ASHBURN His jump shot was sweet and his fastball was hopping, but his body was large. So Anthony Montgomery said thanks, but no thanks to the college basketball and baseball coaches and went off to pursue a career in football.

So far, so good.

Montgomery is a starting defensive tackle for the Washington Redskins. Much has been said about the defensive line during training camp, but the focus has been on the defensive ends.

Montgomery should be one of the pivotal players on the Redskins' defense, provided he doesn't stand too tall. And standing tall is hard for the 6-6, 315-pound Montgomery not to do.

"I've got to keep my pad level low," Montgomery said. "I had one-half sack last season, and that's not enough."

When football players talk about "pad level," they're talking about leverage. The lower they play, the bigger the advantage in leverage.

"The problem is that when I come off the ball, I want to see where the quarterback is, where the running back is, where the ball is," Montgomery said. "I'm tall anyway, and when I get my pad level high, those other guys are smart, and they can get up under me.

"A lot of my game is power, and that's offset if my pad level is too high. What I have to do is stay low, keep fighting the man blocking me and eventually, he'll take me to the ball."

Little is glamorous about playing defensive tackle.

"Those offensive linemen come off ball, spitting and making noise," Montgomery said.

But defensive tackles are essential players in the NFL. They control the point of attack. The good ones jam the running lanes and push the passing pocket. It's difficult to win without several quality defensive tackles.

When the Redskins drafted Montgomery, they thought he had the potential to be very good, even though he lasted until the fifth round. But while the Redskins realized Montgomery had potential, he had almost no idea of what he could do.

That made his rookie year difficult. The critiques given to Montgomery by defensive coaches were pointed and often stinging.

"They were expecting more out of me than I could see," Montgomery said. "I knew they wanted to push me. I knew they didn't draft me just to get me here and beat me down verbally. It was a learning experience. We're past that now."

Montgomery did get the message. He had a productive offseason following his rookie year and earned a starting job in 2007. The challenge was to have another productive offseason and continue to move forward in 2008.

"My motivation is that I know the three interior linemen for the Giants, Cowboys and Eagles are tired just like me, but I'm pretty sure they're somewhere working," Montgomery said. "If I stay in the bed, they're getting one step ahead of me. You can't take time off."

Montgomery used to spend offseasons playing basketball and baseball. In high school in Cleveland, he was a center, power forward and small forward for the basketball team.

"I thought I had a pretty good jump shot," Montgomery said. "But my coach always wanted me on the block."

Division II and Division III colleges in Ohio were interested in Montgomery as a basketball player.

The University of Cincinnati considered his potential as a pitcher.

"I was a pretty good pitcher, but throughout high school, I kept getting bigger and bigger," Montgomery said. "I made the decision that football was what I wanted to do."

He went to the University of Minnesota and, like many college players, was able to succeed without playing to his potential.

Then the Redskins drafted him, and he soon got the idea that he'd better work toward achieving that potential.

"My confidence level is a lot higher this year," Montgomery said. "I have a better knowledge of the playbook. All that allows me to attack a lot more aggressively.

"I'm still work in progress. I've got a long way to go. I just want to help this team win."

AND ALSO: Yesterday afternoon's practice was devoted to special teams, particularly the return and coverage portions. The idea was to give the players a break, but about 50 of the 80 players on the roster were involved in the workout.

Middle linebacker London Fletcher was back yesterday after missing Tuesday's work while his wife gave birth to their second child, a son.

The players had a night off from meetings. Head coach Jim Zorn told them they could have their curfew extended an hour, to midnight, if an offensive and defensive lineman could field a punt. Justin Geisinger, a backup center, and Ryan Boschetti, a backup defensive tackle, did so, to the cheering of their teammates.