Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 8, 1993 TAG: 9309080072
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
They appeared on the RFK Stadium scoreboard.
There's no question Washington's impressive 35-16 thumping of the Cowboys - the Redskins' first season-opening win over Dallas in seven meetings - was a product of more than the absence of the NFL's best running back. The Redskins exposed more than their shrewd rookie coach who's shot arrows into plenty of teams previously.
Asked whether it felt different on the sideline as a head coach than it did in his 15 years as the Redskins' defensive boss, Richie Petitbon said, "It was about the same. It was another day at the office, really."
Across the noise-engulfed, emotion-swept field, the man in charge of the Cowboys must have felt a little bit like Custer. Dallas was outmanned, outcoached, surrounded - and now a bunch of Buffalo Bills are headed for Texas on Sunday to try and avenge a massacre in last year's Super Bowl.
"I'm tired of talking about Emmitt Smith, just tired," Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson said, his face burning Redskins burgundy, after his team's mundane night football. "We got a team that is struggling, and I am tired of talking about Emmitt."
OK, so let's talk about whom the Redskins didn't miss, besides retired coach Joe Gibbs. Petitbon didn't use running back Ricky Ervins. Wide receiver Desmond Howard was hurt, as are H-backs Terry Orr and Frank Wycheck and starting linebacker Andre Collins.
Without them, the Redskins piled up 171 rushing yards, 116 of those by Brian Mitchell. They had the ball for more than 35 minutes. Quarterback Mark Rypien blended Washington's new short passing game with its established one-back set and produced one of his best games.
Actually, the man the Cowboys may have missed more than Smith - whom they can't afford to be without much longer - was former defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt. He's the distinctly un-Ditkan new head coach at Chicago, the man who got the job ahead of Petitbon.
The Redskins pretty much took what they wanted against Wannstedt's old troops. After quarterback Troy Aikman, superb all night, took the Cowboys 80 yards in four plays to cut Washington's lead to 21-13, Dallas had the Redskins where it wanted them - on the 1-yard line, after Mitchell genuflected with a kickoff reception.
"It was really embarrassing," he said. "I just thought the 5-yard line was the goal line."
So, Mitchell and Rypien - using short hooks and slants with three-step drops - took Washington 99 yards to a touchdown, using more than seven minutes, expiring the third quarter and the Cowboys. Rypien was 9-for-10 on the drive, including 29- and 15-yarders (the touchdown) to Art Monk, a second-stringer who happens to be the leading receiver in NFL history.
The Redskins' offensive line protected Rypien for a 22-for-34 night without a sack. Left tackle Moe Elewonibi wasn't Jim Lachey - nor will he be in replacing the Pro Bowler who's out for the season after knee surgery - but coordinator Rod Dowhower's offense compensated by lining up multiple tight ends and Monk to help Elewonibi pass-protect.
Mitchell, who couldn't get the keepsake ball from an official following his second-quarter touchdown, capped his night with a 29-yard touchdown burst when the Redskins decided to run the ball on fourth-and-12 inches from the Dallas 29 with 2:12 left. He pirouetted past the spot where he mistakenly knelt a quarter earlier.
"That's the only decision I make for the offense," Petitbon said. "When to go for it. It wasn't that difficult a choice. I don't call the play. I just tell them what I want to do. They figure it out."
Although Dallas was beaten up front, the passing game will face more pressure until Smith is signed. With a 1,500-yard season, Smith would become the first player in NFL history to run that far in three straight years. He had 85.5 percent of Dallas' ground yards in 1991-92, and 678 in six career games against the 'Skins.
Buffalo's Thurman Thomas comes to Dallas on Sunday with a new four-year, $13.5 million contract. Jones' last offer to Smith over the weekend was under $11 million for four years.
Derrick Lassic became the first rookie to start for a defending Super Bowl champion since cornerback Darrell Green joined the Redskins in 1983. He was as impressive as a rookie can be in his first NFL game, with 75 yards on 16 carries.
However, the Cowboys ran inside less and passed more than they would have with Smith in the backfield, even considering they were playing catch-up in the second half.
As for the Redskins, they like the Petitbon Era so far. They remember Gibbs began an 0-5 start with a 26-10 loss to Dallas.
"I think we have a chance to be pretty good," Petitbon said, astutely.
by CNB