By Howard Bryant
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 16, 2006; E01
Washington Redskins left cornerback Shawn Springs will miss three to six weeks after undergoing surgery yesterday to repair a torn abdominal muscle, giving the team two significant injury concerns about their starting lineup with less than a month until the season opener.
The surgery came a day after running back Clinton Portis was told he will miss the remainder of the preseason with a partially dislocated left shoulder.
Neither player is a certainty for the Sept. 11 opener against the Minnesota Vikings at FedEx Field.
The injury to Springs was described as a minor tear in the abdominal muscle that attaches to the pubic bone. It underscores the team's increasing concerns about depth and further explains the timing of the Redskins' Monday night trade of wide receiver Taylor Jacobs to San Francisco for cornerback Mike Rumph.
Rumph watched practice yesterday at Redskins Park but did not participate because Jacobs had not completed his physical for the 49ers.
Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs said yesterday that he had not anticipated that Springs, 31, would require surgery, because he had not missed a day of practice and had played in the Aug. 5 scrimmage against Baltimore and Sunday in Cincinnati.
"Shawn Springs was a surprise to us from the standpoint that he had not missed any practices, played the other night in the game and we really weren't expecting anything that needed to be repaired," Gibbs said. "But he had complained about his groin area some, but it wasn't bad enough to keep him out."
Despite having a perfect attendance record, Springs was concerned about his health before yesterday's surgery. Under the Redskins' supervision, he underwent an MRI exam on his groin area early last week. Springs said last week that the MRI was precautionary because he had felt discomfort.
While it is unclear what the MRI results revealed, if anything, Springs nonetheless played in Sunday's exhibition opener having been examined for a potential injury days earlier.
William Meyer performed the surgery in Durham, N.C. Gibbs said the procedure was not complicated.
"I don't know the medical terms, but he had pulled one of the ligaments from the bone," Gibbs said. "It's a fairly simple process. The same one that [Redskins place kicker] John Hall had, so they decided it was best for Shawn and for us to go ahead and get that repaired."
Depth had been a lurking concern throughout training camp, and the injury to Springs heightened the priority on building a competent defensive backfield.
In addition to acquiring Rumph, the Redskins waived Ben Emanuel, who was beaten for a touchdown Sunday in Cincinnati and left the game on crutches. Yesterday, he left Redskins Park on crutches with a sore ankle and hamstring. Rumph, a former cornerback who played safety last season, will be asked to ramp up quickly, as reserve cornerback Ade Jimoh is injured and backup Kenny Wright has struggled grasping the Redskins' system.
Cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray said of Rumph: "To me, the big thing is whatever he learned in San Francisco he has to bring here and flip it over into words. Defenses are all about the same."
Gibbs was unsure if Springs's injury is a variation of an old one. On consecutive plays in the first half last Dec. 11 against Arizona, Springs injured his back and groin. He struggled for the remainder of the season but did not miss a game, playing in consecutive victories against Dallas, the New York Giants and Philadelphia.
But Springs's health was declining. In the playoff-clinching season finale at Philadelphia, Springs aggravated the groin in the second quarter as the Eagles challenged him on three consecutive plays, the last resulting in a touchdown pass to wide receiver Reggie Brown. Springs left the game and did not return.
He missed the Redskins' playoff opener against Tampa Bay, and missed significant time the next week against Seattle. Throughout the season's final month and into the playoffs, Springs was convinced that he was suffering from a sports hernia, the same injury that finished Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb for the season last year. It was Meyer, incidentally, who performed hernia surgery on McNabb.
The Portis and Springs injuries are not merely annoying for the Redskins, but specifically problematic given their positions. Portis is a power running back who prides himself on throwing his body into opponents whether he is carrying the football or blocking.
Portis already intimated, and reiterated his position yesterday, that he is concerned that his loose shoulder will become the focus of opposing defenses, but he said he cannot alter his approach.
There are few injuries more difficult for a cornerback than a groin injury. Springs recognized that when opposing defenses challenged him not simply by throwing the ball in his direction, but by running routes that tested his lateral mobility, his ability to cut and stop and change direction.
Defensive end Phillip Daniels played with a groin injury for most of last season, and though he did not miss many games, he was nonetheless unable to reach full acceleration for much of the year.
"The thing about Shawn is that he's a good kid. I think he was having one of his better camps, hadn't missed a day and for him to go and get this done I think will only help him out," Gray said. "My job is to ensure that he keeps progressing even when he's not on the field."