THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 7, 1994 TAG: 9411070156
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Long : 110 lines
It isn't often that a football team with just two victories can take a step backward. The Washington Redskins managed Sunday.
As if the San Francisco 49ers weren't good enough on their own, the Redskins helped pave their way to a 37-22 victory that wasn't as close as the final score.
``Very disappointing,'' coach Norv Turner said after watching his team fall to 2-8 overall, 0-6 at home. ``I've thought for the last month that we've made progress. It didn't show today.''
Last year, the Redskins spoke frequently of ``the San Francisco offense,'' a mode of attack in which receivers turn short passes into long gains.
Sunday, they got the San Francisco offense. And defense. And special teams.
All scored touchdowns.
Quarterback Steve Young, who threw for 291 yards before being rested after three quarters, hit tight end Brent Jones with a 69-yard scoring pass.
Young took the ball in for a 1-yard touchdown and watched as Jerry Rice rambled 28 yards on an end-around for a score.
Safety Tim McDonald picked off a Gus Frerotte pass and raced 73 yards for a third-quarter touchdown that boosted San Francisco's lead to 24-3.
And returner Dexter Carter finally freed himself of sticky Redskins kick coverage to run 96 yards with a third-quarter kickoff that boosted the 49ers' lead to 30-6.
Two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Frerotte fumbled the snap from center and 49ers linebacker Lee Woodall recovered. Rice ended that drive with his 28-yard touchdown dash to make it 37-6.
That took care of Frerotte. The rookie quarterback was replaced by John Friesz. Frerotte hit 15 of 32 attempts for 167 yards. But for the second week in a row, he also had three turnovers.
``Their rush was better than I anticipated,'' Frerotte said. ``They had guys covered all day. Take nothing from them; they're a Super Bowl contender.''
Pressured all day, he was not sharp. Playing Dallas after this week's bye doesn't figure to help him improve.
``He missed some throws he'd been making,'' Turner said of Frerotte. ``After the (McDonald) interception, he started getting careful. It's normal. It's his third game. He'll learn a lot from this.''
Even defensive end Charles Mann exacted some revenge. Waived during the offseason by the Redskins, the 12-year veteran sacked Friesz in the fourth quarter. Rising, Mann turned and bowed to the crowd.
``I know what they're going through with a new coach,'' Mann said after the game. ``Hopefully, they'll get through it.''
If Sunday was any indication, it could take a long time. Except for occasional flashes from their run defense, the Redskins were not competitive.
Turner sent a clear signal that he considered the game over and lost late in the third quarter.
San Francisco led, 24-3, but Frerotte moved the Redskins 64 yards to the 49ers' 6. On fourth-and-5, Turner ordered Chip Lohmiller in to kick a field goal.
``We'd moved down there earlier and threw the interception,'' Turner explained. ``We'd had three cracks from the 10 and gained just 5 yards. I just wanted some points.''
Washington closed the gap to 37-22 with a much-too-late surge that included Friesz's 4-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Horton, a two-point conversion run by Brian Mitchell, safety Darryl Morrison's 32-yard scoring run with a fumble, and a two-point conversion pass from Friesz to Tydus Winans.
After Morrison's score, the Redskins gained possession when Pat Eilers recovered an onside kick. But guard Raleigh McKenzie was penalized 5 yards for a false start on second down, Horton dropped a pass, tackle Tre' Johnson was penalized 5 yards for a false start, and Friesz threw an incompletion. On fourth down with 2:40 to play, Turner had Reggie Roby punt.
``We were so ragtag, I didn't think we'd make the first down,'' Turner said. ``Yeah, we took a step back.''
San Francisco coach George Seifert acknowledged that his team didn't show much consistency Sunday.
``The reason we won was the big plays,'' Seifert said. ``The couple big pass plays - certainly to Brent Jones, to Jerry Rice, Jerry's reverse, a punt return and an interception. Then all hell breaks loose at the end.''
The Redskins pointed to early first-half mistakes as the cause of their downfall.
On San Francisco's opening drive, they blew a coverage and Young completed a 38-yard pass to Watters. Doug Brien's 32-yard field goal followed.
A couple possessions later, linebacker Lamont Hollinquest left coverage of tight end Brent Jones, allowing Jones free down the center of the field. Young's pass hit him in stride, Darrell Green missed a late tackle attempt and the 49ers ended the first quarter up, 10-0.
Washington trimmed the lead to 10-3 with 2:28 left in the half. But cornerback Tom Carter made a foolish mistake on a Young pass, attempting to swipe at the ball instead of tackling receiver Rice and conceding an 11-yard gain. Rice shrugged off Carter, cut back across the field, got a couple blocks and turned the play into a 55-yard gain.
Watters then ran 22 yards to the 1, and Young sneaked in for a touchdown to give the Niners a 17-3 halftime lead.
``As soon as it happened, I said, `Uh, oh,' '' Carter said.
There was a chorus of that along the Redskins sideline. It would continue in the second half. ILLUSTRATION: Staff color photo by PAUL AIKEN
Ricky Watters leaves Darrell Green in his wake on a 38-yard pass
completion that set up the 49ers' first score, opening the
floodgates.
Staff photo by PAUL AIKEN
Tim McDonald returned this interception of a Gus Frerotte pass 73
yards for a TD in the third quarter. It made the score 24-3.
by CNB