THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 10, 1996 TAG: 9609100420
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 70 lines
A nationally known pro football writer and broadcaster asked Washington Redskins defensive tackle Sean Gilbert on Sunday if he believed in the ``Big D'' formula for picking winners in the NFL.
``Big what?'' Gilbert asked.
Big D - for Desperation.
In cases where there's no discernable difference between two teams - about 90 percent of the time these parity-ravaged days - you ask a simple question: Who needs the game more? That's your pick, particularly if they're playing at home.
Using Big D, it hardly stretched logic that the Redskins beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The Redskins couldn't afford to start the season 0-2, with both losses at home. The Bears were coming off a glowing home victory over the depleted defending champion Dallas Cowboys.
``I believe the outcome is the outcome, and you do what you can to make it come out the way you want it to,'' Gilbert said.
If it happens, Gilbert will be the biggest reason one may soon be able to substitute one Big D - Defense - for the other when assessing the Redskins' chances.
It's been six quarters since the defense surrendered a touchdown, dating back to the second half of a 17-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Granted, it hasn't come against offenses to be mentioned in the same breath with Air Coryell. By the same token, it's a considerable improvement over anything the defense had shown since Norv Turner arrived in Washington.
Until an offense so conservative Pat Buchanan ought to be its coordinator gets its line to jell and stops playing scared, the Redskins will have to win with defense. The only major change in that unit from a year ago is Gilbert, who came over from St. Louis in exchange for the sixth pick in the '96 draft.
From the start, the Redskins said Gilbert was the kind of player who could take average talent and lift it. Sunday was an ideal example of how that works, defensive coordinator Ron Lynn said.
``When they (double-teamed) him, he held up the point of attack,'' Lynn said. ``When they got him in some one-on-one situations, he made plays. A lot of things come together when he's out there.''
The Redskins' coaches may be the only ones who really understand Gilbert's value. Against Philadelphia, the public relations department's statisticians credited him with five tackles. After the coaches graded the films Sunday night, Gilbert's official tackle total was changed to 10.
``I'm not sure if I ever have the words to describe what he means,'' end Dexter Nottage said. ``The difference for us is, why, unbelievable. He does so much to help the rest of us, it's amazing.
``You see him double-teamed and making a play in the backfield and you tell yourself, `Hey, if this guy can do it, why can't I get in the backfield and make one?' You can almost see it trickle down from one guy to the next. He motivated the whole defense.''
Seventeen Redskins played at least one snap on defense against the Bears. Sixteen made at least one tackle.
Gilbert, end Rich Owens and linebackers Ken Harvey and Rod Stephens all had sacks.
Harvey's came about under circumstances he almost never saw last season - one-on-one blocking. Chicago's Andy Heck tried it and was stuffed back into quarterback Erik Kramer's face. When Harvey couldn't get completely past Heck for a clear shot at Kramer, he merely brought both to the ground.
``The guys up front did a great job,'' cornerback Darrell Green said. ``If you ask me, they won the game for us.''
How many times has that been heard in the Redskins' locker room the last two years? Join the tips of your thumb and forefinger for the answer.
``This was a positive step,'' Gilbert said. ``We learned how to turn it up a notch.
``This is just the second game. I'm not going to jump the gun. We're trying to set a standard for ourselves.''
Right now, the bar for the defense is much higher than it is for the offense. And, for the last six quarters, they've cleared it easily. by CNB