Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 14, 1994 TAG: 9408140005
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Washington has a new head coach, and when the NFL season opens here three weeks from today, the Redskins should have a rookie starting at quarterback, too, for the first time in 33 years.
One thing isn't different at the creaking, circular stadium at the east end of Capitol Street, however. The spoiled spectators aren't easily satisfied.
Heath Shuler undoubtedly set an RFK record in Friday night's home preseason debut against Kansas City. The fickle fans wanted until the rich rookie quarterback's third series to boo him.
It never happened to Shuler before that he could recall, even when he threw back-to-back interceptions during his college days at Tennessee. And the same stadium didn't turn sour on Mark Rypien until after he won a Super Bowl.
Shuler heard RFK's raspberries for the first time with 14:41 left in the sloppy 17-14 loss to KC, a franchise that should be renamed the Montana Chiefs.
A second-down incompletion brought out the boos from the small-for-RFK crowd of 40,778. Of course, Shuler scrambled 11 yards for a first down on the next play, and all was forgiven.
Shuler was 9-for-21 in playing the second half on a night when Joe Montana, throwing 50-yard spirals to some bad-hands people, was still the chief QB in more ways than one.
While Shuler was decent, Redskins' coach Norv Turner rhymed with burner. It's a good thing the coaches aren't heard publicly over those new audiblizers the NFL is employing to send signals to quarterbacks.
Turner was full of four-letter words, and they weren't pass, punt or kick. After he made it clear how he felt on the sidelines, he reiterated his disgust and disappointment in the locker room, and then echoed his own words with the media.
There's little question more has changed with the Redskins than the 37 players or an 80-man roster who made their RFK debuts Friday night, many traveling in groups to the stadium so as not to get lost in the L'Enfant-laid street patterns.
The sideline stoicism of Joe Gibbs is history. The head-shaking resignation of Richie Petitbon is gone, too. Turner is a head coach who at times will apparently lose his head, which isn't all bad when trying to rebuild a Washington monument.
"The first half we did some awfully good things," Turner said. "Our defense played very well. The second half was just awful, just horrible, no concentration, no discipline, penalties everywhere. ... We have to make field goals.
"Obviously, we have 80 guys, and we're trying to look at too many. We're going to cut down on the number of people we look at in the next two weeks."
It's obvious that Shuler is going to get the opportunity to hear many more boos and cheers at a stadium he never saw until Friday night. Turner still has designs on starting the rookie, perhaps as soon as the next exhibition game Thursday night at New England.
Before he stepped onto a field still tattered from World Cup soccer this summer, Shuler's picture of RFK came via television while he was growing up in Bryson City, in western North Carolina. He recalls "the people dressing up like Hogs."
Those same snout-sporting spectators were snorting him Friday night. His mother may have given Joseph Heath Shuler his middle name from Lee Majors' character on "The Big Valley," but those Hogettes know the rookie is much more than a $6-million man.
Shuler hasn't yet had the opportunity to play with the first-unit offensive line and receivers. The timing isn't yet there, because Shuler has had only five practices as John Friesz's backup since signing an eight-year, $19.25 million contract.
Turner said the late turns and drops by some receivers is a product of Shuler's raw ability. "He's a lot quicker with the football than John and he throws the ball faster than John," the Redskins' coach said.
Shuler also is is very quick getting out from behind center and into his pass drop. The Redskins haven't seen that in years, just as they haven't seen a new coach-new QB combination since George allen-Billy Kilmer in 1971, just as they haven't seen a rookie quarterback start since Norm Snead in '61.
"I'm not concerned who Heath is playing with," Turner said when asked about Shuler's work with the second team. "I'm concerned about how he's playing."
How he's playing is better than many of the Redskins, which is what really has Norv nervous.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB