Middle linebacker Mike Barrow is tired of the queries about a right knee that has kept him from his Redskins debut after signing in the off season as a key part of a revamped defense. Barrow has seen so many specialists -- soft-tissue therapists are the latest -- that they disagree on the exact medical wording for the injury. Most call it a small tear of his tendon. Some, including the Redskins trainers, describe the injury as acute tendinitis.
But acute tendinitis is essentially a small tear, so Barrow considers the medical term semantics. The 12-year veteran just wants to know when he will be able to play. Barrow, 34, had been such a sturdy player in his NFL career that coming into this season he had missed only five games.
"I'm frustrated. Like I said a million times before, I want to get out there and play," said Barrow, who doesn't have full strength in the knee and suffers pain when he cuts. "I get tired of every time I sit in the meeting and Joe Gibbs is commending people who sucked it up, and played with this injury or that injury.
"And inside, it's eating me up because I'm thinking, Lord, why didn't you give me an injury that I can play with. I've played with broken hands, a lot of different things. This is something that has paralyzed me in a sense. It's hard for me before the games. I'm almost to the point of crying. Sometimes I just want to hide."
Barrow developed the knee injury just before training camp and hasn't been healthy enough to fully participate in a practice. The experience has been so frustrating that Barrow has dreamed about being healthy only to awaken to the harsh reality.
Barrow has watched as Antonio Pierce has filled in superbly at middle linebacker to help the Redskins become the top-ranked defense in the NFL. At one point a few weeks ago, Gibbs indicated that Barrow would be placed on the injured reserve to make room on the roster. But Gibbs changed his mind, perhaps with some input from Gregg Williams, the assistant head coach-defense.
With the season at the midway point, Barrow still hasn't given up hope.
"I've been knocked in the stomach, I've been knocked down," Barrow said, "but I haven't been KO-ed."
-- Nunyo Demasio.
