Receiver suits up against Steelers for first time as a Redskin; wants to install Wildcat formation
Antwaan Randle El never wanted to leave. The Steelers gave him no choice; so he ended up in Washington.
Not by choice, especially with Pittsburgh winning a Super Bowl just before he entered free agency.
“It was real tough,” said Randle El, who caught 162 passes in four seasons with the Steelers. “People don’t understand how tough it was because when you win a championship, you definitely want a chance to defend it … I felt that the way I played in the playoffs, that there could have been something that could have been done.”
But Randle El understands the business end and the Redskins paid him much more than anyone else would (seven year deal up to $31 million).
He’s also finally being used the way he likes. Randle El is on pace to shatter his career best of 51 catches (set last year). He already has 33 receptions for 409 yards and a touchdown. He’s also thrown a touchdown pass.
“Being involved in the basic offense is really what you expect and what you want,” Randle El said. “That’s what I have been getting so far.”
Randle El is lobbying for something else: a shot in the Wildcat formation, popularized by Miami’s offense, where a running back or receiver takes the shotgun snap. Randle El said it’s something the Redskins have discussed.
“We’re going to get to it before the bye,” said Randle El, a college quarterback. “I would enjoy running it and then have the ability to pass. Most guys, they just run. I can sprint [rollout] or sometimes just drop back. … That would be a really good thing. Hopefully we’ll be able to do some of that in the next seven games [after the bye] because I think it would help us by throwing a curveball at the defense.”
Coach Jim Zorn says hold on a minute. He still wants to know if it’s a legitimate option or just a fad.
“I hate to do something because someone else is doing something,” Zorn said. “You’ve got to do due diligence.”
Regardless, he’ll continue to find ways to get Randle El the ball. He’s the only Redskin to have at least three receptions in every game.
“He’s been there for us all year,” receiver Santana Moss said. “He’s making big plays every time he’s called upon.”
That consistency is what Zorn noticed when he first met Randle El at the Senior Bowl in 2002. The Steelers picked him in the second round.
“It was his enthusiasm and leadership, his consistency as a man,” Zorn said. “I could tell that by meeting him and talking to him one on one. He’s the kind of guy you want on your team.”
