Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, October 17, 1994 TAG: 9410190033
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Heath Shuler wanted it.
Heath Shuler got it.
The Redskins' rookie quarterback threw a lifetime-high five interceptions, the last of which set up Todd Peterson's 29-yard field goal with 4 minutes, 56 seconds left in overtime. That saddled the Redskins with a league-high 11th consecutive conference loss and will force coach Norv Turner to re-evaluate who starts Oct.23 against Indianapolis.
``I've got 44 other players to be concerned about,'' Turner said. ``We came up short because of our play at quarterback.
``I'm not prepared for a performance like that. I am disappointed. I'm not sure he threw one [interception] where the other guy made a good play. There were bad reads, bad throws.''
And bad memories, of a game he played long, long ago.
``Three is the most interceptions I've thrown in a game - and that was in third grade,'' said Shuler, who spent halftime sick to his stomach because of a two-day bout with the flu and limped out of RFK Stadium with a sprained right ankle that occurred when end Clyde Simmons shoved tackle Tre' Johnson into his leg in the second quarter. ``Give them some credit, but I also accept the blame for this one. I just turned the ball over too much.''
The worst of the bunch - Terry Hoage's pickoff of a pass for Desmond Howard one play before Peterson's game-winning kick - came after an overtime the Cardinals forced with a controversial 5-yard touchdown pass from Steve Beuerlein to Ricky Proehl with 19 seconds left in regulation.
Proehl came down with the ball in the end zone a second before cornerback Alan Grant stole it from his hands, but still long enough to be a touchdown.
``Ask the guys in there,'' Turner said, pointing to the locker room, ``and they'll tell you that was an interception.''
After a brief conference, the officials disagreed. Regulation ended 16-16.
On Washington's third possession of the extra period, Howard thought the Cardinals were going to blitz and broke off the pattern he was supposed to run. But Arizona sat back and Shuler tried to force a pass the rookie said he never should have thrown. He never saw Hoage floating across the middle.
Hoage, a former Redskin, returned the interception 23 yards to the Washington 12.
Buddy Ryan, the Cardinals` coach, didn't waste a moment, sending Peterson on the field for the kick that left the Redskins with a 1-6 record and elevated Arizona's mark to 2-4.
``It's not like we beat a great football team,'' Ryan said, hardly savoring the victory. ``But we needed to win badly. We are a good football team, but we must beat a team like Dallas or somebody like that to show something.''
Meanwhile, Turner and the Redskins seemed devastated by this defeat. Shuler called it his hardest loss ever. Several teammates concurred. For them, it was a day of lost opportunities, a day when a Redskins defense ranked last in the league kept the Cardinals at bay for all but two of their 19 possessions.
In overtime, Chip Lohmiller's 51-yard field-goal attempt was blocked by Seth Joyner, after which Peterson's 46-yard field-goal attempt faded wide right. Coincidentally, Peterson tried out at Redskin Park for Lohmiller's job during the week, but was signed by the Cardinals the following day.
On second down from his own 25, Shuler committed his last gaffe of the day.
Shuler, 11-of-32 for 198 yards, picked up a rare Cardinals blitz to hit running back Brian Mitchell with a 46-yard scoring pass and run that gave the Redskins a 7-0 lead.
The rest of the day Shuler either was wild high or practically giving the ball to an Arizona defense that, surprisingly, hardly ever blitzed. Pressed for an explanation, answers became excuses - the fact he can't grip the football because of the amount of shellac on them at the start of the game.
The legitimate excuse Shuler had - the sprained ankle, which he said prevented him from pushing off on his follow-through - he brushed off. He didn't even tell Turner it was bothering him.
``I guess that's selfish or stubborn or something,'' Shuler said. ``Just grittin' your teeth and saying, `I'm a big guy, I can take it.' Sometimes when you're tough, it comes back to haunt you.''
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB