THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 28, 1996 TAG: 9610280138
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Tom Robinson
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: 74 lines
A thoughtful man, that Ed Simmons. The Mount Everest of the Washington Redskins' hulking offensive line, Simmons stood in his underwear in a sweaty, triumphant locker room late Sunday afternoon and actually paused to stroke his chin. He pondered. Then, having reached a decision, he spoke.
``I'd say it was almost a tie between this game and the Rams game,'' said Simmons, asked to name the most complete Redskins' performance in a remarkable 7-1 season that gained another laurel, a convincing 31-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. ``They came with a lot of things on defense to try to stop our running thing, but we kept gutting it out, gutting it out.''
Oh, the Redskins are some kind of a running thing right now, all right. And with all due respect, um, Mr. Simmons sir, that 17-10 decision over the lousy Rams a month ago was nothing compared to what you laid on the Colts inside an RFK Stadium that rumbles and quakes once more.
Dinged up though they are, the Colts remain solid AFC contenders who take their cue from their bulldog quarterback, Jim Harbaugh. And the Redskins flat waxed them.
They controlled the lines so that Terry Allen could eat up 124 yards and score three times. So that Gus Frerotte, maturing impressively within coach Norv Turner's intricate passing scheme, could play pitch and catch with his receivers to the tune of 18 for 25, 178 yards and a tasty 7-yard TD to Leslie Shepherd.
On special teams, they cut a swath so the marvelous Brian Mitchell could break a 71-yard, third-quarter punt return that sucked some vinegar from the Colts.
And again, Washington kept it all impeccably clean, losing the ball just once on an interception, but then taking it back three plays later with a fumble recovery.
Sorry, this wasn't beating the Rams. This was a big-league strong arm of the Redskins' toughest foe since their opener against Philadelphia, a lackluster 17-14 loss, and should get the Redskins' lightweight tag lost for good.
``We got beat by a really good team,'' Colts' coach Lindy Infante said. ``We didn't come in here knowing we're playing a 6-1 team that didn't deserve to be here.''
And even if Colts' linebacker Jeff Herrod didn't buy that - ``The guy ran his mouth all day, saying, `You ain't s---,' '' Simmons said. ``He wrote a check that his tail couldn't cash'' - Harbaugh agreed with his coach.
``They are the best team that we've played by far,'' said Harbaugh.
Now, that would take in the likes of Dallas and the Buffalo Bills, who welcome the Redskins to Rich Stadium next week, and rightly so. Nobody's talking Super Bowl at the halfway point, but, really, there isn't much the Redskins don't do pretty well. Including, as they've shown the last two weeks, answering challenges the way good teams answer them.
Swooning a week ago against the charging Giants, Washington knuckled down for a late-game drive that produced points that sealed the 31-21 win. Sunday, the Redskins turned a 17-13 lead late in the third quarter into a 24-13 cushion thanks to Mitchell's punt return to the 1 and Allen's second touchdown.
After Indianapolis closed to within eight again, blitzing linebacker Ken Harvey sacked Harbaugh to force that fumble. Allen ran three times from the Colts' 45, covering 32 yards on the third attempt, to make it a rout.
And to also make it seven in a row - to the surprise of some, perhaps, but not the warhorse Simmons, a 10-year veteran who lived through a few glory days in D.C.
``I thought this year at the halfway point we were going to be 8-0, I really did,'' Simmons said. ``Just the work ethic we had in the offseason and in training camp, the way everybody came along.
``We're together. A lot of guys are buddies on the team now, where as before we didn't know the next guy from the other guy. Now everybody pretty much knows everyone; when a new guy comes in we all embrace him, welcome him, and get to know him as quickly as possible.''
A welcoming man, that Ed Simmons, all 6-feet-5 and 335 pounds of him. Oh, and one other thing.
His checks are good. by CNB