Archuleta aims to regain focus

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Seven months ago, Adam Archuleta spurned a chance to play for one of his favorite coaches to sign the richest contract ever for a NFL safety and join a top Washington Redskins defense.

When the Redskins start the second half of the season Sunday at Philadelphia, Archuleta -- who was given a six-year, $30 million deal -- will be watching more than playing. Troy Vincent will receive most of Archuleta's playing time.

The poster child for the Redskins' ill-advised offseason spending and defensive troubles, Archuleta did not start last week's win over the Dallas Cowboys, only the fourth time in 80 career games he hasn't started.

Yesterday at Redskin Park, Archuleta admitted disappointment in his performance and how he approached the transition to a new team and system.

"It was a unique situation for me to come in here with as a high profile as I did -- I'm not used to that," Archuleta said. "I allowed that, as well as some other things, to be a distraction. I let those things get in the way of what is truly important. Who I am and what I've done to get this point in my career and the player I was, I lost sight of that and lost focus during this process."

Archuleta, who was expected to sign with Chicago and be reunited with Bears coach and former St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, has 54 tackles for the Redskins. But he was limited to playing on third down against the Cowboys because of his struggles in pass coverage.

The Redskins rank 30th in pass defense and last in interceptions (two), touchdown passes allowed (16), 20-plus-yard completions (35) and 40-plus-yard completions (nine).

Although Archuleta isn't the only player at fault, he has caught the brunt of the blame.

"I've had a lot of adversity thrown my way, and this, for whatever reason, is the situation that has presented itself," he said. "It's a matter of me getting back to who I am and playing the game through my eyes, not somebody else's."

A linebacker at Arizona State, Archuleta was converted to a safety in St. Louis, which selected him in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft. With the Rams, he played close to the line of scrimmage, blitzed and played run support.