Mike Furrey is not about to guess where he stands in the wide receiver pecking order.
His focus is making sure he knows the Redskins' playbook inside and out.
"Being successful is knowing where to be, what to do and how to do it," Furrey said. "Then on the field, you have to have your timing down with the quarterback."
Furrey is entering his eighth NFL season, first with the Redskins. He signed with the club on June 9, joining a wide receiver corps that includes veterans and young players alike.
Count him among the veterans.
Earlier in the offseason, the Redskins had signed Joey Galloway, a 15-year veteran, and Bobby Wade, a 7-year veteran, to add more experience at wide receiver.
Like Galloway and Wade, Furrey is relying on his experience as he competes for a roster spot in Washington.
He has played in 94 regular season games, with 41 starts, for the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.
He has posted 221 career catches for 2,298 yards and seven touchdowns. His best season was 2006 when he caught 98 passes for 1,086 yards and six touchdowns playing in a Mike Martz-led offense in Detroit.
"I'm a guy who has been in a lot of situations, I understand the game and I know how to slow the game down," he said. "It's always good to have a veteran receiver around because you know what you're going to get. The past seven years and what I've done, it speaks for itself. It's what I pride myself on."
Furrey, at 6-0 and 192 pounds, is known for solid speed and route-running ability.
During the Redskins' mini-camp in June, he said that the offense employed by head coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is not far off from what he played in St. Louis and Detroit under Martz.
"Every offense is similar, really," he said. "When an offense is successful, a lot of [coordinators] take it and put their own twist to it. So it's all very similar."
Spoken like a true veteran.
Furrey began his pro football career in 2001 with the XFL. He later played in the Arena Football League before landing with the Rams.
In 2005, Furrey's third season in St. Louis, he was forced to play defensive back when the Rams suffered a series of injuries in the secondary. He surprised by leading the defense with four interceptions, one of which he returned 67 yards for a score.
Last year in Cleveland, same scenario. Furrey was called into action at safety due to an injury depleted Browns secondary. He logged 14 tackles and two passes defended.
"It has been a surreal career," he acknowledged. "When I'm done playing, I'll take a look back at all of the crazy things I've done on the field."
The Redskins do not plan to use him on defense, though. He is seeing action at wide receiver and he is a candidate to play special teams as well.
