DATE: Wednesday, August 6, 1997             TAG: 9708060632

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: FROSTBURG, MD.                    LENGTH:   93 lines

JOHNSON HOPING TO FIND HIS NICHE THE SKINS' FORMER NO. 1 PICK WANTS TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION, AND SEE PLAYING TIME, THIS SEASON.

``I want you at practice early today,'' offensive line coach Russ Grimm tells Andre Johnson with mock seriousness, before bending over and using his gnarled, beefy hand to simulate the center snap. ``I want you to try a couple of those because, you know, you gotta be able to play every position.

``Besides,'' Grimm continues, nodding at a group of interested reporters, ``it'll stir the pot.''

Grimm roars and Johnson, the only No. 1 pick the Washington Redskins have had in the Norv Turner Era to come to camp on time, make every practice, but never play in a game, laughs just as loudly. It's funny, for now.

It may not be in a few weeks. On Monday, the Redskins moved Johnson from backup left tackle to backup right tackle, sending Shar Pourdanesh over to the left side behind starter Joe Patton. They say it's only for a week; Johnson says he was told he'll take enough snaps over there to be comfortable.

It would be a surprise if either were true. With guards Tre' Johnson and Bob Dahl recovering from surgery, there is the real possibility Patton will have to move from tackle to guard when the Redskins open at Carolina on Aug. 31. They'd much rather have Pourdanesh move among the starters if Patton is displaced.

Everyone says Johnson is better than a year ago - a better player, in better condition, better prepared to play. That's not the question. The question is whether he's good enough.

That's what you never hear anyone say. This year's No. 1 pick, defensive end Kenard Lang, is in camp four days and Turner and line coach Earl Leggett each say that he looks like a top draft pick. No one's willing to go even that far with Johnson.

Last week, Grimm told reporters that Johnson needed ``more intensity.''

In the exhibition opener against Tampa Bay, Johnson played against the Buccaneers' second unit.

``He did all right,'' Turner said.

Johnson had hoped to hear something more enthusiastic than that by now. He admits he was almost totally unprepared for pro football, an astonishing admission from a player coming from a program like Penn State. He lived in Washington during the offseason, turned his bloated, lumpy body over to strength coach Dan Riley and was a workout regular.

``You saw someone who had matured, someone who had come to understand that this took work,'' Riley said.

Johnson says he was motivated, in part, by the way the Redskins isolated him from the rest of the team last season. He dressed for just one game, didn't play in it, and spent the other 15 weeks on the inactive list, in street clothes.

``As an athlete, it hurt,'' he admits. ``I wanted to be out there competing. Without that, the season was very disappointing. It also was a little extra added incentive to get on the field this year, make an impression.''

The switch gives him one more chance to do that. He played both sides of the line at Penn State and says it wasn't hard because flip-flopping was part of the regular game plan. It's not part of the regular game plan here. Every time a play is called, Johnson now must retrain his mind to program a new assignment.

``I looked comfortable?'' he repeats. ``I wasn't. It felt different. I had to adjust my stance. It's something new to do, something to keep me on my toes.''

To his credit, Johnson doesn't whine about his fate. He didn't cry on teammates' shoulders last season.

``I'm a strong person,'' he explained. ``Every player has things to adjust to. This is something I can carry on my own. I looked inside myself for the strength to keep going.

``I'm last year's No. 1 pick, and I still have pressure on me to prove to myself that I belong here. I want to show the coaches they made the right decision in picking me.''

NOTES: Receiver Michael Westbrook says he has ordered a new, lighter knee brace and that he will wear it throughout the regular season. Westbrook has been hampered by knee injuries during his first two seasons. The knee is not bothering him now, but he says he doesn't want to take a chance that it'll flare up again. . . . Assistant general manager Joe Mendes met with Gus Sunseri, the agent for holdout tackle Sean Gilbert, in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. No word on whether progress was made on Gilbert's contract. . . . The swelling in DT Marc Boutte's right knee was down from Monday, but he still will be examined by team doctor Gordon Avery today and still is likely to have arthroscopic surgery on Thursday. . . . The results of DE Dexter Nottage's MRI are that he has a degenerative change in the lower lumbar region. He will return to back exercises to strengthen the area rather than undergo surgery. . Tuesday with no swelling on his knee. Trainer Bubba Tyer says he hopes Mims can return to practice next week. . . . S Leomont Evans has shingles, a virus that affects the nerve endings, on the side of his face. He is on medication, cold treatments and resting. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Andre Johnson is the only No. 1 pick in the Norv Turner Era to

report to camp on time, make every practice but never play in a

game.

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