The Washington Redskins continue to take a wait and see approach with linebacker Mike Barrow's knee injury rather than put the veteran on the injured reserve list and free up a spot on the roster for another healthy linebacker.
Last week the Redskins had only two inexperience backups dressed at linebacker -- Brandon Barnes and Khary Champbell -- with Barrow and LaVar Arrington out with knee injuries, leaving the team thin at the position should another injury arise.
Arrington is out for at least four more weeks with a bone bruise in his right knee, while Barrow has yet to play this season due to a tendon problem in his left knee. Given the strong performance of Antonio Pierce in Barrow's middle linebacker role there is no rush to bring the 12-year veteran back and risk further injury. Barrow said a haste to return when he first got hurt early in training camp has resulted in the problem lingering for so long.
"We would have probably done some things differently in the beginning," Barrow said. "But because we didn't know the nature of the injury we kept trying to go on the field and kept re-injuring it. I kept re-injuring it every time I tried [to practice] and it kind of set me back and now I feel like we have a good grasp on what's happening and now we're just trying to play catch-up."
Barrow, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason, has refused to offer any predictions about whether or not he could play Sunday, or a week from Sunday for that matter, but is gradually participating in more drills in practice and was listed as questionable for the game at Detroit. However, he is still unable to run normally when going side-to-side, and until he can do so it seems unlikely he will dress for a game.
"I'm just going to practice and take it from there," Barrow said.
-- Jason La Canfora
