Evening star., 1951-09-02
Redskins May Have
III First-Year Men
When Season Opens
By Lewis r. Atchison
Sior Sioff Correspondent

KANSAS CITY, sept. 1-Ihere S
an old National Football League
axiom that you can't win with
rockies and the Redskins must
disprove this to cut much of a
figure in the American Confer
ence race. But Coach Herman
Ball hopes to do it.
/ Eleven first-year men, none of
them transfers from other teams,
may be with the club when it
opens the league race. AT least
four are key defensive figures at
this writing. beginning with big
Jim Ricca of Georgetown in the
middle Of the line. Ricca is hard
to move when he decides to stay
put.
/ Among the backs. Ball hopes
Jack Dywer Of Loyola, Eddie Salem
of Alabama and Billy Cox of Duke
who, with veteran Harry DoWda,
make up the teams first-string
defensive unit at this time, will
come through. But their success,
as the coach has stated repeated
ily, depends on the work done up
front.
| Linemen Rushed Layne.
We looked good against the
Detroit Lions because our line
men did a good job" Ball said.
They rushed Bobby Layne all
night. He couldn't get set and
/ pick out his man. He had to look
for a receiver and get rid of the
ball quick or eat it. We've got a
chance to win few games if
the line continues to do that"
The rockies. particularly the de-
Ifensive backs. will get a severe
test Saturday night at Birming-
ham, Ala, against the New York
Giants. The Giants, the only team
to beat the Cleveland Browns last
Iyear-they did it twice before
losing in a playoff-should be
ready for the Redskins. Kyle Rote
Southern Methodist rookie who isl
recovering from a leg injury,
should be ready, too.
Extensively, the Redskins will
be up against tough competition,
for the Giants secondary of Otto
ISchnellbacher, Ernlen Tunnel.
Harmon Rowe and Tom Landry is
one of the best in the league. If
Harry Gilmer & Co. can pass on
them, they can succeed against
almost any team.
Plenty of Flaws Found.
The Redskins, far from a pol
ished outfit, are coming along
slowly. The offense is only pop
gun caliber thus far-38 points
in three games-but each game
has shown improvement in execu-
ton of plays.
Ball found a hundred flaws in
last nights 10-7 victory over the
Lions in Amarillo. Tex, the first
win in three games. Dwyer, for
example, must learn when to run
IA punt out of bounds. Gilmer, who
made a couple of bad calls, didn't
have to be told they were wrong.
Ball liked Rob Goodies kicking
against the Lions and Chuck
Drazenovich also is booting the
ball well. Sammy Baugh needs
more work with the rookie backs,
particularly on handoffs, and al
couple of the old timers, Ed Quirk
for one, must get in better physi-
cal condition to give their best.
Injured Players Problem.
Balls big problem still concerns
his injured men. He wants toI
keep Halfback Leon Heath of
Oklahoma, No. / draft choice, and
Tackle Jim Station of Wake Forest,
No. 2, out Of action until they are
completely well. Ernie zalejski,
drafted from Baltimore, who
seems to- be a runner the Red
skins can use, is another who will
be rested until he is in Al con-
Idition. Until Ball. has everybody
ready, however, he can't tell how
good or how bad the team will
be.
The Redskins arrived here byI
train and transferred to a chart
cred plane that will get them in
Birmingham early tomorrow.
If Charles Hubbard, 2O3-pound,
6-foot-2 end, makes good with
the Giants. it will be tough on
Gene Archer, who sings at the
Redskins home games. They're
both from Morris Harvey College.
Archer once played for the school