Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 2, 1990 TAG: 9007020099
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Why," the young boy at Gary Clark's "Say No to Drugs" camp asked Rypien, "did you fumble the ball so much last year?"
The Washington Redskins' quarterback had an answer.
"I've been asked that one a lot," he said.
People seem to remember the bad about Rypien's first season as the Redskins' starting quarterback, his 11 fumbles on 12 sacks in the first eight games. He was benched and Washington suffered perhaps the most embarrassing loss of coach Joe Gibbs' nine seasons - Dallas' only victory - and at RFK Stadium at that.
However, Rypien rebounded, as did the Redskins. They finished the year with five victories, barely missed a wild-card playoff spot, and Rypien went to the Pro Bowl after competing 59 percent of his passes for 3,768 yards and throwing only 13 interceptions compared with 22 touchdowns.
Last year at this time, he was told he would be the starting quarterback because of Doug Williams' back surgery. But the 6-foot-4 Rypien never was sure of that, or himself. Now, he's solidly ahead of Stan Humphries, Plan B signee Jeff Rutledge and draftee Cary Conklin on the depth chart.
"There's always someone trying to take your job," Rypien said last week at teammate Clark's camp in Roanoke. "I was the underdog for a couple of years; now, someone else is.
"I was just excited to get back in the picture and show the kind of player I could be last year. This year, there's a little more ease in the situation for me. I'm comfortable out there now.
"You never say it, because you love to compete, but when you start making mistakes you start thinking about making more mistakes. Hopefully, I've dug myself out of that hole."
Rypien didn't suffer alone. The Redskins' offensive line was battered by injuries, and Rypien's protection went from "Hogs" to "Piglets." When he started losing the ball, the blame fell on him.
"That was kind of a gut check for me last year. It really tested my character a bit," said Rypien, a sixth-round draft choice out of Washington State in 1986 who didn't play until 1988. "The [two-game] layoff did me some good, a lot of good.
"The toughness aspect was never in question. I hung in the pocket trying to make things happen. In the process, negative things happened. If you're going to make things happen, it has to be in a hurry.
"The days are over in the NFL when defensive players are looking for big hits to knock the quarterback silly. They're trying to strip the ball. Grabbing you from behind is a play you have to be very aware of, and now I am."
Rypien, 27, also was helped by Gibbs' midseason decision to hinge the club's rebound on veteran receivers Clark, Art Monk and Ricky Sanders. A more conservative approach featuring first-year Redskin Gerald Riggs ended with the ex-Atlanta back injured.
The rebuilt offensive line also prospered. Whether the Redskins can make the playoffs for the first time in three seasons will be determined by a more-balanced attack and how the younger Redskins mesh with the veterans.
"It's important to control the ball in the NFL," Rypien said. "But when you get down, you have to be able to come back, and with our big-run receivers we can get back into a game in a hurry.
"What's important is being healthy up front, to be able to establish the type of game you want. [Tackle] Mark May is still hurting and he'll be out until the end of October, and [tackle] Joe Jacoby may miss the first game.
"But we've got other guys who stepped in, like an Ed Simmons. He seems like a new guy, but he's been around four years and he plays up there as well as anyone. And then we had Mark Schlereth come in as a rookie and show he's a player."
Rypien said the Redskins have had more than a 90 percent turnout at their off-season workouts from early March until last week. He sees a team that is hungry to play after New Year's Day again.
"We've got a lot of guys who have been successful for a number of years, and maybe some of them are to the point where they figure they only have three or four years at most left," he said.
"It's been a couple of years since the Redskins have been in the playoffs, and I think the older guys are fed up with that. The younger guys, some of whom got their first shots last year, are a different kind of hungry.
"The last five games last year were a real turning point for this team. We had five or six guys who got a chance to play who maybe didn't figure they'd get it, and they played well. Hopefully, that will carry over."
Rypien said the Redskins' biggest failing last season was their play at RFK Stadium, where they won only four of eight games. "In the NFL, you should go 6-2 at home at worst - if you're figuring on making the playoffs," he said.
"The big thing for us is getting everyone healthy. With our best 22 guys and our depth we created last year, we can play with anybody in this league.
"Now, we have to show that."
by CNB