Woody:Washington is a victim of too much McAllister and too many mistakes

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Washington is a victim of too much McAllister and too many mistakes

BY PAUL WOODY

TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Sunday, November 30, 2003

LANDOVER, Md. - Once more, the Washington Redskins had more frustration than points, more missed chances than big plays made, more heads hung in despair than eyes upright and proud.

Once more, the Redskins had the lead early in the fourth quarter and, they were behind when the clock rolled to all zeroes. This time the loss was to the New Orleans Saints, a 24-20 decision that was not all that dissimilar to the seven previous losses.

"Change the name of the team and the story is the same as last week," Redskins offensive tackle Jon Jansen said. "We should be talking about getting into the playoffs, about fighting for home-field advantage. Instead, we're talking about building momentum for next season, about trying to finish .500 and not making the playoffs again."

The Redskins (4-8) were the victims of their own mistakes (120 yards in penalties, 63 on cornerback Champ Bailey alone), the superlative performance of Saints running back Deuce McAllister and crucial plays by Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks.

McAllister gained 165 yards on 30 carries and provided 31 more yards with three receptions. The Redskins did manage to hold McAllister to 7 yards in the third quarter, but he came back in the fourth quarter to gain 36 yards on nine carries and set up the Saints' game-winning touchdown.

McAllister has gained at least 100 yards in nine straight games, tying him for the NFL's third-longest streak of 100-yard rushing games.

"He's the best back I've ever seen," Redskins free safety Matt Bowen said. "He's just one of those backs who doesn't fade. He seems to get stronger when you hit him. He exploded. He broke tackles. He didn't fall backwards. Give him credit."

Give Brooks, a former Virginia star, credit for doing just enough to get the Saints their three touchdowns. Brooks ran for two scores, one on a seven-yard quarterback draw and one on a three-yard bootleg when he cut back into the middle. And Brooks threw a perfect 15-yard pass to give the Saints (6-6) their game-winning touchdown with 9:38 left in the game.

Bowen and linebacker LaVar Arrington had wide receiver Boo Williams covered well on that touchdown pass. Brooks was just better than the coverage.

"It was a good throw and catch," Bowen said. "You can't blame the game on one play."

The Redskins did have one big play yesterday. Return man Chad Morton brought a kickoff back 94 yards for a touchdown to give the Redskins a 17-10 third-quarter lead. A 49-yard field goal by John Hall put the Redskins ahead 20-17 with 12:53 left in the game.

Then, things fell apart for the Redskins. Keyuo Craver returned the kickoff after the field goal 52 yards to the Redskins' 40.

McAllister then slammed through the Redskins' line for 18 yards on three carries and caught a pass for five more. Two plays later, Brooks drilled his pass to Williams.

Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey was out with a foot injury, and Tim Hasselbeck made the first start of his NFL career. He tried to rally the Redskins but was not up to the task. Hasselbeck completed 22 of 42 passes for 231 yards, but when big plays were needed, he overthrew receivers and the ball landed harmlessly out of bounds. He also lost a fumble after he had scrambled out of trouble and gained 8 yards.

"There are a lot of areas where I can get better," Hasselbeck said. "I need to be more accurate, I need to have better ball security. I need to make better decisions at times. I just need to continue to do those things and, hopefully, it will translate into getting wins."

All these losses seem to translate into a feeling of numbness for Redskins coach Steve Spurrier. Instead of showing anger in his postgame comments, as he has in the past, Spurrier made his remarks last night with a sense of resignation.

"This is new for a lot of us, trying to win the close ones," Spurrier said. "Of our eight losses, six have been within seven points. But all of our wins have been within seven points also.

"That's just sort of where we are right now, a play or two away."

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or pwoody@timesdispatch.com.