THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 10, 1994 TAG: 9410100168
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PHILADELPHIA LENGTH: Long : 104 lines
The latest chapter in the seasoning of Redskins rookie quarterback Heath Shuler concluded at the Philadelphia 3-yard line with 40 seconds left Sunday night, the ball - and a 21-17 victory - safely in the hands of Eagles safety Greg Jackson.
Shuler, making just his second NFL start, had guided the Redskins from their 7 to the Philly 33 with a two-minute drive that began to resemble one that had resulted in a first-half touchdown.
But Shuler's third-down pass down the sideline for Desmond Howard was picked off by free safety Jackson, floating over to lend double-coverage help at just the right time.
Thus, the Eagles escaped with a closer-than-expected victory on a night they had possession of the ball for slightly more than 43 minutes.
They weren't very time-efficient - Randall Cunningham and Herschel Walker ran for scores and Cunningham hit Fred Barnett on a 49-yard catch-and-run score.
But when they had to maintain possession to protect a 4-point lead late in the game, the Eagles manhandled the Redskins, grinding out first down after first down in a 8:30 display of brute strength. They converted 14 of 21 third-down plays.
Doing so enabled them to run their record to 4-1 and sets up a confrontation with Dallas next Sunday for the lead in the NFC East.
Meanwhile, the bottom line for Shuler and the 1-5 Redskins is that two brilliant plays don't a win make. Progress, yes; victory, no.
Shuler hit just 10 of 27 passes for 186 yards. The Redskins converted just 1 of 10 third-down plays.
Cunningham, 22 of 39 for 261 yards, had run 21 yards in the first quarter to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead, vaulting safety Martin Bayless at the 3 in the process.
Washington, meanwhile, was stuck in neutral. The Redskins squandered Brian Mitchell's 68-yard return of the opening kickoff. Their first series began on the Eagles 33; it ended on the 34.
Comically, they'd also blown any advantage gained by a 47-yard pass-interference penalty against Philadelphia cornerback Mark McMillian in the second quarter that gave the Redskins a first down at the Philadelphia 11.
On the very next play, Shuler planted the ball high up Henry Ellard's chest on an attempted end-around. Ellard couldn't control it, stumbled over it, kicked it and finally had it squirt out from underneath his belly and into the arms of Eagles tackle Mike Flores at the Philly 37.
The Eagles couldn't turn that into anything and, suddenly, with one minute to play in the half, Shuler started clicking.
He found Ellard across the middle for 21. Against a blitz, he greased a slant pass to Howard. After deliberately spiking the ball to stop the clock, he lofted a perfect throw to fellow rookie Tydus Winans, one step ahead of Otis Smith, in the end zone.
As Winans celebrated with his fellow receivers, Shuler leaped into the arms of guard Raleigh McKenzie, then was mobbed by the rest of the Redskins offensive line.
But kicker Chip Lohmiller hooked the extra point and the half ended with Philly ahead, 7-6.
The touchdown energized Shuler's confidence. On their second possession of the second half, Shuler stood in the pocket against an all-out Philly blitz. Winans again ran a deep post and Shuler lobbed up what appeared at first to be a desperation pass.
But Winans again pulled away from Smith at the last instant to haul in a a 41-yard touchdown strike with 6:46 left in the quarter.
And he made a Joe Montana-like play on the two-point conversion, rolling right and holding the ball until the last possible moment. With a flick of the wrist, he found Howard, who straddled the out-of-bounds line but kept both feet in play to put Washington up, 14-7.
Cunningham immediately brought the Eagles back, guiding them 65 yards in 5 plays for the tieing score. After Charlie Garner - 28 rushes, 122 yards and several snaps from breaking a half-dozen runs for long distances - ran a couple of times, Cunningham found Barnett with what should have been a relatively innocent pass in the flat.
But Walker's block wiped out linebacker Lamont Hollinquest and Bayless and enabled Barnett to turn a 10-yard gain into a 49-yard touchdown.
The rain-soaked Veterans Stadium crowd of 63,947 had no sooner settled back down when Frank Wycheck and Mitchell collided on the ensuing kickoff. Wycheck caught the ball, but had to pick himself off the turf.
He did, slashing through the Philly special teams for 43 yards, to the Eagles 34. This drive gained just 4 yards, but Lohmiller made his most difficult field goal of the season, 47 yards through the rain and a swirling wind to give Washington a 17-14 advantage with 2:47 still left in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Garner, whose 122 yards made him the first rookie back in Eagles' history to hit the century mark in back-to-back games, got Philly started with a blazing 11-yard run. But he aggravated the rib injury that had kept him sidelined until last week.
Walker re-entered at running back and bulled 7,3 and, finally, 2 yards into the end zone to put Philadelphia ahead for good. ILLUSTRATION: Associated Press color photo
Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham vaults into the end zone for a
touchdown with the Redskins' Andre Collins defending.
ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
Washington's Heath Shuler grabs Tydus Winans after their second
touchdown hookup Sunday night, a 41-yarder in the third quarter.
by CNB