THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 11, 1996 TAG: 9611110135
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 192 lines
If the editors of Ripley's want to devote a page to the strangest football game ever played, the first tape they review should be of the Washington Redskins' 37-34 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday at RFK Stadium. You had to see it to believe it and even that might not be enough.
``It was one of the strangest games I've ever been involved in,'' said Redskins coach Norv Turner, whose team twice lost two-touchdown leads and now face, in succession, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Dallas and the real prospect of a five-game losing streak.
``It was the kind of game where anything could happen - and did,'' added Cardinals quarterback Boomer Esiason, who enjoyed the third-greatest passing game in NFL history with 522 yards.
How strange was it? Well, believe it or not, this sequence of events ended the game:
Cardinals kicker Kevin Butler, a 12-year veteran just added to the roster last week, won the game by making a second-chance field goal of 32 yards 33 seconds before the end of overtime. Butler was still on the field, not buried under it by his new mates, because Washington's Darryl Morrison jumped offsides on his initial attempt, a 37-yarder that bounced off the left upright.
``I just told myself at that point that it didn't count; you know, it's not on the stat sheet,'' Butler said of the first miss. ``I told myself, `Go up there and keep your head down.' I wanted to slow down a little on my approach. I was too aggressive.''
The port side of the goal post was not a pleasant place for Butler to be Sunday - the refs saw to that. On the first possession of overtime, the officials ruled Butler's 32-yard field goal was wide left, even though television replays seemed to show that the kick actually sailed OVER the left upright, which would have made it successful.
And would have eliminated the most embarrassing moment of Scott Galbraith's career.
Two possessions after Butler's ``miss,'' the Redskins got the ball on the Arizona 27 when Darrell Green's helmet-first tackle of LeShon Johnson forced a fumble that Morrison recovered. Four plays later, Blanton drilled a 38-yard field goal that should have ended the game.
But the kick was negated when Galbraith was whistled for holding Williams. Blanton's ensuing 48-yard attempt wasn't close.
``When we're kicking the game-winning field goal, holding is inexcusable,'' Turner fumed.
Galbraith was in denial.
``I don't know what he saw,'' he said. ``I'm standing there and the flag comes out and he says, `Holding, 89.' It hurts real bad. If what I did was holding, they could call that on me every time.''
The otherwise moribund Cardinals beat the Redskins for the sixth time in seven games because when they weren't committing turnovers - they had six - they marched up and down the field as if the Redskins secondary had been court-ordered not to touch a receiver.
Esiason completed 35 of 59 passes for 522 yards, the third-best yardage total in NFL history. Arizona, the league's 26th-ranked offense, gained 615 yards, the most ever against the Redskins. Esiason's 507 net yards passing also were the most ever surrendered by the Redskins.
``I'm glad they didn't take me out after the first quarter,'' quipped Esiason, who was playing only because starter Kent Graham was out with an injured knee. ``I was so pumped up to play that I was throwing everything high at first. But then I got hit a couple of times and settled down.''
In the fourth quarter and overtime, Esiason hit 23 of 35 passes for 351 yards. Included were two near-miraculous third-down conversions of 33 yards on third-and-26 and 34 yards on third-and-12.
That was enough for the crowd at RFK, which began chanting ``Lynn must go .
That's defensive coordinator Ron Lynn, who exited the locker room like a man on his way to a funeral.
``Cyanide might be too quick,'' he said when asked how he would spend the evening. ``I don't know. Our whole defense is up and down. We're not consistent enough to be good. The onus has to be on our shoulders.''
The Redskins led 34-20 with 11 minutes to play when Terry Allen scored from 1 yard out. But the Redskins' front line was gassed, unable to generate much of a pass rush. As the game wore on, Esiason stood like a tree in the pocket and flicked dart after dart at a secondary incapable of covering his receivers.
In all, eight Cardinals caught passes, led by Frank Sanders and Larry Centers with six each. They were the main men on the possession, move-the-chains plays. Unheralded Marcus Dowdell and veteran Rob Moore were long-range threats, each catching just three passes but for 92 and 91 yards, respectively.
``We played man-to-man, zone, we blitzed, we backed off, everything,'' Turner said. ``Once we couldn't get pressure, we had a hard time covering them.''
Washington had a 34-20 lead with 11 minutes to play. But Esiason needed just three minutes to pull his team back within a touchdown with an 8-play, 80-yard drive that ended with his 14-yard TD pass to Johnny McWilliams.
Two series later - with just 1:24 left in regulation - Arizona drove 66 yards to tie the score. An offsides penalty against defensive end Rich Owens wiped out Rod Stephens' interception at the Washington 34. With another chance, Esiason hit Moore for 17, then Anthony Edwards for 12 yards and a touchdown.
``I'm not going to overreact to it, say, `Well, I'm back!' '' Esiason said. ``I don't think I'm running 4.8 40s anymore. I had a great game, so what?''
So this:
``The Eagles are going to see the films of this (defensive) game and lick their chops,'' defensive tackle Marc Boutte said. MEMO: REDSKINS REPLAY
The good: Cardinals QB Boomer Esiason, who was brilliant in what
turned out to be the best day of his career. . . . Redskins WR Michael
Westbrook, who made six catches and forced the Cardinals into four
pass-interference penalties. . . . Redskins RB Terry Allen, who gained
124 yards and scored twice. . . . The tackling of Redskins LB Patrise
Alexander, playing his first game from scrimmage for the injured Rod
Stephens.
The bad: A first quarter in which the teams combined for four
turnovers in the first five minutes. . . . The Redskins' pass rush,
which shriveled away to nothing as the game progressed. . . . SS Darryl
Pounds' concept of his pass-coverage duties. He was horribly late on two
crucial Arizona completions, one a last-second first-half TD.
The ugly: TE Scott Galbraith's hold on Aeneas Williams on what would
have been Scott Blanton's game-winning field goal in OT. Galbraith
hog-tied Williams as he came around the corner, then denied the crime. .
. . Kevin Butler's attempt at an onsides kick. The ball went just 8
yards. . . . RFK Stadium fans who chanted ``Lynn Must Go. . . Lynn Must
Go,'' at defensive coordinator Ron Lynn.
Turning point: The Cardinals trailed by 14 points early in the fourth
quarter and faced third-and-26 from their 27. Esiason hits Rob Moore for
33 yards, the Cardinals score a touchdown four plays later.
And don't forget: The game could have been decided much earlier.
Kevin Butler's 32-yard field goal on Arizona's first overtime possession
appeared to fly right over the left upright. Those are supposed to be
ruled good, meaning the Redskins never would have touched the ball in
OT.
Unsung heroes: Redskins DT Marc Boutte, who played despite a knee
injury he aggravated early in the game and intercepted a pass that he
batted at the line of scrimmage.
Numbers crunching: Esiason's 522 yards passing is the third-highest
single-game figure in NFL history. Only Norm Van Brocklin's 554 against
the New York Yanks in 1951 and Warren Moon's 527 against Kansas City in
1990 are better. . . . The game-winning field goal was Kevin Butler's
fifth in overtime. . . . Terry Allen's 13-yard run in the second quarter
put him over 5,000 career yards, the 70th player in league history to do
so.
Injuries: TE James Jenkins (bruised ribs, sprained lower back); WR
Leslie Shepherd (pulled left hamstring); DT Marc Boutte (bruised right
knww); RB Marc Logan (sprained right shoulder); RB William Bell (bruised
right elbow); LB Ken Harvey (sprained left knee); RB Terry Allen
(sprained right ankle); RT Ed Simmons (sprained right knee).
Next opponent: Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, 1 p.m., Veterans Stadium.
The Eagles are 7-3, tied with the Redskins for first in the NFC East,
after a 24-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Philadelphia.
- JIM DUCIBELLA
Skins Report Card
Offensive line A Redskins ran for 204 yards and Gus Frerotte
wasn't sacked. RG Bob Dahl did a solid job on Eric Swann and the unit
picked up every Arizona blitz.
Receivers A The only passes they missed were those no one
could have caught. Michael Westbrook had the best day of his career with
six catches and a touchdown.
Running backs A Terry Allen was big with 124 yards and Brian
Mitchell was productive with five carries for 25 and four catches for
another 49.
Quarterback C Gus Frerotte's overthrow of Ellard led to an
interception by Kwamie Lassiter and an early Cardinals field goal. He
was barely a 50-percent passer Sunday (18-of-36), despite ample time.
Defensive line D Better against the run than last week, but
once DT Sean Gilbert tires, no one else makes a play. From the middle of
the second half on, Boomer Esiason might as well have been at practice.
Linebackers D Same as the D-line. Patrise Alexander was
crisp and solid at MLB in place of injured Rod Stephens, making 13
tackles. But Ken Harvey and Marvcus Patton combined for just 10, and
made no significant plays.
Secondary F Helpless at covering Arizona's receivers once
the pass rush dried up. Miscommunication between SS Darryl Pounds and CB
Tom Carter cost them a late first-half TD. Unit allowed the third-most
passing yards in NFL history.
Special teams F Between Galbraith's hold that nullified Scott
Blanton's first game-winning attempt, then Blanton's never-had-a-chance
second attempt, the unit failed when it had the chance to pull out a
game the Redskins didn't deserve to win. Blanton's kickoffs were lousy.
Coaching F The fans were calling for Ron Lynn's head
from the fourth quarter on. They won't get it, but it's hard to believe
that his philosophy can withstand too many more awful performances like
this. ILLUSTRATION: Associated Press
Arizona's Anthony Edwards exults over his game-tying catch, good for
12 of Boomer Esiason's 522 passing yards Sunday, third most in NFL
history.
LAWRENCE JACKSON
The Virginian-Pilot
Washington's Terry Allen loses the ball as Arizona defenders Matt
Darby, left, and Jamir Miller apply the hit. Allen ran for 124
yards. by CNB