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When Richard Bartel was signed off Jacksonville's practice squad last Nov. 25, no one in the Washington media had heard of him or of his alma mater, Division II Tarleton (Texas) State. The only reason any of us noticed the Redskins' No. 3 quarterback was because while most players jogged between drills, Bartel sprinted. The new guy was definitely the kid trying too hard to impress the coaches.

Funny thing, though. It's going on nine months later and while former starter Jason Campbell has been traded and veteran backup Todd Collins and 2008 draft choice Colt Brennan have been cut, Bartel is still a Redskin. He has no prayer of supplanting starter Donovan McNabb or backup Rex Grossman, but Bartel knows offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's passing offense better than one-time Miami starter candidate John Beck, who has been in Washington just five days.

Beck would still likely win the No. 3 job, but if coach Mike Shanahan keeps just two quarterbacks as he has often done, Bartel could stick around on the practice squad.

"I still have coaches say to me, 'You're from where?'" said Bartel, who spent 2007 on Dallas' practice squad, played in three preseason games for the Cowboys in 2007-08 and posted a 107.4 rating in Cleveland's preseason finale last summer. "I'm really proud that I'm in position meetings with two Super Bowl quarterbacks, who were first-round picks and a second-round pick. I feel very comfortable mentally. I know I can contribute to this team. I feel like I can run the offense."

Veteran receiver Santana Moss likes the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Bartel.

Said Moss, "He's a tall, strong kid with a big arm and he's very committed."

Bartel knows that he has to be.

"I'm always hustling because I relish being the guy from nowhere, the guy no one thinks has a chance," Bartel said. "So far, so good."

So far, so good, indeed.