MARSHALL DOES WHAT 'SKINS PAY HIM FOR

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, January 26, 1992                   TAG: 9201260043
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTS COLUMNIST
DATELINE: MINNEAPOLIS                                 LENGTH: Medium
MARSHALL DOES WHAT 'SKINS PAY HIM FOR - AND WELL
Wilber Marshall seems to have beaten the system. If he seems unhappy, it probably is because he's never satisfied.
Marshall plays in his second Super Bowl tonight. The last time, he was Chicago's gambling, Buddy Ryan-charged linebacker, a two-time Pro Bowl sacker- and attacker-to-be.
Then, after the 1987 season, Marshall became an NFL rarity - a free agent who changed clubs. He signed a five-year, $6 million contract with Washington. He never has been the same player he was with the Bears.
However, that isn't Marshall's fault. The 230-pounder was asked to subjugate his glamour game to be part of the Redskins' system, a Richie Petitbon-coached scheme middle linebacker Matt Millen calls "the biggest chess game I've ever seen."
Marshall was branded with iron of disappointment, although his first three Redskins' seasons, he averaged a credible 113 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He was doing what he was supposed to do.
Then, last spring, Petitbon decided to flop his outside linebackers. He moved Marshall from right to left, where he most often would have to handle opponents' tight ends. Andre Collins got the right side, where his pass-coverage skills would be more valuable.
What has happened? Marshall shares Washington's interception lead (five) with cornerback Darrell Green. He is second on the team with 135 tackles and third in sacks (5.5). He has forced a team-best four fumbles and has 19 quarterback hurries.
It was a Pro Bowl season for Marshall, except his peers didn't make him a ninth Redskin on the NFC squad that will be playing a week from tonight in Hawaii.
"The other NFC guys are watching the Super Bowl at home," Marshall said. "I'm home . . . I don't want to sound like I'm crying about [the Pro Bowl], but the guys there are rush linebackers like Lawrence Taylor, players who rush 90 percent and drop back 10 percent like I did in Chicago."
During the season, Marshall and Collins flip-flopped during games, depending on situations. Marshall even played some middle linebacker. In his Redskins' past, Marshall always left the game on third down. Now, he plays against the pass at times.
"The switch hasn't changed what I do much," Marshall said. "They ask me to do a lot of things, and that's what I'm going to do. That's why they pay me.
"When they first talked to me about switching sides, I didn't care for it. I'd been playing that one position for seven years. Well, I've gone back some."
In Petitbon's scheme, Marshall has been given more freedom this season. Has that made a difference for Marshall, or is his superb play more a case of reaching a comfort zone in the set?
"It's a little of both," Marshall said. "It takes time to get to know the players you're on the field with, and it takes time to learn the system. You can't just walk in here and know or remember everything.
"It took me a couple of years to blend in and really learn what they wanted."
Marshall's problem was others' perception of his play. They wanted Marshall the Bear, rather than the freelancing he did with spectacular results as a Redskin.
"I'm still producing some good numbers, and I'm giving them the play they wanted," said Marshall, who will turn 30 before he enters the final year of his contract next season. "All of you - well, not all of you - but the so-called experts, kept asking if I was worth the $1.2 million a year or two No. 1's [draft picks the Redskins gave to Chicago for signing Marshall].
"For this system, I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. I was brought in to fill a hole and make plays. When I got here, they had two great rushers in Charles Mann and Dexter Manley coming off the corners.
"You only need two coming off the corners. If you have three, then the other team is just going to run the ball up the middle."
Marshall's adapting to Petitbon's think-then-hit system was a big reason Washington's defense improved, and that is also the main reason the Redskins are seeking a club-record 17th victory against Buffalo tonight.
He would like to stay in Washington with a new contract after next season. Despite the lack of appreciation for his play in the past, he is happy with the Redskins.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB