THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 16, 1995 TAG: 9510160132
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: TEMPE, ARIZ. LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
Michael Westbrook's rookie season may have been shortened by a month or so in Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
The Redskins' fleet receiver went down with a sprained left knee and missed the entire second half. An MRI today will determine the extent of the injury and how much time Westbrook will miss.
The injury occurred late in the second quarter, one play after Gus Frerotte's lob pass in the end zone for Westbrook skittered off his hands and fell incomplete. Terry Allen ran around right end for 12 yards, but rolled over a blocking Westbrook's legs upon being tackled.
Westbrook, second to Henry Ellard with 19 catches this season, ran off the field as though nothing had happened.
``This didn't hurt bad, but I lost control of my legs the next time I started to come in,'' he explained. ``I was sitting on the bench and when I stood up, the leg wobbled when I tried to walk. That's when I said something.''
In the second half, the Redskins went with more two tight-end formations, as well as using Leslie Shepherd and Tydus Winans in place of Westbrook.
FILLING IN: Winans, the second-year receiver from Fresno State, made his first appearance from scrimmage this season. He had one catch during Washington's last-gasp drive, a 32-yard completion that gave the Redskins a first down at the Cardinals 39.
``If I didn't stumble, I could have gotten us even deeper down there and given us a better chance to go for the touchdown,'' said Winans, who has been relegated almost exclusively to special teams after the emergence of Westbrook and Shepherd.
``It was pretty good, but I just wish the outcome was better. This was a tough loss, hard to take any pleasure from the good plays.''
TIMING IS EVERYTHING: That's what Cardinals safety Andre Waters said about his role in the pass Aeneas Williams intercepted and returned 28 yards for the touchdown that gave Arizona a 10-7 lead in the second quarter.
Waters and the Cardinals were having problems timing their blitzes recently. But the former Philadelphia Eagle and longtime Redskins nemesis timed this one perfectly, was on top of Frerotte before he knew it, forcing him to make a pass that hit Williams in the stomach. The cornerback, who once returned two Mark Rypien passes for touchdowns in one game here several years ago, was untouched on his way to the score.
``I was telling the guys, `Let's be patient,' '' Waters said. ``The way to blitz is you look at the clock and it gets down to three, two, one and they're eventually going to have to snap it. Another way is with the man in motion, you can time it because the man can only go so far.
``We were fortunate the man went in motion and I thank God I was there to hit it up the middle and make him make a bad throw. You try to make that quarterback throw off his back foot, and he saw me wide open and that's what he tried to do.''
Frerotte acknowledged Waters' disruptive presence on the play, admitting he should have just thrown it away.
THIS 'N THAT: Redskin Brian Mitchell's 38-yard kickoff return in the second quarter gave him 6,076 career return yards, making him the team's all-time leader in that category. Mitchell moved past Mike Nelms. Mitchell, who executed a reserve handoff to Leslie Shepherd on the opening kickoff that worked for 25 yards, did not return a punt Sunday. Rather than kick to Mitchell, the league's top kick- and punt-returner, Arizona's Jeff Feagles pooched one out of bounds and two through the end zone. ... Norv Turner said Frerotte will start Sunday against Detroit. ... Arizona quarterback Dave Krieg threw for 207 yards, breaking his consecutive-game streak of more than 300 yards at three. But Krieg's day moved him to 33,562 career passing yards, moving him past Phil Simms and John Hadl and into 10th place on the all-time list. by CNB