DATE: Wednesday, October 15, 1997           TAG: 9710150701

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   58 lines

REDSKIN REPORT CARD

THE GOOD: The hard, straight-ahead running of Stephen Davis. Norv Turner said he'd be a great change-of-pace back in tandem with Terry Allen. He was all that, and more. How much more we'll find out the next couple of weeks. Until Allen gets back, it's Davis' show. . . The coverage of the Dallas secondary. Once Michael Westbrook went out with an injury, Redskins' receivers had nowhere to go against Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith. . . The square-out pass pattern that Gus Frerotte and Jamie Asher have worked out in the red zone. Frerotte throws it far enough that Asher has to dive to bring it in, a catch he enjoys making. . . The punting of Matt Turk. He kicked it seven times, and averaged 47.7 yards, including a couple of 50-something yarders that kept Dallas from enjoying better field position in the second half.

THE BAD: Dallas S Brock Marion. Beaten on Leslie Shepherd's 48-yard first-quarter catch, beaten on James Jenkins' 13-yard touchdown catch and ran over by Brian Mitchell on a 20-yard gain that led to a touchdown. This is the guy the Cowboys got back because he couldn't work out a deal with the Ravens. Redskins to Baltimore: Thanks. . . Frerotte's short passing game. Most of the time, he can't hit backs in stride.

THE UGLY: David LaFleur's goal-line flinch when the Cowboys had first-and-goal from the Washington 2. The five-yard penalty cost Dallas a probable touchdown, and perhaps, the game.

TURNING POINT: Dallas had scored on its previous series to cut its deficit to five and had driven to its 44, where it faced a third-and-4. Assuming the Redskins were thinking pass, the Cowboys tried Sherman Williams - Where was Emmitt???? - on a draw and he nearly squiggled outside for a big gain. But Stanley Richard crashed the line of scrimmage hard and took Williams down with a solid, hard tackle one yard shy of the first down.

AND DON'T FORGET: Oddsmakers proclaimed the Cowboys 2 1/2-point favorites, even though the game was being played at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium between teams with identical records. Had Dallas scored on their final drive, and converted the extra point, they would have won by 2. How do they do it?

UNSUNG HEROES: TE coach Mike Pope. James Jenkins is a terrific blocker and special-teams player, not a route-running, red-zone receiving threat. Pope devised a series of sometimes bizarre-looking drills to help the tight ends catch the ball better. It paid off on Jenkins' very uncharacteristic 13-yard, game-winning TD grab.

NUMBERS CRUNCHING: 6-for-7 - Emmitt Smith's second-half rushing statistics. rushing touchdowns the Cowboys have six games into the season. . . 16 - Number of first downs accumulated by each team. . . 0 - Washington's punt-return yardage Monday night. . . 30:33 - Dallas' time of possession. . . 4.1-to-3.6 - Dallas' advantage in yards per rushing attempt. . . 4 - How many special-teams tackles Washington's Patrise Alexander had.

INJURIES: WR Michael Westbrook (sprained left knee), RB Terry Allen (sprained left knee).

NEXT OPPONENT: The Redskins play the Tennessee Oilers 1 p.m. Sunday at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Washington is 4-2; the Oilers are 2-4. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

Grades vs. cowboys For complete copy, see microfilm

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