Wuerffel May Be a Possibility

[TK]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6538-2003Oct23.html

Redskins Notebook

Wuerffel May Be a Possibility

By Mark Maske

Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, October 24, 2003; Page D11

The Washington Redskins are considering re-signing quarterback Danny Wuerffel, Coach Steve Spurrier said yesterday.

"We'll see if that's a possibility or not,'' Spurrier said at Redskins Park following his team's final practice of its bye week. "I don't know if it's going to happen or not, but it could."

The club released veteran quarterback Rob Johnson, who was signed in the offseason to back up starter Patrick Ramsey, on Wednesday and signed Tim Hasselbeck. Ramsey and Hasselbeck are the only two quarterbacks on the Redskins' 53-man roster. The team has rookie quarterback Gibran Hamdan on its five-member practice squad.

The Redskins signed Wuerffel during training camp but released him just before the season over Spurrier's objection.

"If we believe that we need Danny here, we'll certainly try to get him here," Spurrier said. "I don't know if Danny wants to come. His wife is . . . expecting a baby real soon. He may be set doing what he's doing in his ministry down in New Orleans. So I don't know if he wants to come back or not, but it may be something we want to explore."

Wuerffel was not available to comment and his agent, Michael Moye, declined to comment. Wuerffel won a Heisman Trophy and a national championship playing for Spurrier at the University of Florida, and shared the Redskins' starting job last season with Ramsey and Shane Matthews.

Spurrier said if the team does not sign Wuerffel it might promote Hamdan -- a seventh-round draft choice last spring out of Indiana -- to the 53-man roster to be Ramsey's primary backup.

Spurrier gave his players today through Sunday off. They will return Monday to prepare for the Nov. 2 game at Dallas.

Ramsey has been sacked 22 times this season and failed to finish the last two games. He was knocked from Sunday's 24-7 loss at Buffalo, suffering a bruised right (throwing) hand and right hip. But he practiced the past two days and said he will have no problems getting ready for the Cowboys.

Hasselbeck has not thrown a regular season pass in the NFL after entering the league as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College in 2001. He split last season between the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers, and injuries left him second on each team's depth chart temporarily. The Eagles released him in August.

Hasselbeck, the son of former NFL tight end Don Hasselbeck and the brother of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, had his first practice with the Redskins yesterday. He said his crash course on Spurrier's offensive system will continue this weekend.

"This isn't a bye week for me,'' he said. "But I've had eight bye weeks already. . . . I remember when [spurrier] was coaching in college, I said, 'I don't know if I could play in that system, being pulled in and out like that.' But . . . he's made me feel very comfortable and made me feel like he can work with me and make me a better quarterback."

Redskins Notes: Guard Derrick Dockery (sprained shoulder) and center Larry Moore (sore back) didn't practice yesterday, but Spurrier said he expects both to be ready to practice next week. . . . Sources confirmed a New York Times report that special teams coach Mike Stock was unaware that defensive end Ladairis Jackson had been released when he pointed out a mistake by Jackson during a meeting Tuesday. But Spurrier said he had been aware that Jackson had been cut and attributed the confusion to "a misunderstanding." Spurrier said he also regretted that he had not spoken to Jackson about being released.

"You'd like to handle it properly, but sometimes it's not," Spurrier said. "That's the way it goes. I left Rob a message on his cell phone and wished him good luck."

© 2003 The Washington Post Company