THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 18, 1995 TAG: 9509180138
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DENVER LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Washington coach Norv Turner had already lost the game. He was in no mood to lose some money on top of it.
``I can't comment on those plays,'' Turner said following the Redskins' 38-31 loss Sunday to the Denver Broncos. ``I think they were evident.''
``Those plays'' were two calls seemingly blown by the officials. One gave the Broncos a touchdown; the other took a touchdown from the Redskins.
The first occurred with 52 seconds remaining in the first half with the Broncos leading, 17-7. Running back Terrell Davis broke a tackle at the Washington 6 and seemed headed for the end zone. But he was hit from behind by linebacker Marvcus Patton and fumbled at the 2.
Redskins cornerback Tom Carter fell on the ball in the end zone and umpire Bob Wagner immediately signaled a touchback. But head linesman Dale Williams rushed over and called several officials to the side for a conference, after which referee Ron Blum signaled a Denver touchdown.
``The umpire saw the fumble, could not rule whether the ball had penetrated the goal line or not, and ruled from his vantage point that if it had not crossed the goal line, it was a touchback,'' Blum told Adam Shefter of The Rocky Mountain News. ``The head linesman ruled the ball penetrated the goal line prior to the fumble.''
Said Davis: ``I'm not sure if I had the ball in the end zone or not when I crossed the goal line. I just remember sitting on my behind in the end zone.''
The second play took place in the third quarter, when the Redskins were threatening to erase the last bit of a 24-7 deficit.
Gus Frerotte and Michael Westbrook combined on what appeared to be a 3-yard alley-oop touchdown in the right corner of the end zone. But back judge Al Jury ruled that Westbrook got just one foot inbounds, even though replays showed he was shoved out by cornerback Ray Crockett.
``In my opinion, when he got that one foot down, I didn't feel that even with the contact he would have gotten the second foot down,'' Jury told Shefter. ``So I ruled that he didn't get two feet down, even though there was contact. I didn't feel the contact caused him to not get the second foot down.''
``It doesn't matter,'' Westbrook said later. ``They called it out and we lost the game.''
INJURY REPORT: Offensive tackle Jim Lachey left the game six plays into Washington's first series with a strained right shoulder. He did not return and his place was taken by Joe Patton. . . . Defensive tackle Marc Boutte played despite the flu; safety James Washington suffered a bruised thigh and defensive end Tony Woods went down with a mild sprain of the right knee. . . . Tom Carter wasn't expected to play because of a pulled hamstring. But the third-year cornerback started and played about half the game. Rookie Scott Turner played the rest and more than held his own. by CNB