THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 8, 1994 TAG: 9412080573
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
While many look with fear and loathing on the rematch in 10 days between the Redskins and Tampa Bay Bucs, my mind tries to imagine a game between the footwipes of Norv Turner and the 1987 Redskins replacement team.
When the real NFL players went on strike in 1987 after the second week of the season, the rent-a-warriors crossed the picket line.
The Redskins' scabs were brought in to do a job, and that's just what they did. Before the strike ended, the terrific temps went 3-0.
Where are those replacement players when the Redskins really need them?
With their loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday, the Redskins fell so far out of favor that they almost fell off the radar screen.
Until the local affiliate objected, the Fox Network tried to perform a public service by not showing the Redskins' next game in Hampton Roads.
So now we know: ``Married ... With Children,'' is not objectionable. The Redskins are.
The next step is for somebody to manufacture a TV chip that blacks out Redskins games.
It has come to this because of the loss to Tampa Bay. Because they proved to be more inept than the historically awful Bucs, it has been decided that the Redskins have hit rock bottom.
The assessment may be premature. If the Redskins lose again to Tampa Bay, somebody should title the game film, ``China Syndrome II.''
Rock bottom. Belly up. Whatever. Bad is bad, though apparently some Redskin fans were still in a state of denial. Until the Tampa Bay score rolled in.
You can understand the fans' uncertainty. When it comes to rating NFL teams, terrible can be a terribly relative term.
In December, only the Redskins, Bengals and Oilers have been officially eliminated from postseason contention.
Nobody even knows what the definition of a bad pro football team is anymore. The Redskins, Oilers and Bengals certainly qualify.
But it used to be you were a bad team if you won only half your games. Now, in many NFL cities, a .500 record puts the parade committee on alert.
Because reality bites, pro football invites its followers into a fantasyland where mediocrity is rewarded with hope. Where teams with more than five victories in early December ``can't be counted out.''
Depending on the outcomes, by the end of this weekend's games, 12 teams could have records of 7-7.
Under the circumstances, it's natural that some would mistake Washington for a franchise going through a bad patch, not a group that resembles the hapless Redskins of the '60s.
Others contend that the Redskins are struggling because they are a young team. But they aren't all that inexperienced, except at quarterback. When the season started, the Redskins had 16 players age 30 or older. The Redskins aren't rebuilding. They are groping.
Yet, these same bumblers have lost seven games after leading in the fourth quarter.
What does this say for the current state of the NFL?
What if the Redskins had found a way to win three or four of those games? Perceptions would be different. The future would be clouded by unreal expectations. The truth would be less obvious.
It would not be as easy to recognize what the Redskins need more than anything.
Replacement players. by CNB