Versatile Buc gets his shot

With Cosey Coleman out, Todd Washington moves into the starting right guard spot.

By ROGER MILLS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 15, 2002

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- When he visited the Cleveland Browns during his free-agency tour this past offseason, offensive lineman Todd Washington made a stunning discovery. He had blown up to 350 pounds, the heaviest he had been in his life.

The Browns, interested in his ability to play center and guard, were concerned about the weight and its effect on a left knee that needed arthroscopic surgery. Wash-ington's stock wasn't rising.

"It was depressing, very depressing," Washington said. "It was my first time in the free-agency period, and I didn't know how to handle things. I got on my knees and prayed to the Lord to take care of everything."

With that jolt of reality, Washington signed a four-year contract with Tampa Bay in March. Under the direction of new line coach Bill Muir, Washington shed about 40 pounds and put himself in a position to compete for a starting job or be ready to replace center Jeff Christy when his career ends.

Good thing.

With right guard Cosey Coleman out for about four weeks, Washington, 26, will start against the Jaguars on Friday. As he did when Christy went down before the opener at Dallas last season, the fourth-round pick from Virginia Tech will be expected to maintain the status quo.

"That's the National Football League. One man goes down, another man has to pick the flag up," Muir said. "Todd picked the flag up and went on.

"He's been getting quite a few snaps at guard, equally distributed between guard and center up to this particular point.

"Although he was surprised by the sudden turnaround, he was certainly prepared for it."

Washington said he welcomes the challenge.

"The wheels can't fall off just because one of the starters goes down," Washington said. "It's my job to make sure there's no drop-off. Whether I'm hurt or not, there's got to be no drop-off."

One hurdle is Washington's knee. Hurt during practice late last season, he got through the season with some discomfort and spent the early part of the offseason trying to rehab it without surgery.

But when it flared up during the March workouts, Washington had surgery.

Now he plays with a brace that likely will be around for a few more weeks. He said he can handle the lingering soreness.

"(It hurts) just enough to let you know that it's there," said Washington, who weighed 302 pounds before Wednesday's workouts. "You can ice it all day. You can lay off of it. You can rest it. But in this business, you don't have time, especially when your number is called. You don't have time to worry about those things.

"I'm still fighting through the pain. It's going to be a while. But that's what happens when you have surgery and come back quickly. You have to do rehab, and my muscle tone is not where it needs to be. And it's something that I work on every day.

With the Bucs' other right tackle, Kendell Mack, out with a torn MCL, Washington has been forced into more action than most players coming off offseason surgery. Until the Bucs can sign a guard, Washington and second-year player Russ Hochstein must carry the load.

"I guess (the surgery) is something that probably should have been done a long time ago," Washington said. "But you've got to do what you've got to do."

Muir said the injury is a concern but an obstacle that can be overcome. "Well, obviously you wish he was 100 percent healthy, but we have to go on," Muir said. "He has to go on as best as he possibly can. We have every indication to believe that he is rehabbing the injury and that he's making progress. Hopefully, it's not going to be a lingering thing."

Coach Jon Gruden said he would not risk losing another guard but believes Washington will be fine.

"He's got a little soreness in there, but there's nothing structurally wrong," Gruden said. "He's got to fight through this right now. This is the opportunity he's been waiting for his whole career. We plan on making the most of it.

"We will be smart, obviously, talking to the training staff and seeing what his status is. But we think he's ready to go.

"Right now, he's got to zero in on playing right guard. He's going to take a lot of turns there this week in preparation for this game. And hopefully, he'll be able to show us what he can do. We're counting on him."