Thursday, November 13, 1997

Kuehl brings casual look to Redskins line

By JOSEPH WHITE / AP Sports Writer

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- Ryan Kuehl, his hair looking as if it had never seen a comb, stood in the lobby of Redskin Park dressed in his usual go-to-work outfit: flip-flops, an old sweatshirt and sweat pants.

"I flop them inside out so I don't have to wash them," he said of the fluffy, dingy gray pants.

Two months ago, Kuehl was helping coach his old high school team in Maryland. He has no delusions of multimillion-dollar contracts or Armani suits. He does not, beyond the shadow of a doubt, look like a '90s NFL player, yet he has started the last two games at defensive tackle for the Washington Redskins.

"My goal?" Kuehl said. "I play not to get cut the following week."

He has every reason to feel insecure. Coaches still mispronounce his name (It's "KEEL."). Downstairs, engraved nameplates are used to identify the players' lockers. At Kuehl's locker, his name is handwritten with a magic marker.

"You've got to remember," Kuehl said. "I'm just a lowlife free agent. They don't have a draft pick, they don't have any money invested in me. They can drop me at a drop of the hat."

Not right now they can't. The Redskins, ranked next-to-last against the run, are so thin at defensive line that every available able body is needed. That's why Kuehl, who was cut at the end of training camp after spending almost all last year on the practice squad, was called back to the park two weeks into the regular season.

Kuehl has made the most of the opportunity. Rather than settle for being a sacrificial backup to be used only in desperation, the 282-pound, 25-year-old Virginia graduate with limited natural ability gradually moved up the depth chart. He got his first NFL start in the 31-8 victory over Chicago, and made it two in a row in Sunday's 30-7 win over Detroit.

Against the Lions, Kuehl tackled Barry Sanders for a loss and got a hand on the pass that Jesse Campbell intercepted in the first half. His intelligence and determination have erased whatever doubts his more experienced teammates may have had.

"Ryan's the kind of guy you want on your team," said tackle Marc Boutte, who has lined up next to Kuehl for the past two weeks. "He's the kind of guy who won't blow any assignments. He's going to fight to stick his head in the gaps and get the job done."

Playing for the local NFL team is a dream come true for the native of nearby Potomac, Md., where Kuehl went back to coach when the Redskins left him temporarily unemployed in late August. But no one is about to accuse him of being a braggart.

"How am I doing? I don't know. Go ask," Kuehl said. "I'm giving the effort that I think is required from a professional. Whether it's right or wrong, I'm giving the effort. Am I doing a good job? You have to ask them."

OK, let's do that.

"Ryan's busted his butt and worked and put himself in a position to do what he's done," defensive coordinator Mike Nolan said. "He knows his job, works extremely hard, and it just so happens that pays off for him at times in the game. He's holding his own, along with making a couple of plays."

That's not exactly a Pro Bowl recommendation, and Kuehl knows it. Even though he was again working with the first team Wednesday, it's no guarantee for Sunday, when the Redskins play the Dallas Cowboys.

"I'm still expecting someone every Saturday to come up and say, 'Hey, we're going to go with this other guy,' " Kuehl said. "I'm not sure everybody likes me starting. I don't mind. As long we keep winning, keep holding points down, they can not like me, or look at me funny, tell me I smell or whatever."