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

[pjfootballer]

I honestly don't see how any one play in the Raiders' Super Bowl would have changed anything. The Skins simply got beat like a red-headed step-child in that game. I think without the intereception' date=' we simply lose 31-9. Those games happen.

I like my call on the Williams' fumble return because it seemed to be the turning point in an entire season. Like I said, without it, the team follows it up with a huge win against St. Louis and is suddenly a very serious playoff contender.

Keep in mind that 2000 was an extremely weak season in the NFC. A deeply-flawed Giants team that we beat once and should have beaten twice went to the Super Bowl.[/quote']

I think the INT would have made a slight difference. We're down only 14-3 and get the 2nd half kickoff. Gibbs makes his usual halftime adjustments and breaks a chalkboard. At 21-3, we had to pass and Riggins was then deemed ineffective and they teed off on Joe. We had the highest scoring offense in the league and had come back to beat them 37-35 after being down 35-20. It may have planted doubt in the Raiders minds being up only 14-3 despite dominating us. Then if we scored like we did and cut it to 14-10, it (or 9) then I think it's a new ballgame.

[Darth Tater]

I cant remember the year,It was a Norv though.Season opener against Dallas,we had kicked their butts for 3 & a half quarters,then they came back to tie on an onside kick forcing OT.From there,Aikman hit a bomb off a play pass I think to the Rocket and game over.I got so pissed I didnt watch anymore that day.Worst hangover ever on Monday,similar to alot of Mondays under Norv Turner.

1999

[Darth Tater]

More regular season miscues that kept us out of the playoffs:

The Riggs fumble in 1989 versus Philadelphia.

In 1996, there are several you could choose from.

[LoyalSkinsFan]

How about Billy Kilmer NOT throwing a pass into the goalpost crossbar in Super Bowl VII....and instead, a wide open Jerry Smith makes the touchdown catch in the corner of the endzone.

Probably trumps the Mike Bass TD return, but also probably changes the course of that game.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

How about after Santana Moss catches his second TD from Mark Brunell with 2 minutes remaining, INSTEAD of hugging Chief Zee, he pulls down his pants and grows a tail right onto the star in the middle of the field.

Don't change the play, just the aftermath.

[Sinclair]

id have to say the play in which portis was hurt last preseason against cincy...I think it was an INT so yeah...id have the opposite of that happen

[kingarthur65]

For me, it's Riggo and the o-line not converting 3rd and 1 in the 4th Quarter of the Cowboy game in '79. When they went up 14, you just had to be thinking they had it won. Staubach was just so hard to beat. I know this game was long ago, and therefore easier to forget than Carlos' drop or Dan's crappy snap, but there was such a negative swing to losing that game! Instead of division champs, we were home for the holidays. Even though I was a kid and lacked perspective...I knew I'd just gotten my first NFL kick in the teeth.

I would go for a play in this same game. The last play of the game was a completed pass to Mitchell and he went down at about the 40 yard line. Theismann called timeout but the referees didnt stop the clock and time ran out. Moseley was in his prime and could have made it from 60 if he had the chance. Not only did we not make the playoffs, but I really felt cheated.

[Henry]

Might be a sentimental pick, but it had no bearing on the game thank goodness. We still won despite that, but replays showed his toe was on the line. It was the correct call.

This is sports. They are all sentimental picks.

His heel came down first. In bounds. It was a VERY close call.

Not saying the reversal was wrong, but if I had my way with one play Monk's foot is a half-inch to the right and he's in the Hall of Fame five years ago.

[jfs06473]

I posted before I read your post jfs! The year was 1975 and it was in the middle or so of the season. We were fighting with the Cards for the top spot in the NFC East. We lost that game in overtime and never got back on track after that.

That and the Longley play are ones I'll never get over.

By the way, here's a link to a Thread Tarhog created that includes the video of that "catch" (titled "The Phanton Catch). http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98336&highlight=Pat+Fischer

EDIT: Looks like the link to the video is now bad.

Let me just say, Hail, that I'm glad that video link isn't working. I must have seen that replay a hundred or more times and I will NEVER convince myself that the refs got that call right!! To see it again would be just too painful!

[kleese]

Those of who who keep bringing up Super Bowl 18....

From everything I've seen and heard, reading between the lines over the years, I think we lost that game before it even started.

I've heard all the rumors about our guys partying, not taking the Raiders seriously, etc...

It was the one time in Gibbs' career where his team was simply not prepared at all. He was clearly outcoached and the Raiders were by far the hungrier, tougher, more superior team that day.

Yes, you can take virtually any game and shift it by leaps and bounds by reversing a few plays. But I've never seen or heard of ANYTHING that would indicate the Redskins really had a chance in that game.

Had the INT not happened, the final score may have been prettier, but that's probably about it.

When you lose the Super Bowl 38-9, it's kind of hard to imagine how "close" you were.

[KevinthePRF]

Darrell Green intercepts Aikman in the end zone rather than Michael Irvin catching a touchdown in week 13 1991. Then we could of come back and beat the Cowboys by 3 instead of lose by 4. That in effect would of inspired Gibbs to play his starters in week 17 against the hapless Eagles. Final result? 19-0!

[playboy1972]

Easy. Sean Taylor not running that blocked field goal back for a touchdown against Dallas at FedEx. I would have won 100 dollars in my fantasy league that week. Fudge............!!!!

[Jimbo]

While the Kilmer would-have-been-a-TD-pass hitting the crossbar and the Squirek INT are tops on my list, I thought I'd mention one that has been overlooked thus far.

In 1971, the Skins were off to a 5-0 start and were playing the Chiefs. Charley Taylor was off to a great start as well in what potentially could have been his greatest season ever. He caught a ball from Billy Kilmer on a post-pattern and took it in for a TD. Unfortunately, during the tackle in the end zone, Emmitt Thomas broke Taylor's ankle on the play. The Skins, who were either leading or were tied at the time (I forget which), seemed to totally deflate and lost the game 27-20. Without Taylor, they finished out the season at 4-4-1. The 9-4-1 record was good enough for the Wild Card but, without Taylor, they just couldn't get it done against the Niners. I always wonder what would have happened had Taylor not been lost for the season.

Another injury coulda-woulda-shoulda been, as previously mentioned, was Sonny's ruptured Achilles tendon suffered when he stepped in a sprinkler at Yankee Stadium against the Giants. I'm convinced to this day the Skins would have won Super Bowl VII with Sonny at the helm.

Lastly, I would loved to have seen Moseley hit the game winning FG against Green Bay on Monday Night in 1983 for a 50-48 victory instead of a 48-47 loss.

[LoyalSkinsFan]

While the Kilmer would-have-been-a-TD-pass hitting the crossbar and the Squirek INT are tops on my list, I thought I'd mention one that has been overlooked thus far.

In 1971, the Skins were off to a 5-0 start and were playing the Chiefs. Charley Taylor was off to a great start as well in what potentially could have been his greatest season ever. He caught a ball from Billy Kilmer on a post-pattern and took it in for a TD. Unfortunately, during the tackle in the end zone, Emmitt Thomas broke Taylor's ankle on the play. The Skins, who were either leading or were tied at the time (I forget which), seemed to totally deflate and lost the game 27-20. Without Taylor, they finished out the season at 4-4-1. The 9-4-1 record was good enough for the Wild Card but, without Taylor, they just couldn't get it done against the Niners. I always wonder what would have happened had Taylor not been lost for the season.

Another injury coulda-woulda-shoulda been, as previously mentioned, was Sonny's ruptured Achilles tendon suffered when he stepped in a sprinkler at Yankee Stadium against the Giants. I'm convinced to this day the Skins would have won Super Bowl VII with Sonny at the helm.

Lastly, I would loved to have seen Moseley hit the game winning FG against Green Bay on Monday Night in 1983 for a 50-48 victory instead of a 48-47 loss.

I thought I was about the only guy to remember the Kilmer miss in SB VII....glad I was wrong. That play's haunted me for....well.....35 years.

CT getting that broken ankle is something that I'd forgotten about....but, now that it's been brought up I remember completely. I actually met the team at Dulles airport when they flew in after the Niners loss that year...I've got a picture in the Washington Post to prove it, too. Long story.

And, yeah....losing to the Pack on that Monday night game really hurt after all the effort. Still, it was a fun game to watch.

There have been a lot of impactful plays over the years...though not all of them in as pressure-packed situations as others. Did the Taylor loss effect us as much as we think it might have over the course of the season? Well, to that I have to ask the same of losing (for all intents and purposes) Portis last year in the first pre-season game. As much a Sonny fan as I am and as painful as it was to see him limp off that year....would he have gotten us over where Kilmer failed? Kilmer didn't really fail, did he? He just hit that f-ing crossbar.

Okay...he failed.

But...

Had LT not destroyed Theisman's leg on MNF, would THAT season have been different? Had Clint Longely not thrown those bombs....had Santana Moss not caught his, for that matter? Had I invested in Google.com.....

Well, you get the picture.

Lotta memories....good and bad. That's what keeps us tuning in, I guess.

HTTR

[SKINS FAN #56]

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

i strongly agree with that one :applause:

[REDSKINS STOMP]

Anybody remember the last 3 minutes of the game in Dallas in 97?

Not nearly as bad as some of these others, but that game to me summed up Norv and how he handles a team to a tee.

We were up 14-6 late, then all of a sudden, we can't cover anyone and they drive down and score a TD and get the two point conversion to tie the game. Then, the Skins have a horrible three and out, highlighted by our receivers not being able to line up properly, sort of showing how totally unprepared we were to handle a pressure situation. Top that off with a whimp call of running the ball on third and long which of course doesn't come close to converting. Then a shank of a punt by Matt Turk after he had averaged over 50 yards a punt for the day. Dallas then drives down again and kicks a FG at the gun to win it. A complete and total choke job.

Right now it is moments like that, that make me wonder what the Chargers are doing.

[LoyalSkinsFan]

Anybody remember the last 3 minutes of the game in Dallas in 97?

Not nearly as bad as some of these others, but that game to me summed up Norv and how he handles a team to a tee.

We were up 14-6 late, then all of a sudden, we can't cover anyone and they drive down and score a TD and get the two point conversion to tie the game. Then, the Skins have a horrible three and out, highlighted by our receivers not being able to line up properly, sort of showing how totally unprepared we were to handle a pressure situation. Top that off with a whimp call of running the ball on third and long which of course doesn't come close to converting. Then a shank of a punt by Matt Turk after he had averaged over 50 yards a punt for the day. Dallas then drives down again and kicks a FG at the gun to win it. A complete and total choke job.

Right now it is moments like that, that make me wonder what the Chargers are doing.

You, my friend, just summed up Norv Turner's career as a head coach in the NFL.

I hope, for his sake, he somehow manages to learn how to properly manage a ball club and the clock.....'cause in all the years he was here he certainly didn't have a clue. It's one thing to have a good coaching scheme...quite another to effectively implement it. Quite another still to know how to adjust when your scheme starts to fade.

That, in a nutshell as well, is why I'm such a big Gibbs fan....and why, I feel, he'll get this right while he's still here.

HTTR

[stwasm]

Clint Longley, who came in for an injured Roger Stauback on Thanksgiving Day, doesn't complete that long pass in the last minute for a touchdown, beating the Redskins, 24-23. That was the first time I ever saw the Redskins lose a game. :mad: :doh:

[hail2skins]

Damn, this thread is a tour de force of Skins misery!

A review of my thoughts:

1975 Mel Grey "catch": what robbery! The funny thing is that I was talking about this very play on the phone with someone today about 30 minutes before I opened this thread.

1979 at Dallas: probably the most heartbreaking Skins loss I've experienced. Aside from what's been brought up, another thing I recall is that we were still up 34-21 and driving at like the Dallas 40 and one of our guys fumbled and that seemed to turn everything around.

1984 Super Bowl: I agree with Kleese. The Squirek interception was big, but the Skins were just overall way out of sync that day. Remember, we did come out of the gates strong in the second half, but how long did that momentum last? Our defense, which had been suspect all year, was exposed that day.

1996 vs. SF: Another great pull by Kleese. I remember being at the game, sitting down low in the end zone, and when that ball squirted out on the kickoff and was on the ground RFK got very damn loud! If we had won at least we would've had a meaningful rocking atmosphere for the finale against Dallas, instead of the farce where Aikman and Smith played for a few series.

And then of course the recent big ones......the Turk botch against the Bucs, and Carlos' dropped INT.

I think I'm officially depressed now.

[dposton]

Squirek because it was the Super Bowl

Clint Longley's bomb made me sick

Mel Gray's non catch

Does anyone remember the year when we were playing Dallas and it was the end of the game and Mark Moseley was coming on for the game winning FG and the zebras allowed the clock to run out? I always said if it were the reverse, the zebras would have made sure that "America's Team" would have had gotten the attempt. While it may not count as a play, it stands as a reminder of how whenever possible this team gets the short end of the stick ie Mel Gray, Alstott, Philadelphia body bag game, etc.

[Chad.8.18.93]

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

i agree

[Capt'n Obvious]

- The botched snap against Tampa Bay in the '99 playoffs turning into a made Washington FG and a Redskin win.

- Carlos Rogers catching the INT and taking back for the TD. We would have had all the momentum and probably won that game.

These were the first two I thought of.

:logo:

[kleese]

hail2--

Surprised no one has mentioned the "Romeo Bandison game?"

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I think the INT would have made a slight difference. We're down only 14-3 and get the 2nd half kickoff. Gibbs makes his usual halftime adjustments and breaks a chalkboard. At 21-3, we had to pass and Riggins was then deemed ineffective and they teed off on Joe. We had the highest scoring offense in the league and had come back to beat them 37-35 after being down 35-20. It may have planted doubt in the Raiders minds being up only 14-3 despite dominating us. Then if we scored like we did and cut it to 14-10, it (or 9) then I think it's a new ballgame.

I just don't see how the game being 14-10 means that the defense suddenly is able to stop Marcus Allen. Unless we were suddenly allowed to line-up 13 on defense, we lose that game.

(And, in retrospect, I think the Alstott 2-pt conversion was a good thing for the Skins. I think the team sort of galvanized around that play - basically it was the opposite of what happened after my choice).

It's funny that no one has mentioned Portis' hero tackle in pre-season last year. Or Theisman's injury.

Here's an interesting one. What if Champ doesn't get victimized by Quincy Freaking Carter and Rocket Ismail in the second Cowboys' game in 2001? If the Redskins win that game, they suddenly have a 7-game winning streak.

2000 and 2001 are two really frustrating seasons for me. I feel like they were just utterly lost seasons that actually held hope and then led to the Spurrier Era, which has none.

I can't think of any specific plays in 1996. I was very drunk most of that year. But that whole season is another big "what if" to me.

[DieselPwr44]

. Or Theisman's injury.

Theismann was done before his leg was broken that year. His skills had clearly eroded.