THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 18, 1996 TAG: 9604180478
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ASHBURN, VA. LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
Not only is it unlikely that Gus Frerotte will be traded by the Washington Redskins when the NFL draft begins Saturday, coach Norv Turner on Wednesday said Frerotte will be given every chance to be the team's starting quarterback once training camp begins.
``The evaluation I have made is that he and Heath Shuler are both capable of being good football players, both capable of being starters,'' Turner said from Redskin Park. ``Both, at times, played at a high level last season. Both, at times, also didn't play at as high a level as we would like. The best way to figure this out is to let them compete and decide it after we get to training camp.''
That may sound like the same old rhetoric, but it represents at least a slight change in Turner's attitude from the end of last season when he said he would review each player's 1995 performance and pick the starter by the time camp opened in mid-July.
Although several teams made offers for Frerotte, most notably the St. Louis Rams, the Redskins resisted trading the former seventh-round pick out of Tulsa. Redskins general manager Charley Casserly wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of a last-minute trade, but called the league's quarterback situation ``pretty much settled when St. Louis signed Steve Walsh after we wouldn't make a trade.''
There are two reasons the Redskins seem unlikely to deal Frerotte - no team will give them the first- and third-round picks he will bring next year if he signs elsewhere as a restricted free agent and Shuler's inability to stay healthy.
``People forget that Heath has been hurt three times since he came here and that the reason Gus played at all is because of those injuries,'' Turner said.
Neither Shuler nor Frerotte were available Wednesday. Turner said he has met with both players and explained his decision.
GILBERT'S GRAND: Recently acquired defensive tackle Sean Gilbert hasn't wasted any time getting to work. Gilbert, who came to the Redskins last week from St. Louis for Washington's No. 1 pick in the draft, reported to Redskin Park the day after the trade and has worked out with his new teammates every day since.
``The first thing you notice about him is that he's really, really big, but also that he's an exceptional athlete, especially in the confined area in which defensive linemen operate,'' Turner said. ``You watch him on film and he just explodes off the ball. He's got an exceptional first step.''
Although Gilbert's agent already is calling for the Redskins to renegotiate a contract that still has a year to go, Casserly sounded more than open to that notion. In fact, he all but assured everyone that the team would draft a player at almost any position but defensive tackle.
``We've made a commitment to Marc Boutte by signing him to a four-year contract,'' Casserly said, referring to Gilbert's partner at defensive tackle. ``And we're hoping to make a commitment, in the form of a long-term contract, for Gilbert.''
DRAFT DOTS: By all accounts, there are several quality running backs available in this draft. Despite Terry Allen's 1,300-yard season in 1995, many experts think the Redskins might be in the market for a player they could groom as Allen's replacement. It could happen, though Reggie Brooks and '95 draft choice Larry Jones seem to have escaped Turner's doghouse. ``Reggie is doing everything he can to keep himself ready for the upcoming season,'' Turner said. ``He's staying after his daily workouts to work on catching passes. It's been good to see.'' About Jones, a University of Miami product whose bulldozing style and pass-catching ability were overshadowed by his fumbling last summer, Turner said he had seen enough of Jones this offseason to have a good feel for what he could contribute - and that could be a lot. ``Physically, he's a lot different that the player who came in here last season,'' Turner said. ``Jones didn't play much so people forget about him. I haven't.'' . . . Although Eddie Murray hasn't signed yet, Casserly said he expected a deal to be done soon and for the veteran to compete with '95 free-agent signing Scott Blanton for placekicking duties. Kicking is among the draft's weakest positions. . . . Of the 15 players selected by the Redskins in the last two drafts, 14 are still on the roster. Nine started at least one game last season. by CNB