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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Westbrook Comes To Terms

From Wire Reports

Twenty-six days late and $6.5 million richer, Michael Westbrook showed up for work at Frostburg, Md., Tuesday with the Washington Redskins.

Now comes the tough part: breaking the Redskins’ holdout jinx.

By signing a seven-year, $18 million contract, Westbrook became the third first-round pick in four years to join the team after a lengthy holdout. His predecessors, receiver Desmond Howard and quarterback Heath Shuler, never could recover from their late starts and suffered through miserable rookie seasons.

“He’s not going to be as good as he could have been had he been here the whole training camp,” said coach Norv Turner, who expects to give Westbrook some playing time Saturday night at Miami.”He’ll be doing a lot of on-the-job training,” said 13-year veteran Henry Ellard, who will serve as Westbrook’s mentor. “This offense takes a good year-and-a-half, two years, to get comfortable with it.”

The Redskins are seeking to rebound from 4-12 and 3-13 seasons, and the first-team offense has yet to score a touchdown in two exhibition games.

But Westbrook, who had been working out with former teammates at the University of Colorado, said he could quickly adjust to the routine.

“As long as the ball is thrown to me, it won’t take long at all,” he said.

Westbrook’s signing leaves Florida State defensive end Derrick Alexander as the only unsigned first-round pick. Alexander was selected 11th by Minnesota.

Seahawks trim roster

At Kirkland, Wash., cornerback Kirby Jackson, who played in three Super Bowls with Buffalo, was one of four players released by the Seahawks.

Also placed on waivers were defensive end Bobby Hamilton and offen

sive tackle Mike Moody, who played in the World League this spring, and fullback Robert Baldwin, a rookie free agent.

The moves that reduced the Seahawks’ roster to 75 players gave them an early jump on next week’s mandatory roster cut to 60 players.

Anything but a bold prediction

At Rocklin, Calif., Jimmy Johnson got a sideline view of the San Francisco 49ers and the former Dallas Cowboys coach picked them to repeat as Super Bowl champions whether or not they re-sign Deion Sanders.

What if Sanders goes to Dallas?

“I’d still pick the 49ers,” Johnson said, who was at the Niners’ camp interviewing players for FOX.

End zone

Carolina’s Barry Foster, the 1992 AFC rushing champion for the Steelers who has chronic foot pain, is nursing a sore right knee, the result of a collision in the exhibition against Chicago. Foster, who rushed for 9 yards on six carries in Saturday’s exhibition victory over Denver, did not participate in the Panthers’ practices this week… . Vinny Testaverde, Cleveland’s No. 1 quarterback who missed more than a week of training camp with a leg infection, was released from the hospital Tuesday. Coach Bill Belichick said rookie Eric Zeier will start the team’s next preseason game.

At Jets camp, Brian Wagner, brought in to punt when Brian Hansen injured a hamstring is challenging Hansen for a job. Wagner has averaged 40.7 yards per punt, putting four inside the 20.