Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 5, 1994 TAG: 9401050109
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Redskins made another mistake. The firing of head coach Richie Petitbon stinks as bad as Washington's offensive performance during the last two months of the season.
Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke wasn't too busy trying to get a stadium built with his name on it to fire one of the best coaches in the NFL. What in the name of Ray Handley is Cooke thinking?
In Joe Gibbs' glory years, Petitbon was the Redskins' defensive boss. He was - and still is - regarded within the league as a defensive genius. If Petitbon, 55, isn't some club's defensive coordinator in 1994, he could show up in Jacksonville, Fla., or Charlotte, N.C., for an expansion team's debut season in '95.
The Redskins were 4-12, their worst record in three decades. Someone had to take the fall, right? The problem is that in firing Petitbon, the Redskins really canned two coaches.
When Gibbs resigned as head coach in March and Petitbon was elevated, the new head coach named Rod Dowhower as his offensive coordinator. Dowhower's first move was to change the Redskins' very productive offense.
Dowhower moved away from Washington's bludgeoning one-back attack to an offense more similar to those used with great success by San Francisco and Dallas.
The problem was, the Redskins didn't have Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Tom Rathman. They also didn't have Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.
Injuries hurt Washington. So did some free-agency losses, questionable personnel moves and an offense that couldn't decide who it wanted to play.
Petitbon's defense wasn't the problem. In the last week of the preseason, the opinion here was that a 10-6 finish for the Redskins would be a stretch, based upon the performance of quarterback Mark Rypien.
Rypien's year, interrupted by a knee injury and a benching and made tougher by constant lineup changes, was bad enough that he expects to follow Petitbon out of town.
In five of the past eight games and three of the past four, Washington didn't score a touchdown. However, in six of the past seven games, the Redskins didn't give up more than two touchdowns.
After losing receiver Gary Clark to Phoenix through free agency, the Redskins made Art Monk a second-stringer. They gave up too soon on veteran running back Earnest Byner, too.
The club lost Gibbs, then ditched too many of its other leaders. What Petitbon got was a team with too much old personnel and too many youngsters, albeit ones who are likely to start and star in future seasons.
Still, Petitbon's defense was good enough for at least a break-even season. Washington would have been revamping its offense again anyway. The firing of Petitbon means the club must find a new defensive guru, too. His dismissal will create more turmoil for a club in transition.
It would be no surprise if Cooke tried to talk Gibbs into returning. He probably already has. The three-year contract that Gibbs walked out on includes 1994 anyway.
However, without Gibbs and now without Petitbon, the Redskins don't have either of the brains that led them to three Super Bowl titles in a decade.
Two weeks ago, before the Redskins played at Texas Stadium, Washington general manager Charley Casserly stood on the sideline talking to Dallas offensive coordinator Norv Turner. It's no secret that several teams covet Turner. The Redskins knew that if they wanted him, they had to move quickly.
Of course, hiring away the offensive coordinator of their hated rival would bring some glee to Cooke and his club. Turner might be the answer, but he won't be bringing Aikman, Irvin and Smith with him.
Petitbon, as much as anything, was a victim of a situation not of his making. Gibbs' emotional decision to stick with veteran players caught up with the club. Cooke is about as patient and pugnacious as Buddy Ryan. Casserly's need to restock veteran leadership and talent is made very difficult by the impending salary cap, which the Redskins exceed by $7 million.
The Redskins have the No. 3 pick in the college draft. That could help, but the last time Washington drafted in such an uppity neighborhood it chose Heisman Trophy receiver Desmond Howard, who in two seasons has struggled to even practice what the Redskins preach.
Petitbon's years with Washington preceded Gibbs. The former Pro Bowl defensive back was Jack Pardee's defensive coordinator with Washington from 1978-80.
Petitbon is the only man who has been a part of all five Redskins Super Bowl teams. Another Washington monument crumbles.
It appears a franchise is crumbling in Cooke's hands, too.
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by CNB