ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 13, 1995 TAG: 9512130014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: ANALYSIS
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
SUNDAY'S LOSS to the New York Giants is the latest Washington and its defensive coordinator, Ron Lynn, have let slip away.
At some point, statistics stop lying. At some point, extenuating circumstances shouldn't take precedence over the bottom line.
The Washington Redskins' defense and its architect, coordinator Ron Lynn, have reached that point.
Sunday, the New York Giants offense made exactly two significant plays in the second half. With 3:27 to play and the score tied at 13, New York's ``output,'' if you could call it that, was minus-11 yards.
Play No.1 was a 16-yard pass from quarterback Dave Brown to receiver Chris Calloway. It was the Giants' second first down of the half.
Play No.2 came two snaps later, with 1:12 to play, a 40-yard Brown-to-Calloway pass that beat cornerback Tom Carter and allowed the Giants to take a hardly earned 20-13 victory.
``They're an NFL team; you expect them to move the ball downfield at some point,'' was one answer Lynn rationalized. True enough.
And it's impossible to exclude the players from blame. Offense, defense, special teams. Every week some area or some player blows his assignment. Try as they might - and there's no lack of effort - they're not 4-10 by accident.
But nowhere is there a more consistent record of inefficiency than on defense. Specifically, last-quarter, last-drive, last-play defense, as exhibited Sunday at Giants Stadium. They're all the evidence anybody needs to remove Lynn from his duties when the season comes to a merciful conclusion.
Four times in 1994, the Redskins had leads with less than 35 seconds to play - and lost. Think about that, then think about this season.
Think Denver, where John Elway throws a 47-yard touchdown pass on the last play of the game to beat Lynn's defense.
Think about Philadelphia on Oct.8, when the Eagles drive three-fourths of the field to a last-play, game-winning field goal in overtime.
Think Arizona, the same Cardinals team the Redskins throttled the opening week, jamming the ball down Washington's throat on a late fourth-quarter march to the game-winning touchdown.
Think about the Giants at RFK Stadium on Oct.29. Their robotic offense, held without a first down for the initial 27 minutes of the second half, grinds out three when Washington can least afford to allow them and walks out with a 24-15 victory.
It's not just that the Giants did it again Sunday. It's that on their last play, not one, but two receivers were open enough that Brown deliberated which to throw to before selecting Calloway.
``I think I actually had my choice,'' Brown said, not trying to embarrass anybody but simply telling the truth. ``Mike [Sherrard] was probably more open.''
The Giants put three receivers on one side of the field - Calloway, Sherrard and a tight end. Brown said it's really a conservative play. Usually, the receivers are covered, he throws to the tight end and accepts a short gain.
``You look at Mike first, the inside guy,'' he said. ``You read the safety. If the safety jumps Mike, then you take Chris and vice versa. I'm not sure who the safety took. I had both of them.''
Stanley Richard was the safety, and he admitted the Giants threw so often to their tight ends he stuck with him.
``Great play on their part,'' Richard said.
You can blame Richard for not helping Carter, though no Redskin, not even Lynn, came forth.
Let's see. No safety help. Bad coverage by the cornerback in a crucial situation. No pass rush when needed most. Who designs the defensive scheme? Who calls them during games?
Ultimately, who's responsible for the Redskins performance when the other team has the ball?
Ultimately, it's Lynn.
In two seasons, 30 games in which Washington is 7-23, the defense has saved exactly two victories with last-quarter or last-drive plays.
Carter intercepted Dallas backup Wade Wilson's pass in the final minute of a 27-23 victory on Oct.1. Cornerback Darrell Green pilfered Scott Mitchell's overtime throw and ran for a touchdown in a 36-30 victory over Detroit three weeks later.
``It's a shame the focus of [Sunday's] game is on one play,'' Lynn said. ``There were about 60 plays in the ballgame.''
The Redskins made many of those, maybe most. They didn't make the crucial ones - yet again.
LENGTH: Medium: 85 linesby CNB