THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 9, 1994 TAG: 9408090552
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Norv Turner came a lot closer to victory a lot sooner than anyone predicted Monday night.
In his debut as coach of the Washington Redskins, Turner gambled and lost when he allowed free-agent kicker Jeff Jacke to attempt a 35-yard field goal with four seconds left and Washington behind by two points.
Jacke's kick hit the right upright and bounced back onto the turf at Rich Stadium, allowing the Bills to hang onto a 13-11 victory in the preseason opener for both teams.
The near-comeback win was engineered by one of Washington's two rookie quarterbacks - but it wasn't No. 1 pick Heath Shuler.
Instead, seventh-round pick Gus Frerotte, who came to camp on time and has been consistently sharp, showed poise under pressure.
Frerotte, who hit 15-of-25 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown, completed 6-of-8 in the final moments, guiding Washington from its 36 to the Bills 17.
With Chip Lohmiller already having tried a pair of field goals, Turner opted for Jacke, the brother of Green Bay kicker Chris Jacke, on the critical play.
The ball wobbled the moment it left his foot, then smacked squarely into the upright.
Late excitement aside, the game was about what you'd expect from a Washington team coming off a 4-12 season, with a new coaching staff staff breaking in a trio of fresh new quarterbacks against the decade's annual Super Bowl loser.
Ugly. And not competitive, at least not during that brief period when Buffalo coach Marv Levy had his first unit on the field. At one point, the Bills had a 174-36 advantage in total yards - every bit indicative of their dominance.
For Washington, the most noteworthy development of the first 30 minutes was Shuler's debut.
Washington's top pick and 13-day contract holdout took the field on the first series of the second quarter, surrounded by second-teamers and players struggling to make the roster.
He hit three of his first four passes, but finished just 4-of-10 for 47 yards. His best pass was a bullet zinged over the middle to rookie tight end Kurt Haws that gained 22 yards.
There were a couple of candidates for worst toss. One was a pass into the Buffalo end zone, about 10 yards behind where Tydus Winans had made his cut.
The second was an attempted bomb easily intercepted by Bills rookie Jeff Burris. Put an asterisk on that throw, however - Buffalo end James Patton, after blowing past second-round pick Tre' Johnson, had his fist in Shuler's throat a second after the ball was released.
After Shuler's stint was over, Frerotte guided Washington to its only touchdown, a 52-yard drive highlighted by a brilliant one-handed diving catch by Winans. The 29-yard gain, on which Winans beat ex-Redskin cornerback Brian Davis, gave Washington a first down at the Buffalo 19.
An 11-yard pass to Mark Stock on third-and-10 kept the drive alive. After a penalty, Frerotte drilled a slant pass to Stephen Hobbs at the 5. Hobbs bounced off Mike Dumas and loped into the end zone for the touchdown.
Turner then went for a 2-point conversion. William Bell slashed off right tackle into the end zone, giving Washington an 11-10 lead 28 seconds before the end of the third quarter.
Behind first-year quarterback Matt Rodgers, the Bills came back with a 61-yard, 12-play drive ending in Steve Christie's 33-yard field goal and a 13-11 edge, setting the stage for the final drive and Jacke's miss.
Earlier, Buffalo thoroughly enjoyed itself against a porous Washington defense that is feeling its way under new defensive coordinator Ron Lynn. Although Levy pulled his starters before even the first quarter was over, Buffalo enjoyed a 293-89 advantage in yards gained.
Buffalo took the opening kickoff and moved from its 14 to the Redskins 25 in just seven plays. On the eighth snap, Jim Kelly hit tight end Pete Metzelaars, who drifted behind linebacker Ken Harvey.
But Harvey tomahawked the ball out of Metzelaars' hands. Safety Darryl Morrison grabbed it at the 2 and returned it to the Washington 19.
After Lohmiller missed a 52-yard field goal, Kelly guided the Bills 58 yards in nine plays. The key play was a 27-yard completion across the middle to Andre Reed. Kelly and Reed combined three plays later on a 12-yard touchdown play, Reed getting behind Chris Hall, then pulling the free-agent safety into the end zone.
Two series later, Shuler made his pro debut. His first pass was an 8-yard completion to Frank Wycheck. He then hit Rush for 9 before the series stalled.
Two series later, A.J. Johnson and Johnny Thomas forced a fumble on a punt return by Darrick Branch. Haws recovered at the Bills 20, but the most Shuler and the Skins could get from the drive was Lohmiller's 33-yard field goal.
There was one scary moment for the Redskins and rookie free agent Tyrone Rush, one of the early surprises of camp.
Rush was carted from the field on a stretcher after suffering a neck injury when tackled helmet-to-helmet by Buffalo safety Mike Dumas following an 11-yard gain.
Rush told Redskins trainers that his body went numb as soon as he hit the turf. The sensation returned shortly after he entered the locker room, and X-rays revealed he suffered a jammed neck. by CNB