Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 12, 1993 TAG: 9312120105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
In 56 years of more or less professional football, the Redskins had never been beaten 3-0.
Cary Blanchard's 45-yard line-drive field goal with 1:18 left in the opening quarter provided the New York Jets with all the points they needed to send the Redskins to their 10th loss in 13 games.
"Another game where we had opportunities to win but we did not make a play on either side of the ball," said Redskins coach Richie Petitbon.
Although a "first" for the franchise, it may stand as a "last" for some of the players involved in Washington's first home shutout since 1980.
Take quarterback Rich Gannon. After three quarters of non-productivity, he was benched by Petitbon and replaced by Mark Rypien.
"I was looking for a spark," Petitbon said. "It didn't work."
Rusty from weeks of inactivity with a bum knee and cold from three quarters of standing in arctic winds approaching 25 mph, Rypien completed just two of eight passes for 17 yards. Unlike Gannon, he exited RFK Stadium without comment.
"There are no positives after a game like this," said Gannon, who was 7-of-15 passing and booed on a regular basis by the RFK Stadium crowd of 47,970. "You feel as an offensive group that you let the defense down. They played pretty well today, well enough to hold them to three points. We need to score some points."
Washington not only didn't score, it barely advanced on the Jets' end zone. The Redskins finished with a mere 39 rushing yards and 129 through the air. Of those passing yards, 50 came on a gimmick play, running back Brian Mitchell's completion to Ricky Sanders. That put Washington on the New York 30. Three incompletions later, Chip Lohmiller missed a 48-yard field-goal attempt to the left.
End of scoring chances.
"Perfect snap, perfect hold, great kick, just a little wide to the left," said Washington special-teams coach Wayne Sevier. "I'm told it missed by about half a foot."
The Jets, meanwhile, made it one of the most lopsided 3-0 games in history, thoroughly dominating both sides of the line of scrimmage. Behind Johnny Johnson, who slashed and glided for 155 yards on 32 carries, the Jets (8-5) rushed for 210 yards, 4.2 yards a carry.
Quarterback Boomer Esiason, hampered by a slight back injury suffered when he was sandwiched by Charles Mann and Tim Johnson, threw for 105 yards.
But the plan of the day was ball control, and the Jets executed it beautifully. New York had possession 41 minutes to just 19 for the Redskins.
"We're really not strong up front," Petitbon said. "We did everything we could think of to stop their cut-back runs, but we weren't successful. That's one of the big reasons we lost the game."
And the reason the game wasn't at least slightly more lopsided on the scoreboard was that, in comic fashion, the Jets bungled a chance to add a second field goal late in the first half.
Blanchard's 27-yard field goal was wiped out by a penalty. Seconds later, while holder Luis Aguiar had his head down, Paul Frase snapped the ball off the unsuspecting Aguiar's helmet.
"I was still checking the spot," Aguiar explained. "They thought I was ready to go. When you have your head between your legs (meaning Frase) it's tough. I always give a verbal cadence; sometimes they hear me, sometimes they don't."
Later, tight end Fred Baxter dropped a low Esiason pass in the end zone.
"The team is playing well enough in the red zone," Jets coach Bruce Coslet said, even though his team has but nine points the past two games. "It's very tough inside the 20. There's not a lot of room to operate. The defense is guessing. If you guess wrong, you look bad. If you guess right, you look OK."
Evidently, Petitbon guessed well, or well enough for his team to be competitive, though not successful.
\ NOTE: The Carolina Panthers want to talk with former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs about coaching the expansion team but have run into a roadblock in Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke.
Panthers owner Jerry Richardson said last week that the NFL had told him he would have to get clearance from Cooke to interview Gibbs about coaching the Panthers in 1995.
They tried, but the message from Cooke was a clear no, Panthers general manager Mike McCormack said.
Gibbs had two years remaining on a three-year contract when he announced his retirement in March after taking the Redskins to four Super Bowls in 12 years as their coach. The contract included a "no competition" provision that Gibbs could not coach against the Redskins in the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
Cooke said Saturday that if Gibbs wants to renegotiate, he should come to him and not the media.
The Associated Press contributed information to this report.
by CNB