Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 13, 1992 TAG: 9201130112
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTS COLUMNIST
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
HIGHER GOAL REMAINS FOR REDSKINS
After they had lit up another impressive opponent, the only cigar in the Washington Redskins' locker room was in the mouth of quarterback-turned- broadcaster Sonny Jurgensen."I'm ecstatic, I'm hysterical, I can't tell you how excited I am," said Washington linebacker Kurt Gouveia, whose early interception put the Redskins on the road to the Super Bowl. "This isn't the ultimate high, though. This is just a level to get to the ultimate high."
After NFC Central champion Detroit had become another run-and-shoot-itself- in-the-foot opponent for Washington, the Redskins were checking their emotions more than the 41-10 scoreboard.
"I don't think it's really going to hit us until tomorrow," said Redskins kicker Chip Lohmiller, who is going home for the Super Bowl at the Metrodome. "I grew up there. I went to college [Minnesota] there. I can't put my feelings into words."
The Redskins tied their club record of 16 wins by burying the Lions 24-0 in the second half. They said this NFC championship game would be different than the 45-0 bashing Washington put on Detroit in the season opener at RFK Stadium.
It was, and it wasn't. Lions rushing star Barry Sanders had bruised ribs and sat out the Sept. 1 game. On a balmy January evening, Sanders had minus-1 yard on the ground in the Redskins' runaway half.
"Did that look like a rerun of the last time or what?" wondered Lions coach Wayne Fontes after Washington scored the most points in an NFC title game since the Lions beat Cleveland 59-14 in 1957 in the NFL championship before an AFL was born.
"The Redskins outplayed us. They beat us up. They're physical. They beat us, period. No excuses," Fontes said.
The run-and-shooters have seen it before. Washington is 5-0 against that four-wideout attack this season, allowing an average of 237 yards and 9.4 points per game. The Redskins' still-underappreciated defense has taken 22 turnovers in those five victories.
Detroit trailed 10-0 after four minutes because of a couple of turnovers. The Lions then showed a resiliency and emotion that had brought them seven straight victories and a trip to their first NFC final until the Redskins' experience and efficiency took control.
The noise from the sellout RFK crowd made Detroit's shotgun virtually inoperable.
"We barely could get our audibles so we had breakdown in pass protection," Lions tackle Lomas Brown said.
It was the opposite when Washington had the ball. Jurgensen could have passed the Redskins to this victory. Not the Sonny of old, but the 57-year-old analyst of today. Not only wasn't Mark Rypien sacked while completing 12 of 17 for 228 yards and two touchdowns, he was barely touched.
"He was really on," Lions linebacker Chris Spielman said of Rypien. "When Rypien is on, I've never seen a long ball thrown like his since Terry Bradshaw."
Most of the Redskins' personnel were trying to put the season and Sunday into perspective. From the press box above the spray-painted RFK dirt, Redskins director of media relations Mike McCall had his own focus on a Super trip.
"This," said the former Roanoke College sports information director, "is bigger than winning the Old Dominion Athletic Conference championship."
Keywords:
FOOTBALL