THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 12, 1994 TAG: 9408120723
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CARLISLE, PA. LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
Always, it seems, Tydus Winans has sought an identity.
His first name was taken from the Bible, a derivative of Titus, a disciple of Paul. But though he has looked, he says he has never found a translation.
Somewhere on the family tree, the California Winans and the famed Gospel-singing Winans converge. Tydus' brothers and sisters - seven of them, all older - often plan for the day their show-biz careers match their distant relatives.
At Fresno State, he was a good player, yet hardly a star. There were a half-dozen other receivers who saw just as much action as he did and a quarterback named Trent Dilfer to monopolize the media's attention.
In fact, the Redskins sort of stumbled onto Winans during their frequent trips to Fresno State to evaluate Dilfer prior to the draft. Winans attended every workout the Redskins conducted, running precise routes and catching everything.
``He made play after play after play,'' Redskins receivers coach Terry Robiskie remembers. ``You'd watch him over and over and he was the only one consistently making plays. You knew right away he deserved a chance.''
Drafted in the third round and given jersey 83, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Winans spent the early portion of camp answering comments from casual fans who mistook him for Ricky Sanders, now in Atlanta.
``Yeah, people say, `Hey, Ricky,' '' Winans admitted. ``I say, `Those days are gone. We're starting something new now.' ''
Whatever that is, Winans began his portion in spectacular fashion last Monday against Buffalo. Diving through the air, his body parallel to the ground, Winans suddenly stuck out his left hand and cradled Gus Frerotte's pass a second before he hit the ground.
The 29-yard gain was the key play in Washington's only touchdown drive. Later, Winans caught two other passes from Frerotte, helping set up Washington's unsuccessful attempt at a game-winning field goal.
``My adrenaline was pumping after that first catch,'' Winans said. ``No one was going to stop me.''
Suddenly, thanks to that one moment when skill, reflex and intuition combined to produce the spectacular, people are starting to know Tydus Winans. You heard it in the stands at Dickinson College during Wednesday's workouts, people murmuring, ``That's Tydus Winans,'' after he made an over-the-shoulder grab in warmups.
Even coach Norv Turner used Winans as an example of an unheralded player he hopes Redskins fans will embrace, beginning tonight against Kansas City.
Turner calls him, ``a star of the future.''
So, The Catch has made an impact - though not everywhere and not with everyone.
``Lucky catch,'' Robiskie maintains. ``We all get lucky now and then.''
Winans doesn't necessarily agree that it was luck. His most famous touchdown at Fresno State, one that produced a 45-41, last-second victory over San Diego State, was a one-hander.
``Looks like that left hand has been doing me justice for a while,'' he crows. ``Besides, luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.''
In that case, Winans might be the luckiest player here. For the first time in years, there are jobs available in Washington as the Redskins try to compensate for the loss of Sanders, Art Monk, Tim McGee and Gary Clark.
As he says, ``This is a good place for me to be and a good time for me to be here.''
That's not to say questions don't remain regarding Winans. Even he admits his practice habits are, to put it mildly, erratic. Wednesday, he dropped at least one pass he should easily have caught because he tried to pull it in with one hand, a la Monday night.
``I've got to have more practices like I do games,'' he said. ``I've been having a good morning, but a bad afternoon, or a good afternoon following a bad morning. I've got to be more consistent.''
And he caught just 36 passes his senior year. There were questions whether he was a possession receiver or a deep threat. Maybe it was the competition, but at Fresno State, he rarely went deep.
``Here, I want to show I can do everything, anything,'' Winans said. ``When that's your goal, you work night and day. But, honestly, whichever is better for the team, that's the type of receiver I want to be.''
Robiskie insists Winans shouldn't get hung up on such labels.
``If we call a possession pass, then he's a possession receiver,'' he said. ``If they call a deep pass, he's a deep receiver. It doesn't matter to me what he was at Fresno, as long as when we put him in to make a play, he makes it.''
There are kinks to work out, but already the Redskins love his work ethic. Quarterback Heath Shuler, who hardly knows Winans, paid him the ultimate compliment recently.
``If it was 3 a.m. and I was looking for someone to throw to, I'd call Tydus,'' Shuler said. ``He'd be there.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by BILL ABOURJILIE
Rookie receiver Tydus Winans, right, was discovered by the Redskins
as they scouted his Fresno State teammate, Trent Dilfer.
Photo
Tydus Winans
by CNB