This Sunday, Redskins' punting duties up in the air

By Joseph White

ASHBURN

The Redskins will have a new punter for this week's game. Or maybe not.

Fed up with rookie Durant Brooks' inconsistency, executive vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato said on his radio show Monday that "somebody else will be punting" when the Redskins host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Cerrato said the Redskins will audition two or three punters today to replace sixth-round draft pick Brooks, who ranks last in the NFL in gross average (39.6) and net average (32.1). Brooks was booed by the home fans in Sunday's 19-17 loss to St. Louis, lustily after a 26-yard shank from the Redskins' end zone that set up a Rams field goal in the third quarter.

Later Monday, coach Jim Zorn was in the awkward position of contradicting his boss without sounding as if he were contradicting his boss. Yes, the coach said, there will be punters brought in for tryouts, but there's a chance Brooks will keep the job.

"You can't say, 'We're going to replace him,' (and) 'See ya later,' when we need to look at who we would replace him with as well - if we were going to replace him," Zorn said. "He may be the best guy out there - and then we have to work with him."

Complicating matters, Zorn revealed that Brooks has been suffering from a nagging hip flexor and quadriceps strain in his kicking leg and was to have an MRI on Monday. Zorn stressed the injury has nothing to do with the decision to look elsewhere.

A former Georgia Tech standout who won the Ray Guy Award last year as college football's top punter, Brooks said he realized his spot was in danger after Sunday's loss.

"I am going to watch the tape and see what I am doing," Brooks said. "Something is not right."