DATE: Tuesday, September 16, 1997           TAG: 9709160423

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   98 lines

REDSKINS-CARDS: A STADIUM-OPENER Q&A

Day-after questions and answers from the Redskins' 19-13 overtime victory over the Arizona Cardinals Sunday at new Jack Kent Cooke Stadium:

Q - What was your impression of the stadium?

A - The outside is nothing to write home about. From a distance, the pedestrian ramps look like scaffolding. Hardly aesthetic. The ``Big Jack,'' as some writers are rather stupidly calling it, is the epitome of functional.

Inside the stadium is a different story. It's everything you could want in a football facility, although some of the sight lines in the upper deck apparently aren't as good as advertised.

It's too early to pass final judgment on the place. There is still much to do before the stadium is complete. Late Saturday night, for example, workers were just getting around to laying the carpet on one of the stadium's grandest features, the Redskins Hall of Fame. It was open Sunday, but couldn't possibly be close to what the Redskins ultimately envision.

Ironically, there was a lot of speculation 18 months ago that the Redskins would open the season with three road games, then have a bye, then make their debut at JKC on Week 5. Turns out that schedule would have been ideal for fans to have come into a fully appointed stadium.

There were bathrooms where the sinks didn't work and concession stands had run out of $3 hot dogs - cheapest thing on a horribly price-inflated menu - before halftime. And the $4 Slingin' Sammy Sausage was gone by the end of the first period. It's like the food service people weren't expecting a big crowd.

Q - What was all that yellow I saw on TV?

A - Brace yourself. They were empty seats. Unsold seats, a couple thousand of them. Although the Redskins vow that they'll be gone by the final game this season, the fact is that that's easier said than done. Why? Because they're club seats, which are priced at between $99 and $199 per game, a lot of money, even by NFL standards.

What's more, you've got to make a five-, seven-, or 10-year commitment. These seats are not available on a per-game basis. The Redskins built 15,000 club seats, most in the NFL.

Q - So the Redskins' sellout streak is over and games will not be blacked out in Washington?

A - No and no. Because not every NFL stadium has club seats and luxury boxes, the league doesn't count those when determining whether or not a game is a sellout. Only stadium seats count, and the Redskins have none left to sell. Therefore, they can announce as a sellout a crowd of 78,000, then say that capacity at JKC is 80,000.

Q - Enough with the stadium. What's wrong with the offense?

A - Several things. One, the Redskins have yet to play their first-string line. Tre' Johnson, who may be their best lineman, won't go until the Jacksonville game two weeks from now because he's still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. When Johnson comes back, Joe Patton will move from guard to left tackle and Shar Pourdanesh will move back to the bench. Johnson was involved in practice last week and should be ready for the Jaguars.

Two, quarterback Gus Frerotte has been erratic. At times Sunday, he appeared overly cautious about throwing down the middle, especially after tossing an early interception. He hasn't elevated his play past the ordinary this season. Maybe that final, game-winning pass to Michael Westbrook will get him started.

Q - What happened with the defensive line? It more than held its own with the Cardinals.

A - You just answered part of the question yourself. The Redskins were playing the Cardinals, who don't have an offensive line as good as Carolina's or Pittsburgh's.

But the Washington D-linemen also got sick and tired of criticism the last two weeks, how they were nothing without holdout Sean Gilbert. They say they rededicated themselves to playing more under control, staying in their lanes rather than exercising unbridled pursuit of the ballcarrier, and it paid off.

It's a unit that as much as anything could use an extended period of good health. Chris Mims and Marc Boutte both had knee problems during the summer. They started their first game side-by-side at tackle Sunday. End Jamal Duff has been with Washington three weeks. He and Rich Owens shared the position against the Cardinals and each made his share of plays. The other end, rookie Kenard Lang, had a solid game and also should get better.

Q - Was that the game everyone's been waiting for from Westbrook?

A - The two scoring plays certainly were the type everyone thought he'd make on a regular basis when he was drafted. But there's no doubt the Redskins hope Westbrook develops into a four- or five-catch-a-game player, and soon.

Q - Is he over whatever problems he had that caused him to lash out at Stephen Davis?

A - Coach Norv Turner hinted broadly Sunday that Westbrook is working through some things that surfaced as a result of his ambush of Davis. Remember, that $50,000 fine wasn't his only punishment. It was widely perceived that Turner was going to insist Westbrook undergo therapy as well. No one has made a public pronouncement on that area yet, nor is it expected, out of deference to Westbrook's right to privacy.

Q - Turner rushed over to the pile of players celebrating with Westbrook after his touchdown catch. Did he say anything to him?

A - Turner said he screamed ``Aarrgghh!'' in the earhole of Westbrook's helmet and that Westbrook yelled back, ``Aarrgghh!'' Who says these guys don't communicate? ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

Because about 2,000 club seats - priced from $99 to $199 each per

game - have not yet been sold, Sunday's Redskins game had a rare

sight: empty seats.

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