The Washington Redskins gave up on linebacker Michael Barrow's season yesterday, placing him on injured reserve without ever having him play a down or complete a full practice. Barrow, who signed a six-year, $11.6 million contract (including a $2.5 million bonus), was unable to overcome acute tendinitis in his left knee after suffering the injury on the first day of training camp.
Barrow, a 12-year veteran, was at Redskins Park yesterday, continuing to work out -- a welcome sign for the Redskins, who hope to have him back next season. Coach Joe Gibbs indicated the team plans to give Barrow as much time as possible to recover.
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"It would be what kind of improvement he makes," Gibbs said. "Does he bounce back? . . . Hopefully at some point, he says 'Hey, it feels great,' and he can start running full bore again."
Barrow said: "I'm upset about the decision but I definitely understand their reasoning. We had a lot of guys with injuries and they needed my spot. They just got tired of waiting."
Surgery has been ruled out because of the type of injury. Although the Redskins described Barrow's injury as acute tendinitis, specialists who saw the linebacker viewed it as a small tear in the tendon.
Barrow, 34, expressed optimism yesterday stemming from talks with doctors who said he exacerbated the injury by not giving it enough time to heal.
"I plan on working my butt off and coming back next year bigger, stronger, faster," Barrow said. "This is nothing but a speed bump in the road. I'm far from retiring. I have a lot of ability left. Doctors told me I made it worse by keeping trying to come back."
Before the injury, Barrow was known for his durability, missing only five out of 176 games in his first 11 seasons . Barrow hadn't missed more than one game in a season since 1995, when he was out three games.
If the Redskins cut Barrow before June 1, he will count about $2 million against the 2005 cap. If Barrow doesn't recover, it makes more fiscal sense to wait until June 1, when releasing him will count about $400,000 (one-sixth of his bonus) against the 2005 cap.
Among the specialists Barrow visited were approximately 25 massage therapists, a handful of orthopedic surgeons, podiatrists and neurologists.
"I think he saw every expert in America," Gibbs said half-jokingly. "It was one of those things where I just didn't really feel like he was getting a lot better."
Gibbs called Barrow Monday night to get a definitive timetable on when the linebacker could return. When Barrow responded that he couldn't give a clear-cut date, Gibbs chose to end his season. To fill Barrow's roster spot, the Redskins signed Chris Clemons to their active roster from the Cleveland Browns' practice squad.
Barrow's injury was so debilitating that he never had more than a limited practice during the regular season. Barrow often appeared on the brink of returning to health, spurring the Redskins to list him as questionable -- meaning a 50 percent chance of playing -- only to be declared out by the end of the week.
At one promising juncture last month, Washington's training staff ordered Roman candles and concocted a plan to surreptitiously line the field with them for his first regular-season practice.
Before Washington faced the Browns on Oct 3, Gibbs announced his intention to place Barrow on injured reserve if he didn't mend soon. Gibbs cited the need to fill a roster spot, yet with the Redskins 1-3, the coach decided to give Barrow more time.
"We could have done it 13 weeks ago," Gibbs conceded yesterday.
Despite being at an age when NFL players generally diminish in their production, the former New York Giant was coming off a season in which he collected a career-high 177 tackles to lead the NFC. It was Barrow's third straight season of at least 100 tackles -- the linebacker has reached the mark seven times in 11 seasons. Barrow is known for a strong workout regimen and for watching his diet.
Washington's defense has been one of the best in the NFL -- ranked No. 2 overall -- despite injuries to key players. Barrow became the eighth player the Redskins have placed on the injured reserve list. Last week against Philadelphia, six of 11 defensive starters weren't initially projected on the first unit. But injuries appear to be catching up. The Redskins have allowed more than 300 yards in four straight weeks after holding teams to under that figure for the first six games.
Linebacker LaVar Arrington (bone bruise) hasn't played since Week 2 against the Giants. The Redskins have no timetable for Arrington's return, although he intends to play before the season ends. The team may make a decision after reviewing an MRI exam this weekend.
