Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, October 31, 1995 TAG: 9510310082
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Gus Frerotte hasn't done anything to lose the starting quarterback's job with the nation's capital sporting obsession.
``In Gus We Trust'' still is a workable campaign slogan, even for those Hogheaded fans who ripped Mark Rypien one preseason start after he had led Washington to its most recent Super Bowl success.
That said, when the Redskins next play at RFK Stadium against Seattle on Nov.19, don't be surprised if Heath Shuler isn't No.1 behind center again.
As RFK went dark after Sunday night's 24-15 loss to the mediocre-at-best New York Giants, there was a feeling floating through the air - sort of like a Billy Kilmer pass - that it's time for a change.
You couldn't tell it from the statistics. Frerotte threw four interceptions, but only one was a clean pick. He also passed for a career-best 345 yards.
Frerotte was Washington's offense. The Redskins couldn't run the ball through a defense ranked 27th against the rush in the NFL. Frerotte started the game without injured rookie Michael Westbrook at one receiver spot and finished it with future Hall of Fame catcher Henry Ellard icing his right hamstring.
If coach Norv Turner is going to change pitchers at the position he personally tutors, he isn't yet saying. Besides, Frerotte seems certain to start Sunday's trip to Kansas City, where the Chiefs are playing like the AFC team that will lose to Dallas in Super Bowl XXX.
No, a switch is more about Shuler. It's also about time. The Redskins have an open date after visiting KC, then return home for consecutive games with Seattle and Philadelphia.
Shuler, recovered from a shoulder sprain he suffered in the regular-season opener, still must prove he's worth the No.3 overall pick the Redskins used to select him in the 1994 draft. He still must earn an eight-year, $19.25 million contract.
He also has to be given the opportunity to do that. The loss to the Giants told the Redskins (3-6) they are playing for respectability and little else the rest of this season.
Had Washington beaten a team it hasn't coped with in the '90s - 12 losses in the past 15 games of what really used to be a giant series - changing quarterbacks would have been very hard to do.
However, it's time for the Redskins to learn about their big investment. They knew Frerotte was the No.2 career passer at the University of Tulsa behind T.J. Rubley. Now, they know much more about him.
He's better than any club has the right to expect a seventh-round pick to be. He's tough, heady. He runs Turner's offense better than Shuler, too.
If you think the major debate in Washington is about Medicare, or Colin Powell's presidential candidacy, guess again. Nor are the capitalists abuzz about the possibility of the Virginia Astros landing at RFK.
Frerotte or Shuler? That's the question. It's a filibuster that won't end, nor will it even go away if Shuler becomes No.1 and plays well - as long as the Redskins are losing.
The Giants solved the Redskins' truly special special-teams play by holding their lanes against return star Brian Mitchell. Even when Washington's defense wasn't a sad story - New York didn't get a first down in the first 26 minutes of the second half - the Redskins couldn't come back.
The Giants had only 243 yards and Frerotte had a career night, and the Redskins still couldn't win. In Turner's two seasons, Washington is 2-11 against its rivals in the NFC East, which certainly isn't the toughest division in the NFL these days.
``The first half was a nightmare,'' said Redskins cornerback Darrell Green. ``Sure, we were good in the second half, but that's like a runner saying, `If there was another mile to go, I'd have caught you.'''
The Redskins haven't won consecutive games since Joe Gibbs was on their sideline.
``It's not like football,'' Mitchell said. ``It's like a roller coaster.''
Or, as safety James Washington said after the loss, ``We keep saying we have potential, and we do. That gets you beat, too.''
So, because the Redskins still have so many questions, it seems time to answer the one that's most obvious.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB