THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 26, 1996 TAG: 9608260153
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 77 lines
It wasn't the ability to kick field goals that cost Eddie Murray his job with the Washington Redskins Sunday. It was what he did afterwards that finally led the Redskins to dismiss the 40-year-old Murray in favor of 22-year-old Scott Blanton.
``Their stats were about identical, but there's no question Scott's a better kickoff guy and he kicks better from longer distances,'' coach Norv Turner said.
Murray converted 5 of 6 field goals during preseason games. Blanton hit 4 of 5, though he nailed a 41-yarder against New England last Friday night that would have been good from 55 yards. Murray no longer had that type of range, though he argued that rules that place the ball from where it was kicked on missed field goals made long-range accuracy obsolete.
That was something Turner and his staff wrestled with all summer. Until Friday, they even admitted they were seriously considering keeping both men - Murray for short-range kicks, Blanton for long-range kicks and kickoffs.
In the end, they couldn't justify cutting a young player they liked - like linebacker Patrise Alexander - for a second kicker.
The Redskins waived seven other players to get to the league roster limit of 53: Linebacker Dion Foxx, a Richmond native and former James Madison University star; veteran tight end Coleman Bell; center/guard Vernice Smith, just acquired off waivers from the New York Jets one week ago; rookie cornerback Eric Sutton; guard Ron Lewis; former Virginia defensive lineman Ryan Kuehl, who may resurface on the practice squad; and veteran receiver Greg McMurtry.
In addition, the Redskins signed veteran center Jeff Uhlenhake, who started the first 15 games of the 1994 season and the first 14 games of last season for the New Orleans Saints.
Teams cannot put together their practice squads until all players clear waivers, which is a 24-hour procedure.
Blanton is one of 12 players who wasn't on Washington's active roster at any time last season to survive final cuts, though more tinkering may follow. Washington is about $2 million under the salary cap, enough to claim a potentially valuable veteran another team was hoping to slip through waivers.
The other 11 newcomers are linebacker Patrise Alexander, fullback Larry Bowie, veteran receiver Billy Brooks, guard Bob Dahl, rookie tailback Stephen Davis, rookie safety Leomont Evans, veteran defensive tackle Sean Gilbert, rookie offensive tackle Andre Johnson, offensive tackle Shar Pourdanesh, rookie strong safety Brian Walker and Uhlenhake.
Murray became a Redskin last Aug. 8 after the team waived Chip Lohmiller. It was his sixth stop in the last five years, but he responded by making 27 of 36 field goals and all 33 extra points to lead the team with 114 points.
During his storied career, which began with the Detroit Lions in 1980, Murray has established a still-existing record for most consecutive extra points. He has hit 228 in a row, the most since the goalposts were moved to the back of the end zone in 1974. He is just seven shy of breaking the game's all-time record in that category, set by San Francisco's Tommy Davis from 1959-65.
Murray's career total of 1,473 points is fifth-best in NFL history, and was second to New York's Nick Lowery among active kickers. Murray's goal at the beginning of the season was to reach 1,700 career points, one more than Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud. He figured he needed two more seasons to get there.
Meanwhile, Blanton now gets a chance to start his career. It would have happened last season had he not pulled a groin muscle after a couple of weeks of training camp. He was ahead of Lohmiller in the kicking competition. But the Redskins placed him on injured reserve, forcing him to miss the season.
``Scott's been here a year and a half; he's had time to get comfortable,'' Turner said when asked about sending out a kicker who's never won a last-second game in the pros. `There's no question we'll all be holding our breath. But you hold your breath no matter what happens.''
Foxx was unable to recover enough from arthroscopic knee surgery a few weeks ago to make the kind of impact at linebacker the Redskins had hoped, while McMurtry appeared to have a job locked up until the Redskins signed Daman Mays late last week. A former practice squad player with Dallas when Turner was offensive coordinator, Mays caught a 47-yard pass from Gus Frerotte last Friday night against New England. ILLUSTRATION: Eddie Murray, fifth on the NFL's all-time scoring list
with 1,473 points, was cut by the Skins Sunday. by CNB