First day on the job

LANDOVER, Md. — When it was over, when the deafening roars of 90,000 fans had been replaced by the gleeful hoots and hollers of a winning locker room, Zak Keasey '05 stood quietly in front of his locker and slowly pulled on khaki cargo shorts and a gray polo shirt.

Two feet to his left, standing in the very next locker, LaVar Arrington jabbered away to the horde of writers surrounding him. It seemed like they were in different worlds, the unknown rookie and the All-Pro veteran. Then again, here they were — teammates — standing next to each other on the same burgundy carpet with the Redskins' seal in the middle.

"Zak is the man, he brings the noise," Arrington interjected when he saw a lone reporter begin talking to Keasey. "He's defied all the odds."

Keasey just grinned. And, really, what was there to say? What words could possibly capture what he was feeling?

"I think this is as good as it gets," he said, and then he grinned some more.

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For years, Keasey watched guys like Arrington on television, dreamed of someday playing alongside them. Twice an All-Ivy linebacker, the winner of the Poe-Kazmaier award his senior year, he didn't hear his name called on draft day in April. But he got the break he needed in May: an invitation to the Redskins' undrafted rookie mini-camp, courtesy of defensive coordinator Greg Williams, the father of a fellow Tiger football player. Keasey knew enough to realize that Ivy League football players only get one crack at the pros — if that — no matter how many sacks you racked up against Dartmouth.

So he seized the chance and played well, earning a trip to the Redskins summer training camp. There, against the big boys, he kept making plays — an interception in a scrimmage against the Baltimore Ravens, a sack in a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers. He kept surviving rounds of cuts, but with each one, survival became more difficult. Undrafted long shots aren't supposed to stick around that long, but there he was, still alive.

Finally, on Sept. 3, the moment of truth arrived — "cut-down day," the day NFL teams must make their final cuts and reduce their roster to 53 players by 5 p.m. The bad news is delivered by phone, so Keasey sat by the phone that afternoon, hoping it would not ring. Shortly after five, it did ring, and he thought he was a goner.

He wasn't. It was a team public relations staffer, calling to set up an interview. He'd made the team. A reporter wanted to talk to the longest of long shots who, somehow, had made the team.

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A little after 1 p.m. on Sept. 11, after Jessica Simpson sang the national anthem and fireworks exploded and fighter jets buzzed FedEx Field, Keasey ran through a giant air-filled Redskins helmet and out onto the perfectly green grass. From the field level of the stadium, the levels and levels of stands seem to reach nearly to the sky. For a moment, at least, he looked around and took it all in. "I was just overwhelmed with excitement," he would say afterward. "You can't help but take a glimpse, see how great all the fans are."

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But there was a season opener against the Chicago Bears to be played, so he told himself not to think about it. He barely had time to grow nervous — the Redskins would kick off to open the game, and he was on the kickoff coverage team. He lined up on the right side of the field, near the hash mark at the 15-yard line. He bounced on toes and dangled his fingers, pacing back and forth, for what must have seemed like ages. And then the whistle blew and he barreled down the field.

By the end of the day, he would be in on 11 plays, all on special teams — four kickoffs and seven punt returns. Late in the third quarter, he was officially welcomed to the NFL: running full-bore down the field on kickoff coverage, he was suddenly flattened by a blocker.

"I got a little roughed up on that one," he said sheepishly. "It's a different level here in the NFL. I just learned I've got to keep my head on a swivel, got to keep my eyes open. I wasn't anticipating."

Still, the play was one he could laugh about, mainly because his team had won. In a game featuring two stunningly inept offenses, the Redskins' three field goals were enough for a 9-7 win. When his teammates forced a Bears' fumble that sealed the win with less than two minutes remaining, he yelled and pumped his fists along with everyone else, as much a part of the victory as any of them.

It is unlikely Keasey will be seeing action other than on special teams in the near future — on the depth chart, he's currently listed behind a pair of former Pro Bowlers, Arrington and Warrick Holdman. So he'll keep trying to improve on special teams, which he last played as a freshman at Princeton. And during the week, he'll spend time mimicking opponents as part of the scout team defense. The increased speed and intricacy of the game plan takes adapting to, he admits, but he's learning. "My work doesn't stop now," he said. "I got my foot in the door a little bit, but I've got to keep working hard every day and keep getting better."

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After the Redskins' final preseason game, a loss to the Baltimore Ravens the night of Sept. 1, Keasey stuffed his duffel bag with free orange and grape sodas from the locker room. At the time, cut-down-day was still 36 hours away, and the prospect of impending unemployment loomed large. If he only had 36 hours left on his wild ride, why, he was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Ten days later, it's clear that the ride is just beginning — one regular season game down, 15 to go. Now, each time he walks out of the locker room, he doesn't have to worry he'll never be back. He still thirsts to improve, of course, but he's got plenty of time.

So, today, as he walks across the burgundy carpet with the Redskins' seal in the middle, he pauses only briefly at the cooler stocked with free drinks. He grabs a single Gatorade and continues toward the door, grinning all the way.