THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 5, 1996 TAG: 9605050206
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ASHBURN, VA. LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Rich Owens' offseason routine is the same nearly every day:
6:30 - Wake up.
7:30-9:00 - Work out at Redskin Park.
9:15 - Eat breakfast: grits, six scrambled eggs, 2 orders of toast, hash browns, sausage and one, maybe two, chicken sandwiches.)
Noon - Fall on knees and say thanks for being alive.
``Not a day goes by - not one - where I don't sit back and say, `Wow, I can't believe I'm here,' or `Wow, I can't believe how lucky I am,' or `Wow, I've come a long way since last year,' '' Owens said in between outrageously broad smiles Saturday at Redskin Park.
``I talk to myself all the time. It's `one year ago, I worked out with (Redskins defensive line coach Bob) Karmelowicz' and `one year ago I was drafted' and `one year ago I attended minicamp' and `one year ago, I played in my first game.'
``Every day I'm here I celebrate another anniversary. It's a magical experience to be here.''
If the Great Rich Owens Experiment works out as well as the Washington Redskins hope, they'll not only help him celebrate all those future anniversaries, they'll buy the cake. A year ago, Owens came to his first Redskins minicamp as the team's fifth-round draft pick out of tiny Lehigh. The coaches liked bits and pieces of what they saw on film, but had no idea what the total package would look like.
But Owens, a 6-foot-6, 255-pounder from Philadelphia, didn't disappoint them. His infectious enthusiasm, willingness to learn and improve led them to put him in the starting lineup the last three games of the season. Against the Giants, Rams and Panthers, Owens totaled 17 tackles and three sacks, enough for the Redskins to give him every opportunity this season to keep the job permanently.
``I like where he is,'' defensive coordinator Ron Lynn said after watching his young right end in a Saturday morning minicamp workout. ``He's bigger and stronger than last year, but we won't know everything about how much he's progressed until we see him in pads.''
That won't be until July. Between now and then, Owens will continue restructuring his body into more conventional NFL contours.
Thanks to six other daily meals more or less the size of breakfast, Owens now weighs about 265. The added weight and strength haven't diminished his speed and quickness, the two most vital elements in his future success.
``I got kind of tired of getting double-teamed and thrown on my behind (last season),'' Owens said. ``I feel a whole lot more confident as opposed to last year. I'm stronger, which helps, and I'm coming in with a year under my belt.''
``He's a very natural football player,'' coach Norv Turner says. ``He's got the physical skills; you put that together with his instinct and the potential is there for an outstanding player.''
Newly acquired tackle Sean Gilbert should help, everyone agrees. A strong pass-rusher, Gilbert and Ken Harvey will team up on the right side in passing situations. Owens will shift to the left side, presumably away from the double-team.
``I'm really going to appreciate Sean a lot when he gets double- and triple-teamed,'' Owens said. ``If I get the sack and he's got two or three guys on him, I'll help him up, tell him, 'Thanks, Sean, buddy.' ''
Lynn still worries about Owens' small-college upbringing, the fact that Lehigh isn't known for sending hordes of even serviceable players to the pros. Other projects, Dexter Nottage in particular, showed tremendous progress their first year or so, only to tail off dramatically.
``He's got to see himself as a starter first,'' Lynn said. ``It may take the exhibition season for him to make that jump. He loves what he's doing. He looks around and realizes `I can make money playing this game,' and it makes him happy.''
A year ago, Owens produced what he thought was a realistic timetable, factoring his size, competition, experience, pass-rushing technique, etc.
``I figured I'd see some special-teams work the first year, maybe play in some pass-rushing situations late in the season,'' Owens said. ``I never thought I'd start the last three games of my rookie season. The way I figure it now, I'm a year and a half ahead of schedule.''
Recently, Owens has watched films of the Eagles, Saints and Redskins 1995 sacks, searching for an edge on the field. He's also worked on his hand speed to help gain leverage against men who will outweigh him by about 25 pounds.
``If you play with leverage, you don't need an abundance of strength,'' Owens said. ``If I get leverage on my man, I've won the down.''
Owens figures that will happen enough for him to record 12 sacks this season. That's 4 1/2 more than '95 leader Ken Harvey produced and the second-highest single-season total since Dexter Manley's 18 sacks in 1986.
If that happens, Turner will be the one hitting his knees every day before noon to give thanks. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
At 6-foot-6 and a heftier 265 pounds, Rich Owens figures he should
record 12 sacks this season.
by CNB