THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 30, 1995 TAG: 9508300658
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 140 lines
It was a rookie season a player could be forgiven for forgetting.
It was a rookie season Heath Shuler forced himself to remember.
Each day during the aftermath of a 3-13 1994, the Washington Redskins quarterback would pop a tape of one of his infamous first-year performances into the VCR.
One day he would review his 11-of-30, 96-yard disaster against the Dallas Cowboys. The next, he'd haul out the 11-for-28, 165-yard debacle against the New York Giants.
And, of course, there was the Mother of them all, Shuler's 11-of-32, five-interception performance against the Arizona Cardinals at RFK Stadium. That was a 19-16 overtime loss in which 46 of Shuler's 158 passing yards came on a first-quarter toss to Brian Mitchell. Thirty-one other throws gained an embarrassing 102 yards and earned Shuler a three-week seat on the bench, officially with a sprained ankle.
``I would look at a tape a day just to remind myself of all the work I had to do,'' Shuler said recently. ``I would think, `Gee, there were so many times I could have completed a pass,' and so many times now I'll complete a pass that I should have completed last year.''
Last year. When Redskins quarterback coach Cam Cameron calls it ``a heckuva deal,'' he's not referring to the eight-year, $19-million contract the former University of Tennessee hotshot signed.
Cameron is talking about the 19-day holdout that prefaced that contract. He is talking about Shuler finally arriving at training camp so clueless about pro football that Redskins coach Norv Turner practically had to tell him that Paul Tagliabue was commissioner.
He's referring to their long, regular gab sessions in which football strategy often was secondary in importance to maintaining self-confidence.
``We talked frequently, and he's what kept me focused,'' Shuler said. ``There were times I asked him, `Cam, am I ever going to complete another pass?'
``I always felt like I could do it. If not, I wouldn't have thrown the ball as many times as I did. My confidence level wasn't destroyed, but it could get frustrating. In college, I could complete a 5-yard pass with my eyes closed. Now, I couldn't do it against no one.''
It didn't help that Shuler couldn't connect with Redskins fans, either. It had been 30 years since Norm Snead and the agony of breaking in a rookie quarterback, three decades since they'd been forced to exhibit even a modicum of patience and understanding. It was more than the fans could handle, particularly when fellow rookie Gus Frerotte guided the team to a road victory over the Indianapolis Colts the first game after Shuler was benched.
``It was hard,'' Shuler admitted. ``Deep down inside, I just kept thinking, `I can do this, I've done it a million times before. But when do I get that chance? When is it all going to come clear for me?' ''
Cameron wondered the same thing, and more. He wondered how Shuler, who hadn't lost 10 football games combined since he was on the high school junior varsity, would deal with the inevitability of a grueling season with double-digit losses. He wondered how Shuler would take being exiled to the bench, Frerotte's auspicious debut and the overwhelming support and adulation he was receiving from the fans.
``I learned a lot from (Shuler),'' Cameron said. ``To see how he responded after the Arizona game gave me more respect for him than I ever imagined.
``After a game like that, some guys never look to get back out there. Not Heath. He looked to get back out there as soon as possible, to get through it. He was, and is, the first guy in and the last guy to leave. The only thing I remember him saying about that game was that he was going to work harder. He was not going to back off. And he didn't.''
Shuler returned on Nov. 20, in a mop-up role at Texas Stadium. Frerotte had been yanked after a 1-for-6 start. John Friesz threw 35 times before Turner replaced him with Shuler. The results weren't great. Nine attempts, five completions, 32 yards.
But two weeks later, he hit Desmond Howard on an 81-yard scoring bomb and Olanda Truitt with a 77-yard touchdown strike, the first time since Sonny Jurgensen in 1964 that a Redskins quarterback had completed two TD throws of 75 yards in a game.
In the rematch against the Cardinals, Shuler hit 16 of 27 throws for 286 yards, one touchdown and only one interception against one of the league's stingiest defenses.
``That was the turning point,'' Shuler said. ``Let's face it, there was no high point. The high point was being drafted. The second high point would be winning the last game.''
That was Christmas Eve, in Anaheim, Calif., a who-cares cure for insomnia before 25,000 that turned out to be the last fling in L.A. for the Rams. Washington won, 24-21, on Shuler's 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end James Jenkins in the third quarter. To Shuler, it might as well have been the Super Bowl.
``I didn't want to go 0 for my first year,'' he said. ``It was getting to the point where it was going to be a black mark and haunt me for the offseason and into my second year. Winning was a boost: One, it proved that you can win and you can go out and compete. Two, I had a higher completion percentage the last four games than in the first five.''
Six of his 10 touchdown passes were thrown in December. Better still, only three of his interceptions came that final month. He averaged nearly 250 yards passing a game the last four weeks, tops among all NFC quarterbacks.
``I think the progress he made from the beginning of the season to the end was most encouraging,'' Turner said. ``He's a very gifted athlete, but he also is a worker. When a quarterback feels comfortable, you'll see even greater improvement and even better results.''
Turner designated Shuler the starting quarterback before camp began, and has categorically rebuffed any media overtures suggesting a possible quarterback controversy with Frerotte.
But the struggle is far from over. Shuler finished a 1-3 preseason as the NFC's lowest-rated quarterback. The first-team offense he guides scored just two touchdowns, although opponents regularly held the ball for extended chunks of time against the defense, robbing Shuler of important on-the-field training.
Yet, players who were around him a year ago notice a difference.
``He's not as uptight,'' says cornerback Darrell Green. ``He's more relaxed. He shows more leadership. It's kind of like having a big, strong horse. He's jittery at first, then you start using his strength and he calms down. We're using Heath's strength to help the team and build a relationship.''
The daily conversations with Cameron continue, but also with a difference. A year ago, the questions were ridiculously elementary: Would he complete a pass? When would he get another chance to play? Did Turner still have faith in him? When would he be good enough to compete?
Those have been answered. These days, the question he asks is whether he can be the ``franchise'' player the Redskins envisioned.
``That's the mystique of it all,'' Shuler said, with obvious relish. ``That's the hidden mystery. Can you be that person? Can you be the player they want you to be? That's the driving force behind every player here. Can you be a little better than you think you can? That's why we practice so much, not only to be good, but to be better than we thought we could be. That's the mystique. That's the enjoyment.''
More than anything, that's what this Redskins season is about. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
DAVID B. HOLLINGSWORTH/Staff file
Photo
BILL ABOURJILIE/Staff file
As Heath Shuler, left, looks to pick up on his strong 1994 finish,
reserve quarterback Gus Frerotte must await another chance. The two
quarterbacks practiced at the Redskins camp in July.
by CNB