If You Could Change One Play in Redskin History, What Would It Be?

[radagast5]

If you could alter the outcome of one play in Redskin history, what would it be?

This isn't an exercise to fabricate something entirely out of thin air, just change the outcome of one play. For instance:

---Carlos Rogers hangs onto the INT in Seattle and takes it to the house.

---Dan Turk makes a clean snap in Tampa and Conway boots the 'Skins to a 16-14 victory in the 1999 playoffs.

---Brian Mitchell doesn't fumble late in the 4th vs. San Fran in the '92 playoffs.

---John Riggins converts a 3rd and 1 late in the 4th vs. Dallas in 1979, thereby allowing the Redskins to run out the clock in a 34-28 victory, pushing the 'Skins into the playoffs.

---Joe Theismann throws the ball away, preventing Squirek's INT in SB XVIII, and the 'Skins head into halftime down 14-3 instead of 21-3.

Feel free to come up with your own, just nothing completely made-up like: Marcus Allen runs into Jim Plunkett on the first play of SB XVIII and the 'Skins run the fumble back for a TD, while both Allen and Plunkett break their legs and are out for the game.

My vote is for Conway making the FG in Tampa in Jan. 2000. I think that team had the ability to beat the Rams and the Titans. I think the 2005 squad was on vapors by playoff time and couldn't have beaten Carolina even if they had advanced that far.

What's your choice?

[taylorcoreskin]

Carlos hanging on to that INT in Seattle is my choice.

[Henry]

Monk's TD catch in SB26 not being reversed.

[Om]

Monk's TD catch in SB26 not being reversed.

Nice sentiment.

Guess I'd go with Rocket Screen (Jack ****ing Squirek) in SBXVIII, which opened the floodgates to the darkest day in my Redskins life.

[sideshow24]

Tre Johnson getting ejected for swinging at a referee in the playoff game vs the Lions.

[C.Taylor]

I'll go with Billy Kilmer's pass not hitting the crossbar in Super Bowl VII and hitting Jerry Smith wide open in the endzone instead, as it would have had it not hit the crossbar.

[emor09]

I'll go with Billy Kilmer's pass not hitting the crossbar in Super Bowl VII and hitting Jerry Smith wide open in the endzone instead, as it would have had it not hit the crossbar.

I never saw this play, but my dad was telling me 2 or 3 days ago how awesome it would have been if we knocked off the 72 dolphins. So ill go with this play

[Riggo-toni]

My first thought was Marcus Allen not breaking the tackle on his long run, just so the top 2 SB rushing totals would both belong to Skins (even though the game was already over by then). The Squirek was the other one, though the blocked punt before that....aargh, that was just one awful choke after another.

Actually, I'd like to go for Dallas missing a score in week 13 of 91, preserving the Skins perfect record. Then that team would be considered the greatest of all time.

[gberkeley]

The Marcus Allen touchdown in the superbowl. That play ended all hope for winning. Makes me sick seeing the replay.

[ozskin]

If you could alter the outcome of one play in Redskin history, what would it be?

This isn't an exercise to fabricate something entirely out of thin air, just change the outcome of one play. For instance:

---Carlos Rogers hangs onto the INT in Seattle and takes it to the house.

---Dan Turk makes a clean snap in Tampa and Conway boots the 'Skins to a 16-14 victory in the 1999 playoffs.

---Brian Mitchell doesn't fumble late in the 4th vs. San Fran in the '92 playoffs.

---John Riggins converts a 3rd and 1 late in the 4th vs. Dallas in 1979, thereby allowing the Redskins to run out the clock in a 34-28 victory, pushing the 'Skins into the playoffs.

---Joe Theismann throws the ball away, preventing Squirek's INT in SB XVIII, and the 'Skins head into halftime down 14-3 instead of 21-3.

Feel free to come up with your own, just nothing completely made-up like: Marcus Allen runs into Jim Plunkett on the first play of SB XVIII and the 'Skins run the fumble back for a TD, while both Allen and Plunkett break their legs and are out for the game.

My vote is for Conway making the FG in Tampa in Jan. 2000. I think that team had the ability to beat the Rams and the Titans. I think the 2005 squad was on vapors by playoff time and couldn't have beaten Carolina even if they had advanced that far.

What's your choice?

Those first 2 you've got are the first 2 i thought of as well. Especially the missed pick by Rogers. We would have won that game if had taken it.

[70th Week]

drafting Rod Gardner.... :paranoid:

[Heidenreich]

Those first 2 you've got are the first 2 i thought of as well. Especially the missed pick by Rogers. We would have won that game if had taken it.

I thought of these 2 as well, but I'll go with the Tampa game.

At least the Rogers play wasn't the last play of the game.

I remember that Tampa play like it was yesterday. We're back in the playoffs after a long layoff, I spend most of the week telling people that Tampa is overrated & the Skins can knock them off. I remember running outside to power smoke right before the field goal attempt.....

Damnit, this thread makes me sad.

[H-O-G]

Just as of recent, no big game or anything but when we played the rams this past season the game was tied at 31 to 31 in the 4th quarter with 1:00 or so left and we had the ball on their 35 and betts breaks a 10-15 yard run and gets the ball stripped and fumbles it.

[21 always]

I was destroyed in 91 when dallas cameback and won that game to ruin our perfect season I was little but I knew that at that moment my hatred to dallas would rise to a new level that includes egging a house on a monthly basis in my neighborhood from 11 years old till i was 17 (the only reason i syopped was due to the fact i left for college).

I also gave a mild concussion to there son in high school during a lacrosse practice..(yeah he was a teamate but god is okay with causing pain and anguish to cowgirl fans!

[chaught76]

I'll go with the referee's call( :nutkick: ) that Mike Alstott got into the end zone at the end of the Tampa Bay game 2 years ago.

[Audible_Red40]

Those first 2 you've got are the first 2 i thought of as well. Especially the missed pick by Rogers. We would have won that game if had taken it.

My thoughts exactly too. These 2 plays were most recent and easier to remember and still hard to swallow.

If Carlos holds onto the ball, it's a different game and we win (or so I believe). I think we matched up well vesus Carolina and could have very well beat them to go onto the super bowl.

Even though if Turk holds onto the ball, kick is good and we win, not so sure we matched up well enough to beat the Rams to go to the show.

M.Allen's run was a killer, giving up 200 + yards on the ground was unacceptable in the super bowl.

[SkinsHokieFan]

I'll rank them

1) Theisman's Superbowl 18 INT

2) The blocked PAT on the TD in the 3rd quarter of Superbowl 18

That makes it a 14-10 game early in the 3rd despite playing a horrible first half

3) Kilmer hitting the crossbar on a wide open TD pass

4) Conway getting a shot to kick the FG against Tampa

5) Romeo Bandison accidently grabbing the facemask of a Cardinals QB late in the 1996 season which allowed the Cardinals to keep driving the ball and getting the go ahead score thusly ending the Redskins season and cementing the collapse

6) Alstott's "2 point conversion" The Redskins win that game they are 11-5 and division champions, thus giving us a 1st round home game and possibly saving some fuel for the playoffs in 2005

7) Aikman to Rocket Ismail, opening day 1999. If we somehow win in OT we go 11-5 thusly giving us a 1st round bye and 2nd round home game

8) Westbrook slamming his helmet down against the Giants for a 15 yard penalty. If the Redskins are able to win that game, we get a playoff win (the same game as Gus' headbutt)

9) Mitchell fumbling against the 49ers on a potential game winning drive in SF in the January 1993 playoff game. I have no clue if we beat the Cowboys in the NFC championship game, but considering we are 2-0 against them in NFC title games, I would have liked our chances

10) Aikman's hailmary at the end of the 1st half in 1991 at RFK. That team was a hail mary from undefeated

[willmb5]

Carlos hanging on to that INT in Seattle is my choice.

That's my choice too. If he had taken that to the house, I feel confident that we would have won that game.

[GURU]

--Joe Theismann throws the ball away, preventing Squirek's INT in SB XVIII, and the 'Skins head into halftime down 14-3 instead of 21-3.

Without a doubt in my mind, this was the play. That play was more significant than the Marcus Allen run, because, by the time of the run, the Skins were already deflated and beaten.

The Skins were clearly getting outplayed by the Raiders in the first half, but ultimately, the defense had allowed only one offensive TD by that point. It was a ball game. Going into halftime at 14-3 would have allowed the Skins to make adjustments and stick to their original game plan. Going in at 21-3 meant they were in desperate catch-up mode from the opening kickoff of the second half, and the Raiders just teed off on the passing game.

The INT was simply deflating to the Skins and made the Raiders into ravenous animals.

While the Raiders and their fans might disagree because they thought the Raiders were the better team anyway, that play changed history. Instead of that Raiders team being the 20th ranked Super Bowl winning team according to the producers of America's game, the Skins would probably have garnered a Top 10 ranking. That team had only two 1-point losses that season, won 11 straight games, still own the highest turnover ratio in history (+43, no one else has come close), and fielded one of the most powerful offensive juggernauts, running AND passing, of all time. That was Joe Gibbs' best team, one of the best of all time, yet they will forever be remembered for the embarrassing loss to the Raiders and for Marcus Allen's run.

[morpheusmeyers]

Tre Johnson getting ejected for swinging at a referee in the playoff game vs the Lions.

I think that Tre's rejection actually fired the team and fans up. And we won that game!

Hadn't thought about that play in forever. I don't remember...was he rejected for the following game as well, or was it just the remainder of the Lions game?

I'll go for a clean snap, and Conway makes the kick in Tampa. I watched that play from a packed bar in Manhattan on celebrity bartender night. Dan Patrick and Darius from Hootie were the celeb bartenders. Prob a hundred + people in the local corner bar. Still remember those Giants/Jets fans laughing at the botched snap.

[fansince62]

Sentiment: take away Clint Longley's come from behind bombs

[kleese]

REALLY surprised no one has mentioned the Mitchell fumble in the 1992 playoff game at SF.

It was late and our offense was ROLLING. It looked like we were going to take a 3 point lead, and then Mitchell/Rypien muffed the hand-off.

You could essentially say that that play was the beginning of the end for that era of Redskins football.

[kleese]

I have one more for you.......also against SF.

1996 at RFK. For three and a half quarters, I think it may have been the best football that any of Norv's teams ever played-- including 1999.

We had just taken a 7 point lead late in the 4th. We kicked off. The 49ers fumbled upon impact. The ball was loose and I really thought we had recovered it. Had we recovered, it was game over.

Instead, the Niners kept the ball, drove the field, tied the game, and then won in OT.

The wheels fell off from there in 1996....

[Henry]

REALLY surprised no one has mentioned the Mitchell fumble in the 1992 playoff game at SF.

It was late and our offense was ROLLING. It looked like we were going to take a 3 point lead, and then Mitchell/Rypien muffed the hand-off.

You could essentially say that that play was the beginning of the end for that era of Redskins football.

Yeah, that's a real good one.

[DB44]

---Dan Turk makes a clean snap in Tampa and Conway boots the 'Skins to a 16-14 victory in the 1999 playoffs.

This play is easily my one play I would want to change.

It really was the exclamation point on Norv's Coaching Career. It showed the world, in a big game, that we may have a good team but we're a bunch of bumbling losers.

That game had so many opportunanties in the second half:

- Warrick Dunn's fumble 5 yards deep on thrid and long, only to be picked up and run down field to set up the second score.

- Johnson's deep pass that was intercepted, yet our game plan was working using short passes and running the ball. This play set up their first td.

I thought then our fortunes would change with a win. Little did I know we are still fighting for that same respectablity.