THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 11, 1995 TAG: 9509110153
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
It started when Oakland Raiders safety Derrick Hoskins bulldozed Henry Ellard to the ground seconds after an uncatchable throw sailed over Ellard's head on the fifth play of the Raiders' 20-8 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday. And it continued in less obvious ways, Washington players said afterwards.
Intimidation.
Cheap shots.
The intent to injure.
Raiders Football.
``This is my 13th time against them,'' said Redskins defensive end Tony Woods, who played seven seasons with AFC West foe Seattle before joining Washington. ``When you play them, you know you can't stand around the piles because they're going to give you that extra shove. I knew what to expect.''
Some of his teammates apparently did not, even veterans like Tim Johnson. A devout Christian and one of the best-tempered players on the team, Johnson was hit with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty in the third quarter for his part in a fight that broke out 30 yards from the play. Johnson left the locker room before reporters arrived..
Woods said Johnson was livid over the tactics of Raiders guard Steve Wisniewski, ironically, a teammate of Johnson's at Penn State in the late '80s.
``Wisniewski is known for the extra shots he gives you,'' Woods said. ``He hit Tim in the back any number of times and ran up the back of his leg from behind. Tim didn't like it.''
At one point, Johnson took out his frustration on one of Napoleon Kaufman's shoes. After pulling down the Raiders' rookie from behind, Johnson ripped off the player's cleats and flung the shoe about 10 yards.
From locker to locker, Redskins defensive linemen complained about what they said were Oakland's dirty tactics.
``It's one thing to beat you at the line of scrimmage,'' said end Dexter Nottage. ``A couple of times, Marc (Boutte) was double-teamed, then someone would beat on him at the bottom of the pile.
``These are grown men. If you can't beat someone playing straight-up football, you don't need to be out there.''
WHERE'S REGGIE? Reggie Brooks, last week listed as the Redskins' No. 6 running back, was shuffled off to the inactive list Sunday. Turner denied that the Raiders' physical style of play had anything to do with it, saying instead that he wanted four wide receivers available in case he wanted to go to that package.
Tydus Winans, the fourth receiver, did not play a single down, even with the Redskins trailing by as much as two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Brooks, Turner insisted, will play soon.
DROP KICKS: The first-quarter time-of-possession stats read: Raiders 11:09, Redskins 3:51. After that, however, the teams were practically even. The final statistics showed the Raiders at 34:03, the Redskins 25:57. . . . The 33-yard field goal that Redskins kicker Eddie Murray missed late in the second quarter broke a streak of 28 consecutive successful kicks inside 40 yards. . . . Injury report: guard Tre Johnson, a sprained left ankle; cornerback Tom Carter, a mild hamstring strain; Coleman Bell, tight end, a sprained finger. Johnson, who entered the game with a pulled groin, may be the most serious. He left the locker room on crutches. Johnson and Bell will be re-evaluated later this week and their status for Sunday against the Denver Broncos updated. . . yardage list. He passed Roger Craig and now has 13,155. . . . The safety resulting from Redskins linebacker Darrick Brownlow's block of Jeff Gossett's fourth-quarter punt was Washington's first since 1985. by CNB