ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins running back Stephen Davis found himself trapped and the NFL's leading rusher couldn't break free this time.
"Can I put my clothes on now?," Davis asked a crowd of reporters who circled around his locker after Sunday's win. "Everybody else here has their's on. Don't you want to talk to anybody else?"
The media got off easy. On the football field, he eludes his pursuers by lowering his shoulder pads and running them over.
It's that power running style that has Davis perched atop the league in yards rushing (235) and points scored (32).
Not known for having breakaway speed, the 6-foot, 234-pound runner charges in between the offensive tackles, grinding out the tough yards in a similar fashion as former standout Redskins rushers Larry Brown, John Riggins and most recently, Terry Allen.
On Sunday, Davis bounced and spun off would-be New York Giants tacklers, gaining 59 yards in the first three Redskins' drives. Still, the most impressive statistic was that he rushed for nearly half of that total after sustaining the first hit on carries.
"When some running backs start out, they run to get tackled. Now, Stephen's running to break tackles," said running game coordinator Bobby Jackson, who has coached Davis since the Redskins drafted him in 1996. "There's a big difference and confidence is a big factor."
Perhaps anyone would have lacked confidence if put in Davis' situation.
A year removed from a first-team All-Southeastern Conference performance as a junior at Auburn, Davis was benched for much of his senior season when coach Terry Bowden altered the offensive philosophy. As a result, he dropped to a fourth-round pick and picked up a reputation of playing "soft" because he didn't hit the holes hard enough and avoided collisions.
In 1997, his second season with the Redskins, Davis finally made headlines one August afternoon, but for all the wrong reasons. When an apparent exchange of good-natured ribbing with wide receiver Michael Westbrook turned heated during a preseason practice, Davis was sucker-punched to the ground by Westbrook, who then jumped on Davis and hit him several more times.
Davis refuses to talk about the incident, and Westbrook has since acknowledged it was his fault. Both have seemingly resolved the altercation as they have given each other high-fives in the end zone and have talked on the sideline.
