Redskins Punt Into Controversy

THE ONLY THING more embarrassing than drafting a punter cutting said kicker because he couldn't make the cut.

Nobody knows this better than Redskins executive vice president Vinny Cerrato, which is why two weeks into the season there is a punter controversy in the nation's capital.


The guy Cerrato drafted and forced on coach Jim Zorn was so bad last week against the Saints that memories of Derrick Frost bring back warm, fuzzy thoughts.


Frost, aptly named considering the reception he received in Washington, was the butt of many a joke. The jeers were well-deserved. He did just enough to infuriate fans and coaches alike, but not enough to be cut in three years under Joe Gibbs.


Sick of it all, Cerrato used a sixth-round pick last April on Durant Brooks, who was the Ray Guy winner and the nation's best punter. An "open competition" was held at training camp.


It was there that Cerrato got caught with his pants down long before Chris Cooley ever did.


By any measure, Frost (45.5 yards-per-kick average) outperformed Brooks (42.8) in the preseason. But the switch to Brooks was a fait accompli.


For some inexplicable reason, punting appears to be different in the pros; college's best is so deep in the doghouse that Cerrato stalked Brooks' moves at practice Wednesday. Is the hook looming?


Only here, a rare spot where Jeff Feagles never landed, could the punter position drum up interest. Yet only in D.C. is there a person so misguided as to draft a punter.


Photo by Toni L. Sandys/TWP