
DATE: Wednesday, October 29, 1997           TAG: 9710290522

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  193 lines

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE SKINS? AT 4-4 AND GOING NOWHERE FAST, IT'S BEEN A CRYING SHAME.

The way the Washington Redskins are playing football these days is enough to make grown men cry.

At least two of them did last Sunday, following Washington's 20-17 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Quarterback Gus Frerotte fell to his knees on the sidelines and wept following the interception he threw that sealed the Redskins' fourth defeat in eight games, third in their last four. He was consoled by tight end Jamie Asher and backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler, who put his arm around Frerotte and gently helped him to his feet.

Also crying was Brian Mitchell, the running back/kick returner whose pilot light always seems ablaze. Mitchell remembers when the Redskins were perennial playoff teams. He knows how those teams looked, felt, played, practiced. This doesn't look familiar.

In August, The Virginian-Pilot presented 11 questions that needed positive answers in order for the Redskins to progress into the playoffs. Here's an update:

1. Is Gus Frerotte ready to take charge?

The answer in August appeared to be yes. Frerotte was coming off a Pro Bowl season, Heath Shuler was gone, and he had signed a five-year, $18-million contract. He'd had a steady training camp and it looked as if Norv Turner had surrounded him with enough talent to take the final step forward.

In October, the jury is still out, with plenty of nasty evidence to consider. Frerotte has thrown 10 interceptions in eight games, matching his total for all of 1996. He has consistently underthrown the short balls, consistently overthrown the deep stuff. His quarterback rating is among the lowest in the NFC, and the big debate in Redskins territory is whether it's time to replace him with Hostetler.

Turner says it's not, arguing that Frerotte isn't the team's only problem. At best, it doesn't appear that Frerotte has progressed this season. At worst, this may be as good as the former seventh-rounder gets. One recent national publication listed him as the next Neil O'Donnell. That's not what Turner or general manager Charley Casserly had in mind when they dumped all that loot on him last summer.

2. Can their talented, but fragile, offensive line hold up all season?

The answer in August was ``probably not,'' with the caveat that ``there is enough depth to keep the unit functioning effectively.''

In October, the answer is definitely not. One of the great overlooked scenarios this season is the fact that the players projected to be the first-team line - left tackle Joe Patton, left guard Tre' Johnson, center Jeff Uhlenhake, right guard Bob Dahl and right tackle Ed Simmons - have not yet had one practice together because of injuries. That includes training camp.

Uhlenhake and Simmons are the only two even playing their proper positions. Shar Pourdanesh is playing left tackle, Patton is at left guard and Johnson is at right guard. And that's about the change, dramatically, with the knee injury to Simmons that will sideline him for a couple of weeks.

The result is that the line has had little consistency. Some series, Stephen Davis or Terry Allen could run all day, the holes are so big. Some series, they can't get to the line of scrimmage. Some of that is defenses stacking eight men on the line of scrimmage, daring Frerotte to make a big pass play to beat them. He hasn't made them pay.

3. What's with Michael Westbrook?

In August, the answer was an ``incredibly talented receiver who should blossom into one of the league's best. He and Frerotte are so good on the short slant that no cornerback can stop it. ... Unfortunately, he remains as immature as he is gifted.''

In October, the answer remains the same, except that Westbrook appeared to have matured, or at least settled down, in the games he played before injuring his knee against the Dallas Cowboys. That was in the aftermath of the fight with Stephen Davis, so there may have been additional motivation to keep his nose clean there.

Westbrook caught the game-winner against Arizona, and had just caught balls in front of Kevin Smith and Deion Sanders of the Cowboys when the sprain occurred. He was on his way to being what the Redskins envisioned, and he should be back soon.

4. The defense will have rookie starters at defensive end in Kenard Lang and outside linebacker in Derek Smith. Is that wise?

In August, the answer was that Lang ``is talented enough to be better than average by midseason. He's also got the personality to become a leader up front, something that's missing. ... Smith is going to make a lot of tackles, though he won't be the flamboyant guy who draws attention to himself.''

In October, both of those statements have proven correct. Lang, before he missed the last three weeks with the aftereffects of ear surgery, was growing into a fine player worthy of a No. 1 pick.

Smith has started every game he's ever played in the NFL. Early in the season, when teams thought they would test him, he accumulated a lot of tackles. His performance has tailed slightly in recent weeks, but he's proven he belongs on the field and he's likely only to get better.

5. Can Brian Mitchell lead the league in all-purpose yards for a fourth consecutive season?

In August, the answer was that his ``odds of winning another all-purpose title aren't great, but he'll have a solid season.''

In October, nothing's changed. Last Sunday, Mitchell set up Washington's first score with a 61-yard kickoff return, and he scored Washington's second touchdown on a six-yard pass reception. For the day, he totalled nearly 175 yards.

The only problem with Mitchell is that his punt-return numbers are down from a year ago, and he seems more prone to running into the teeth of kickoff coverage. No one plays harder.

6. Will Jack Kent Cooke Stadium provide as good a homefield advantage for the Redskins as RFK Stadium?

In August, the answer was ``maybe better.''

In October, the players say that's still true. They say it took the fans a couple of games to get accustomed to their new surroundings, but that the noise level during the Dallas game was louder than anything they experienced at RFK Stadium. Redskins fans remain the most vocal in the league when their team gives them something to shout about.

7. Can Joe Patton become a dominant left tackle, or is he just another player?

In August, the answer was that ``Patton is a very good player, a Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle.''

In October, the answer is ``who knows?'' He hasn't played a single down at what is supposed to be his best position. Turner alluded to the possibility of switching him back from guard to tackle when this week's line reshuffling takes place. Even if he does, it'll take Patton a few weeks to become acclimated to playing his old position again. The blocking assignments are completely different.

8. Are some of line coach Earl Leggett's pass-rushing techniques antiquated? Will the line improve this season?

In August, the answer was ``With or without Sean Gilbert, the Redskins won't mount much of a pass rush without blitzing. ... As for stopping the run, it will be better this season because it can't be worse.''

In October, the answer to the pass-rush dilemma is the same. They get little or no pressure unless they blitz. The run defense, as reflected in their 30th ranking, is horrible, every bit as bad as last season.

9. Speaking of Gilbert, will there be any Ben & Jerry's left in Pittsburgh by the time he ends his holdout?

In August, the answer was that Gilbert's agent, Gus Sunseri, was insisting that Gilbert was in the best shape of his life.

In October, the answer remains that someone close to him - in this case, his former high school football coach - says Gilbert is in the best shape of his life, even though he ceased working out at the high school in late summer.

Word on the street is that the Redskins late last week sweetened their offer to Gilbert. That would make their offer in excess of $4 million. Gilbert has said all along that he wants $5 million. If he signed now, he'd have to take half-a-season's salary, but there'd be serious doubts how effective a man who hadn't practiced once since last December could be. And how long he'd stay healthy.

But the reality of the situation is that Gilbert and Sunseri were right. The Redskins may have been 29th in the league with him last year, but they weren't going to improve without him, either.

10. Why didn't the Redskins cut Stanley Richard? Is a free safety really worth $2.1 million?

In August, the answer in a nut shell was ``because Keith Rucker, William Gaines and Marc Boutte did a decent job against the run and because Richard had a terrific training camp.''

In October, the answer is that, although Rucker is waived, Gaines is less than average and Boutte plays as well as a man can on one leg, Richard has had the best season of his career. He's making far more tackles than the coaches want to see him make, but that's an indictment of the line. The old inconsistency hasn't been evident. No, no safety is worth $2.1 million, but Richard has been as good as safety as there is in the league through eight games.

11. The Redskins open with a pretty tough schedule. Can they get out of it with a .500 record and make a surge down the stretch?

In August, the answer was ``why not?'' Several of the first eight teams had injured quarterbacks and the Redskins were supposed to be improved. Now, there's no other way to be but disappointed that they're 4-4, especially after losses to Tennessee and Baltimore.

It's funny. In Carolina, 4-4 looks like a springboard because the Panthers have won two in a row. In Washington, 4-4 looks like the casket in which another run at the playoffs could be buried.

Surge down the stretch? Here's what has to happen:

Frerotte has to start playing like he's worth $18 million. Gilbert must come to terms soon and prove that he did keep himself in shape. Westbrook and Allen, when they return, must stay in the lineup the rest of the season. Kicker Scott Blanton needs to become more consistent outside the 40 and better - as in deeper - with his kickoffs. The offensive line must stay healthy and intact. The defense must start forcing some turnovers, give the offense a chance at some cheap and easy, confidence-building scores. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

HUY NGUYEN/The Virginian-Pilot

NHAT MEYER/The Virginian-Pilot

Gus Frerotte, left, is reduced to tears after throwing interception

that sealed the Redskins' loss on Sunday. Despite Frerotte's

struggles, coach Norv Turner, above, has no plans to bench him,

saying his quarterback isn't the team's only problem.

Graphic

ANSWERING TOUGH QUESTIONS

Is Gus Frerotte ready to take charge?

In August, the answer was yes.

Now: Jury is still out

Can their talented, but fragile, offensive line hold up all