THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 6, 1994 TAG: 9409060148
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Comment
DATELINE: ASHBURN, VA. LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
OK, maybe the Redskins will say it now.
Rebuilding.
Not reloading, which is what the 49ers did when they added Richard Dent, Gary Plummer, Ken Norton and Toi Cook to a defense already better than all but a few.
Not restructuring, which is what the Cowboys did after losing mostly spare parts to other teams via free agency.
But rebuilding, loosely defined as taking something that's been reduced to rubble and constructing something of quality.
Whether on the whim of the owner or the stubborn pride of the general manager, the Redskins have treated the R-word as if to use it meant having your tongue snipped out with rusty scissors. If the Nixon White House had issued such staunch denials early in Watergate, modern investigative journalism may never have been born.
But after Sunday's 28-7 shellacking at the wings of the never-mistaken-for-mighty Seattle Seahawks, there's no reason for anyone in the organization to sugarcoat what's going on at Redskin Park.
Not that there haven't been clues. When you cut five players, one-tenth of your ``final'' roster, four days before the season opener and replace them with guys so anonymous they might be models from a Sears catalog, that's trouble.
When you start a rookie free-agent defensive end, Lamar Mills, at tackle because he has more experience at the position - three, maybe four practices - than his backup, that's trouble.
When a coach who made his reputation with offense decides he must play it so conservatively to win he activates just three receivers and two tight ends, that's trouble.
And when the general manager already has reopened negotiations with last year's starting safety - Brad Edwards, who was cut moments before camp because he wouldn't take a huge pay cut - that's trouble. Make it double trouble now, because starting strong safety Keith Taylor is out for the year with a torn Achilles' tendon.
(Not that anyone knows Keith Taylor. Isn't he with the Stones?)
The bottom line is that it'll take blood, sweat and years for the Redskins to regain their status in the NFL community. They brought it on themselves with lousy drafts and uninspired free-agent signings, but Sunday proved this not a quick-fix situation.
Even before the game, there were rumors that the Redskins were close to signing Tony Casillas, the ex-Cowboys tackle who would lend respectability to the defensive line. Charley Casserly denied that was the case. He called the team's chances of getting Casillas ``slim,'' and pointed to the ever-present salary cap.
Casillas is 30 and flaky as your Aunt Millie's biscuits. He spent the summer informing the Chiefs he wouldn't play for them because he had high blood pressure, then staged a miraculous recovery after they restored his free-agent status. You could almost guarantee that his stay in Washington would be brief. He wants to continue playing for a champion.
But the defensive line gave up nearly 200 yards rushing. The Seahawks have a huge offensive line, and the Redskins won't be the last team they wear down to the nub. How the defensive line fares in the weeks to come will have a major impact on every aspect of the Redskins' defense.
Take linebacker Ken Harvey. He made some flashy plays Sunday, running down mobile quarterback Rick Mirer from way behind as Mirer tried to scramble. His game is speed and angles, not brute force. If opponents are able to jam the ball down the Redskins' throats up front, Harvey's effectiveness will be severely limited.
Casillas would help.
Coach Norv Turner spent Monday searching the film for bright spots. Other than Henry Ellard's seven catches for 105 yards, what he found was so insignificant to the average Joe it isn't worth going into.
What flashed instead was an offensive line that should have moved the Seahawks back, but didn't. And a quarterback in John Friesz who had an interception returned for a score and another that took Washington out of a desperately needed drive. And Heath Shuler, who needed a quick sideline tutorial on remembering his right from his left.
All of that figures to get better, possibly much better.
So does Brian Mitchell. People wanted to hand the flamboyant running back/kick returner his head after a fumbled punt and three dropped passes. Only by then, they were positive he would have dropped it.
Mitchell's history is that he follows a bad game with good ones. For now, that's all Turner has to go on. That should suffice.
Some people think Turner has been far too optimistic about this team's chances. (Like he should have said, ``Hey, media, we stink. Make sure you tell the fans you heard this evaluation from me. And if they don't believe you, they can phone 1-800-N-O-R-V.)
Ah, yes, the fans. As things grew worse Sunday, they hooted and hollered and booed and, eventually, started leaving the stadium as if the real game were taking place in the parking lot.
No one's told them this, because no one's told them the Redskins are rebuilding, but this is a year for patience. Heck, it might turn out to be a half-decade for patience. It's been a long time since the Redskins had this much work to do.
Joe Gibbs lost his first game, and four more after that. Richie Petitbon won his first game - and handily - over the defending Super Bowl champions. That should put Turner's debut in proper perspective.
``The fans? The fans are like me,'' Turner said. ``They want to see something positive.''
That doesn't happen often for teams that are rebuilding. There, it's been said. by CNB