Tonight's contest looms large for Brown, Wilds and other aspiring Skins
Rufus Brown has done some moving in his life, which can happen when your father is in the military.
Brown was born in Miami, relocated to San Antonio and then landed in El Paso, Texas. When the time came for college, Brown, a highly-rated high school football player, wound up at Florida State, a place where a number of highly-rated high school players always go.
Brown, 24, has had his fill of moving and would like to stay in one place for a while. That place, preferably, is the Northern Virginia hamlet of Ashburn, just a long wind sprint from Redskin Park.
Brown, a rookie cornerback, is doing everything he can to make the Redskins' final roster. His efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Without prompting this week, Redskins assistant head coach/defense Gregg Williams mentioned Brown as one of the young standouts of training camp. And to further cement Williams' approval of Brown's performance so far, the Redskins released veteran cornerback Ralph Brown this week.
"You don't get too high or anything about something like that," Rufus Brown said. "If someone gets cut, it opens opportunities for others. But you've still got to work because your job is on the line, too."
Brown's final job interview takes place tonight when the Redskins play their fifth, and last, preseason game. The opponent will be the Atlanta Falcons, the place will be the Redskins' home field in Landover, Md., and the kickoff time is 7 o'clock.
Brown is one of several young players vying for a spot on the Redskins' 53-man roster. Garnell Wilds, a rookie cornerback from Virginia Tech, also is making a strong run at a full-time job with the Redskins.
"To be perfectly honest with you," Williams said, "if they are going to make this team, they need to be Danny Smith's best friend."
Smith is the Redskins special teams coach.
"Danny needs to tell us he can't do without them," Williams said. "They are a long way from being ready to play regularly in our secondary. But if Danny has to have them, we have to find a way to use them on defense so we can have them on special teams."
Brown, 5-9 188, is not as experienced on special teams as Wilds, who played on several special teams at Virginia Tech. But Brown is willing to learn. He's also getting a grasp on how to play in an NFL secondary.
"The most important thing, probably, is knowing your plays," Brown said. "Then you go out there, show them you're dependable and go from there. My college coach, Mickey Andrews, stressed taking care of the little bitty things, and that's what I try to do.
"I'm blessed with some abilities: quickness, speed and smarts, at least I think those are my abilities."
Brown and Wilds can expect plenty of action tonight. Victory is not at the top of the Redskins' agenda. Washington's coaches want to get out of the game without losing another starter to injury. If the regulars play more than a quarter, it will be a surprise.
"There's been pressure, getting used to the system and not messing up," Brown said. "At the same time, it's been fun. I'm blessed to have this opportunity and to get to play football every day.
"I hope I can make some plays and make this team."
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