WP:Morton's Happy Return Is A Bright Spot on Bleak Day

[TK]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23956-2003Nov30.html

Redskins Notebook

Morton's Happy Return Is A Bright Spot on Bleak Day

By Mark Maske

Washington Post Staff Writer

Monday, December 1, 2003; Page D14

The Washington Redskins finally got the big return from Chad Morton that they had been awaiting. Morton had been close a few previous times this season, but he got more than close yesterday when he took a kickoff return 94 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter against the New Orleans Saints.

Still, Morton didn't have too long to savor the play, as the Redskins squandered another late lead and lost, 24-20.

"When you lose a game, you feel like you didn't do anything good," Morton said. "Even with the return, you feel like you didn't do anything good. We have talent. We brought all these guys in this year. But we still can't win. Hopefully, we can find a way to not embarrass ourselves any more in our final four games."

Even so, Morton acknowledged that the touchdown was exhilarating for him at the moment. He went straight up the middle and broke an ankle tackle to get through the first wave of the Saints' coverage unit, then needed only to outrace kicker Mitch Berger to the end zone. And he had an escort from teammate Patrick Johnson.

"When I got through and saw Pat there and knew there was only the kicker, I said, 'It's over.' I looked up at the screen to see if anyone was catching me," Morton said. "We've been taking so much criticism, the coaching staff and the guys on special teams. We finally got a long one, but it took away from it to lose the game. Hopefully, we can break another long one and actually win a game."

Gardner Contused

The Redskins lost wide receiver Rod Gardner when he suffered a contusion to his upper right arm. The club already was without third receiver Darnerien McCants, who was on the game-day inactive list because of a bruised knee.

That meant increased playing time, especially in the second half, for Patrick Johnson and fellow reserve wideout Taylor Jacobs. But they didn't produce much, combining for two catches for 27 yards. Jacobs's third reception of his rookie season came on the game's final play, when the Redskins were backed up to their 4-yard line and Jacobs caught a 14-yard pass from quarterback Tim Hasselbeck. That led to a series of desperation laterals by the Redskins, finally resulting in a fumble for their third turnover of the game. . . .

Cornerback Champ Bailey was charged with a pair of pass-interference penalties, and the second one had him fuming.

The first call against Bailey came in the first quarter, when he ran into Saints wide receiver Joe Horn after Horn got a step on him on a deep pattern. The second came in the third quarter, when Horn collided with Bailey as New Orleans quarterback Aaron Brooks threw the ball toward the end zone on a pump-and-go play. That penalty was costly to the Redskins, as it gave the Saints a first and goal at the 3-yard line and they converted for a touchdown that tied the game at 17.

"The first time, he got by me," Bailey said. "I did what you're supposed to do: You grab him or whatever. You don't get beat deep. The second one was [wrong]. That was a [bad] call. I'm standing my ground and he ran right into me. What am I supposed to do?"

The Redskins regressed in the penalty department. They were penalized eight times yesterday for 120 yards. . . .

Tailback Trung Canidate had been ineffective since returning from an ankle injury, but the Redskins thought the explosiveness returned to his game with his 115-yard rushing performance.

"I thought he ran the ball better than he did all year," offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said. "I saw the shiftiness." . . .

The final four games of the Redskins' season become increasingly meaningless by the week. But Coach Steve Spurrier said that he will try to win rather than go to an all-out youth movement, and the players vowed to trudge onward in a professional manner.

"The next four weeks are about playing football because that's my job," safety Matt Bowen said. "You play hard and you play with pride. What else are you going to do? The game is scheduled next week."

Said defensive end Regan Upshaw: "You play because you're a fighter. You're a football player. You don't quit because it's not in your nature."