DATE: Thursday, September 25, 1997          TAG: 9709250549

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA

DATELINE: ASHBURN, VA. LENGTH: 91 lines

REDSKIN REPORT

Johnson itching to return so he can punch a few holes

The Washington Redskins' overtime victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 21 was so long ago, several players said, that they hardly remember anything about it.

Not mammoth guard Tre' Johnson. He has vivid memories of the 19-13 triumph. Vivid, but not pleasant.

They start when Washington moves to the Arizona 1-yard line late in the game after a pass-interference penalty against a Cardinals cornerback. Terry Allen tries the right side, but is stopped for no gain. Gus Frerotte tries to sneak up the middle, but is smothered. Finally, Allen tries the right side again and is stoned short of the goal line.

The Redskins settle for a 19-yard field goal.

``That was unbelievable,'' says Johnson, who watched in frustration from the sidelines, unable to play because he still was recovering from a shoulder injury. ``It was frustrating to see us get that close and not score. That's one thing I pride myself on, being able to punch out a big enough hole close to the end zone for Terry or one of our guys to get in there. Hopefully, we'll have a bunch of one-yard touchdowns this week.''

That's because Johnson, the 330-pound guard who some say is close to Pro Bowl caliber, makes his season debut Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium. It won't be at his normal left-guard spot. That will continue to be manned by Joe Patton. But with Bob Dahl out with a bad knee, Johnson will step into Dahl's spot on the right side and probably play there until Dahl returns.

Or until Johnson's shoulder acts up again. It's anyone's guess which will happen first.

``I'm not 100 percent yet, but it's good enough for me to give it a go,'' Johnson said. ``But if it's not right, I'm going to shut it down. If there's pain, I'm going to shut it down.''

Johnson has reason to be leery of the strength of his shoulder. It wasn't supposed to take this long for the torn muscle inside to heal. Originally, he was slated to take part in the final couple of preseason games.

``But the diagnosis of how long I'd be out was wrong from the start,'' Johnson said. ``The people here said a few weeks, but when I went to the specialist, he said to forget all that, that the damage was more severe than expected and the healing process was going to take longer. So, I guess it's right on schedule.''

Johnson gets a little break Sunday. Jacksonville left defensive tackle John Jurkovic broke his left leg in Monday's victory over Pittsburgh and is out for the rest of the season. Johnson will square off first against former Detroit Lion Kelvin Pritchett, then against Seth Payne, a rookie from Cornell.

``It's going to be hard, getting into game condition,'' said Johnson. All I've been doing is lifting and sprinting. You can sprint all day, but when you're moving with the football, that's something different. That's something special. I need to get back on the field and get my thing right.''

Revised traffic plan aimed at easing jams at stadium

The Redskins and Maryland transportation officials have announced a revised traffic plan for Jack Kent Cooke Stadium for Sunday's Redskins-Jacksonville game.

Fans who take the Capital Beltway to the stadium in Landover will see electronic message signs diverting them from Landover Road/Route 202 west (Exit 17B) to other exits that also lead to the stadium.

In addition, the signs will encourage fans paying cash to park at nearby US Airways Arena for $8 and walk to Cooke Stadium. The Redskins initially had discouraged parking there because they said it would be unsafe for fans to walk to the stadium amid the heavy traffic. Cash lots at Cooke charge $12 a car.

Four in 10 Redskins fans who drove to the opening day at Cooke Stadium took Exit 17B, according to traffic counts. That resulted in Landover and Brightseat Roads, two of the main arteries to the stadium, being jammed.

Quick kicks

The Redskins cut fullback Jim Kitts, formerly of Chesapeake's Great Bridge High School, Tuesday to make room on the practice squad for tight end Chris Sanders. Sanders was moved from the active roster to the practice squad so the Redskins could sign wide receiver Chris Thomas. They expect Thomas to improve their punt and kickoff coverage teams. . . .

Jacksonville's Keenan McCardell, originally drafted by Washington, is the Jaguars' second-leading receiver with 16 catches for 206 yards. Dating back to a stint with the Cleveland Browns two years ago, McCardell has made at least one catch in 25 consecutive regular-season games. . . .

Darrell Green will move into sole possession of second place on the Redskins' all-time games-played list Sunday with 206. That will break the tie between Green and Art Monk, but Green still is 10 games behind leader Monte Coleman. . . .

Defensive end Kenard Lang is doubtful for Sunday because of an inner-ear infection that has had him hospitalized for two nights.

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