*A*S*H: Tight end Ethan Horton underwent minor knee surgery Tuesday to remove a loose piece of cartilage. It's the same surgery he had while a member of the Raiders. He missed one week then; this time, he may not play until the opener. ... Linebacker Kurt Gouveia, battling Rick Hamilton and Tyronne Stowe for a place at middle linebacker, practiced Wednesday and will play a lot Friday, Turner said. ... Defensive end Dexter Nottage suffered a mildly sprained knee against the Bills. It is not expected to keep the sixth-round pick from practicing. ... Rookie running back Tyrone Rush sat out practice Wednesday. Tests on his injured neck remain inconclusive, and though he says he feels fine, Redskins doctors want to proceed cautiously.
FRIDAY AT RFK STADIUM: Plenty of tickets remain for the 8 p.m. exhibition game against the Chiefs. Tickets are available through the Redskins ticket office, (202) 546-2222, or at TicketMaster outlets. by CNB