ASHBURN, Va. -- Stephen Davis always has waited, just never this long. In high school, he didn't establish himself until midway through his junior season. Then he dominated. Same thing at Auburn, though his chance came sooner. And on draft day, Davis waited four rounds to hear his name called. The Redskins considered him a steal; he felt robbed, hoping to go earlier.

	Stephen Davis has rushed for an NFL-leading nine touchdowns this season.

So waiting until his fourth pro season to win the starting running back job was nothing new. Nor is what he's doing now that he is starting. Everywhere he has been, solid rushing numbers have followed. In Washington's first five games this season, Davis rushed for 491 yards and nine touchdowns -- four more rushing TDs than he had in his first three years combined.

"A lot of people say I've come out of nowhere, but I say I haven't," Davis said. "I worked hard to get here. I got my opportunity, and I'm making the best of it."

He certainly is. Davis posted back-to-back 100-yard games in the season's first two weeks, and his lowest output has been 72 yards. In a 50-21 victory over the Giants in Week 2, Davis scored three touchdowns in the first quarter. He matched the three-TD total a week later against the Jets.

Much of the credit can go to the entire offense, which averaged 34.8 points in the first five games. When the passing game is clicking, running lanes tend to open.

"He finally had a chance to be a featured back, and he's showing what he can do," Redskins guard Tré Johnson said. "He's the backbone of our (offense)."

This is what Davis expected to happen, even during training camp when he battled Skip Hicks for the starting job. After all, Davis had apprenticed behind Terry Allen for three seasons, taking mental notes about how to run the ball.

Then last year, Davis jumped at a chance to play fullback when Larry Bowie was injured. If nothing else, it got Davis in the game. It also hardened him as a runner, causing him to run lower to the ground than he had earlier in his career. And he began to understand the schemes better.

	Stephen Davis Running Back Washington Redskins Height: 6-0 Weight: 230 Profile
	1999 SEASON STATISTICS ATT YDS YDS/A TD LNG FUM 110 491 4.5 9 24 1   PFW's Joel Buchsbaum says: Playing fullback last year really helped toughen him up. And now he has finally learned to run lower and to get his pads down. His pad level was always holding him back and was a cause of fumbles for him. Now he's running with proper running form, but he always was a tremendously gifted back.

Suddenly, Davis has become a younger, faster version of the hard-nosed Allen, known during his prime for finding yards where none existed.

"I had to get tougher," Davis said. "It also helped me out as far as knowing what blocks needed to be made and what kind of run you have to have when a certain block is made. That gave me more of a feel at (running back). And you (learned) to get your shoulder on and take on guys better. I'll be honest, fullback is not something I wanted to do, but just going through that experience helped me out a lot. I also sat back and watched how Terry ran. It grew on me.

"Your goal is to get downfield, and when you run straight ahead, you get downfield quicker. Most of our runs are between the tackles, getting upfield and hitting it quick. I do that pretty good. (I've learned) that when you have a seam, you have to hit it fast."

The 6-foot, 234-pound Davis gained 567 yards two years ago, when he was known more for being Michael Westbrook's sparring partner during practice than for his running. Those days are over.

"He's a big, strong back who moves the pile," Cardinals coach Vince Tobin said, "not unlike a lot of the old Washington backs. When they've got a hole, they get through it. If it's not there, they make one."

The quick start has come at a good time. Davis is an unrestricted free agent after the season. His agent has tried to get the Redskins to sign him during the season, albeit unsuccessfully. Not that they don't like what he has accomplished.

"He's done a great job in all areas," Redskins coach Norv Turner said. "Being around Terry Allen helped him grow up (as a runner), and (running backs coach) Bobby Jackson is one of the best running backs coaches in the league in terms of teaching toughness. He demands a lot, and Stephen has responded.

"These are the (types of players) where it means something. He's worked for this and taken advantage of the opportunities. From a production standpoint, he could be one of the top backs in the league."

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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