NY TIMES:Fans Wonder About Redskins' Fall

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http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/05/sports/football/05SKIN.html?ex=1068613200&en=f308bf65600ffd5a&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

Fans Wonder About Redskins' Fall

By TIM WENDEL

Published: November 5, 2003

ASHBURN, Va., Nov. 4 — "We could talk about a lot of things," John Thompson said, "but the only thing people want to talk about is the Redskins."

That is how Thompson, the former Georgetown basketball coach, began his talk radio program Monday, the afternoon after the Washington Redskins lost their fourth consecutive game.

The 21-14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys left many fans wondering what had happened to such a promising season. The Redskins made headlines in the off-season by signing three Jets stars: receiver Laveranues Coles, place-kicker John Hall and running back Chad Morton, the return specialist. Now they are 3-5 and rapidly becoming a national joke.

The Redskins have long been a unifying force in Washington, a source of civic pride and the only professional winning tradition around. The Capitals have never won the Stanley Cup, and the Wizards won their only N.B.A. championship in 1978, when they were still the Bullets.

"Everyone knows the expectations that come with playing here," Redskins offensive tackle Jon Jansen said. "If anything, those expectations should make us better."

Instead, during the game against Dallas, the Fox Sports commentators Cris Collinsworth and Troy Aikman criticized Coach Steve Spurrier's offensive strategy. ("It looks like this team hasn't practiced," Collinsworth said.) Back in the studio, Terry Bradshaw said Daniel Snyder, who bought the team for $800 million in 1999, had taken "a storied franchise" and was "virtually destroying it."

At the Redskins' training complex here, reaction from players to the latest defeat ranged from denial to frustration and disbelief Monday. Defensive end Bruce Smith, who has been a starter for 17 years, said he wanted an explanation from Spurrier after being used as a backup against Dallas.

Jansen called the season "amazingly frustrating."

A few feet from Jansen, in the Redskins Park atrium, was a glass showcase with three Super Bowl trophies. The last was won in the 1991 season with Joe Gibbs as coach. At almost every position, today's Redskins find themselves compared with the past All-Stars and champions. Jansen knows he is following in the footsteps of legendary linemen like Russ Grimm, Jim Lachey and Joe Jacoby.

Against the Cowboys, though, Spurrier's Fun 'n' Gun offense was a far cry from those glory days. Dallas repeatedly blitzed quarterback Patrick Ramsey, twice forcing him to sit out injured.

"I've been coaching 20 years, and this is not the first time I've seen blitzes," Spurrier said at his Monday afternoon news conference in response to criticism of his offensive schemes.

As for Ramsey's performance, Spurrier said he was "sort of running around in the pocket."

"Hopefully, we can get him more trusting," Spurrier said.

That could take some doing. Ramsey finished the game with a bruised left elbow and a dislocated finger on his left hand. The Redskins are in last place in the National Football Conference East despite slow starts by the Philadelphia Eagles and the Giants. Washington has given up the third-most sacks in the league and is on a pace to break the league record of 158 penalties in a season.

This cannot be what Snyder expected when he lured Spurrier from the University of Florida before the 2002 season with a five-year contract worth $25 million. In a dozen seasons at Florida, Spurrier compiled a 122-27-1 record. He won the consensus national championship in 1996.

Snyder introduced Spurrier last year bragging that "his ability to energize players and teams is unprecedented."

But in recent weeks Snyder has seemingly become disenchanted. He brought in a former Redskins assistant coach, Joe Bugel, to analyze game film. He telephoned Jimmy Johnson, the former University of Miami and Dallas Cowboys coach, to discuss the difficulties of moving from the college to the pro ranks. Snyder did not return phone calls about Spurrier's status.

As the Redskins' losing streak mounts, Spurrier maintains that he has no interest in leaving Washington anytime soon.

"It's always interesting to ask the Redskins' coach how long you're going to be here," he said. "You don't ask those other coaches. Are they asking Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh?"

Spurrier ended his news conference by pledging to stay through next season.

Jansen said he saw "a way out of this, and at 3-5 we can still get into the playoffs."

"But it begins with one good play followed by another," he said. "Get a few drives together and then a quarter and follow that with another good one. We have to build on something."

With the Seattle Seahawks coming to town Sunday, followed by road games against the Carolina Panthers and the Miami Dolphins, Spurrier did not sound so optimistic.

"I don't think we can talk about playoffs," he said on his weekly radio program. "We need to talk about playing football."

If anything, Spurrier has decided to go with what he knows best, which is throwing the football. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1966 as Florida's quarterback. A few weeks ago, he complained that he had been "N.F.L.-ized," meaning that he was running the ball to set up the pass.

"We've got to do whatever we can to give ourselves a chance to win," Spurrier said. "But we've still got to throw the ball, we've still got to pass-block, we've got to go back there and make something happen with the receivers we've got."