Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 7, 1994 TAG: 9412270014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWIGHT FOXX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Charles Mann should know how to read Washington Redskins' fans.
So it was Mann who San Francisco 49er Deion Sanders approached with the burning question: Would ``Prime Time'' be greeted by boos from the RFK faithful during Sunday's pregame introductions?
Mann, knowing Sanders as well as the Washington fans' particular dislike for the foes' superstars, was certain the answer was `yes.' He was correct.
But Mann wasn't as sure about how he would be received in a 49ers uniform after spending 11 seasons as a Redskins' defensive end.
Mann needn't have worried.
An offseason free-agent acquisition by San Francisco, Mann backs up Dennis Brown in the 49ers' 4-3 front. So he didn't get his former home crowd's reaction until the fourth quarter.
But when the 6-foot-6, 272-pound Mann sacked Redskins quarterback John Friesz, RFK erupted with a standing ovation.
Mann obliged with a bow.
``I had to find something appropriate for the moment,'' Mann said after San Francisco's 37-22 win. ``That was about as sweet as a sack could get; that was the John Riggins' bow.''
The 33-year-old said he was like a lost kid on Saturday when he practiced at the stadium and gazed at the Hall of Stars, an honor for former greats.
``I never thought about it [the Hall of Stars at RFK] until we practiced here and I saw the black things hanging over the new players [Doug Williams and Jim Gibbons were inducted on Sunday],'' said Mann, who was Washington's third-round draft pick in 1983 . ``The guys were saying, `Hey Charles, that must be you.' I said `I hope not while I'm still playing.'''
Mann, like former teammate Art Monk, was a salary cap casualty and was released by the Redskins before the start of the season. But Mann, who made three Super Bowl trips (two of them victories) with the Redskins, said his heart goes out to former teammates Darrell Green, Kurt Gouveia and Monte Coleman as they toil with a team that is 2-8 and rebuilding.
``The grass is greener on the other side,'' Mann said. ``I'm thrilled to be in San Francisco playing for a contender.
``I feel bad for my friends who I have been in battles with over the years. I wanted those guys to do well, but not beat us.''
Not all went well for Mann on Sunday. He was called for a 15-yard penalty for a late hit on Friesz midway through the final period that gave the Redskins a first down and allowed them to cut the 49ers' lead from 37-6 to 37-14.
Mann, and television replays, suggested the call was questionable.
``It was a clean hit - head and shoulders,'' Mann said. ``I'm a big guy and he's a big guy - it wasn't violent or vicious.''
Mann said he wanted to play more in Sunday's game and even pleaded with defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes at times.
He was taken out by Rhodes in the first half after Mann failed to make a switch with Rickey Jackson from right defensive end to left in time for a play. Jackson was ready, but Mann still was getting into his three-point stance when Redskins starting quarterback Gus Frerotte took the snap. Rhodes quickly put Brown back in Mann's place.
``I said, `Come on man, you've got to get me [back] in there.''' Mann said.
Mann eventually did return, and now he's getting ready for San Francisco's showdown next week with the Dallas Cowboys in what many think will be a preview of the NFC Championship Game.
``Being in the playoff hunt again really excites me,'' he said. ``This is the closest to a playoff game as it's going to get.''
But while Mann may feel at home in the postseason hunt, he still calls the Washington area his home.
``I did a lot of community things in this area, and when I signed I made the statement that this [Washington] is my home and will always be my home,'' Mann said. ``I think the people know that, no matter what uniform I wear.''
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB