THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 5, 1994 TAG: 9409050157
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Skins Notes
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Brian Mitchell stood waiting to talk to the press when the locker room doors opened following the Redskins 28-7 loss to Seattle Sunday.
There was a lot to talk about. The mental mistake of fielding a punt inside his own 10. The fumble that occurred a couple of seconds later, giving Seattle a cheap touchdown. The handful of dropped passes.
Mitchell addressed them all.
``Anyone on this level knows things are going to happen that are bad,'' Mitchell explained. ``But if you let it bother you, you're gone. It's just one game; we've got 15 more to go. If we let this stick to us, we're going to lose a lot more.''
Mitchell admitted that after his first mistake, a fumbled punt the Seahawks recovered at the Redskins 12, ``things kind of snowballed.''
``But I don't let things like that hold me back. I started off on the wrong foot today, but I have a lot of confidence. Next week, I won't fumble the punt, I won't drop the ball,'' he said.
ELLARD MOVES UP: It was a forgettable day for the Redskins; slightly more memorable for Henry Ellard. The 33-year-old wide receiver, signed as a free agent by the Redskins after 12 years with the Los Angeles Rams, was Washington's most effective offensive weapon Sunday. He caught 7 passes for 105 yards to become just the 12th player in NFL history to hit 600 career receptions.
FORREST WOODEN: In the locker room after the game, Seattle linebacker Terry Wooden's teammates kept screaming at him, ``Run, Forrest, run.''
They were alluding to the touchdown-sprinting title character played by Tom Hanks in the film ``Forrest Gump.'' Wooden picked off a throw by Redskins quarterback John Friesz and ran 69 yards for Seattle's second touchdown Sundsay.
``When I caught the ball, my eyes immediately focused on the end zone and I knew I could get there,'' Wooden said. ``It's a great feeling to be able to make some big plays and contribute.''
Wooden also recovered a fumbled punt by Brian Mitchell that led to Seattle's first score.
``It was a great touchdown because after that, all we had to do was pass rush,'' explained tackle Cortez Kennedy. ``We knew they were not going to run the ball; they were going to pass it and we just went after the quarterback.''
TAYLOR LOST FOR YEAR: Redskins starting strong safety Keith Taylor tore his right Achilles' tendon and is lost for the season. He had surgery performed Sunday night at Arlington Hospital. Martin Bayless took his place and finished with 3 tackles. Ex-Redskin safety Brad Edwards is available, but Edwards balked at taking a pay cut before training camp, was waived and there may be too much bad blood between the two sides to arrange a deal.
THIS 'N THAT: Desmond Howard's first NFL scoring pass came in his 33rd game as a pro. ... Seahawks coach Tom Flores posted his 100th career victory. He is now 100-80-0 and 84-53-0 in the regular season. ... Redskin officials must like music from Hampton Roads. Last week, Kempsville High School provided the halftime entertainment. Sunday, Norfolk State's band was featured. ``Better than the game,'' was the comment most frequently heard following their performance. by CNB