DATE: Tuesday, September 9, 1997            TAG: 9709090425

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   78 lines

REDSKINS CAN NO LONGER BLAME THEIR YOUTH AS AN EXCUSE FOR NOT WINNING

Receiver Leslie Shepherd had some advice for his Washington Redskins teammates following their 14-13 loss Sunday to Pittsburgh: The reasons for defeat are found in their execution of the playbook, not on their birth certificate.

``It's time for us to stop saying that we're a young team and time to accept the challenge of being a good team,'' Shepherd said. ``We have a lot of talent on this team, a lot of guys who can make plays. That's what's frustrating. We didn't lose to the Steelers. We beat ourselves.''

Shepherd, the Redskins' only offensive player to put together back-to-back good games, is right. It's Year Four of the Norv Turner plan. Youth is no longer an excuse for failure.

Besides, what NFL team isn't young these days? The Carolina defense and the Dallas offensive line. That's about it.

Why are more and more draft picks making NFL rosters? It isn't because there's been a sudden surge of across-the-board excellence coming from the colleges. It's because the NFL's salary cap and free-agency rules force teams to have a few players who make a lot of money and a lot of players who earn relatively little.

And, like any other profession, the cheapest work force is made up of those with the shortest resumes.

Evidently, Shepherd had heard enough players in the Washington locker room throw the ``Y'' word around that he decided to voice his opinion on the subject in hopes of keeping it from becoming a crutch.

Most interesting will be seeing how quarterback Gus Frerotte reacts this week.

But for a couple of high school-like mistakes by Frerotte, Washington would be 2-0 this season, with a home opener at the new Jack Kent Cooke Stadium on Sunday providing further momentum and motivation. Now, until further notice, they're just another team in a league seemingly hell-bent on making sure everyone finishes 8-8.

Here's what's disturbing about Frerotte's three interceptions: None of the passes had to have been thrown, and none should have been thrown by a player with Frerotte's experience.

The first, late in the first quarter, came on second-and-10 from the Pittsburgh 20. Frerotte, thinking tight end Jamie Asher would get past a shadowing linebacker, took a chance and threw a pass that safety Darren Perry easily picked off in the end zone.

Frerotte's second interception, a pass on which Shepherd was held by backup cornerback Randy Fuller, also came on second down, this time from the Steelers' 7. There were only 24 seconds left in the first half, but Washington had all of its timeouts. They had another down and plenty of time to come back with something else.

Frerotte said he threw the ball because he thought it would either be a touchdown or a pass-interference penalty against Fuller. A smarter quarterback never makes that throw.

The final pick, with 23 seconds left in the game and Washington at its 41, 25 yards from giving kicker Scott Blanton some shot at pulling out the victory, came on first down. It was thrown into double coverage down the middle, when it just as easily could have been thrown out of bounds, out of harm's way.

Maybe Sunday was just an aberration. Frerotte was fourth in the league last season in fewest interceptions. One of the reasons he made such a meteoric rise from seventh-round pick to starter was his ability to protect the football. Maybe he never has another game in which he makes three mistakes as mindless as he did Sunday.

What we do know is that Frerotte continued a career-long trend of not being able to win when the Redskins' primary running back doesn't gain at least 75 yards. He has started 33 times since 1994 and it's happened only once, at New England last year. That day, Terry Allen gained just 71 yards. Frerotte more than compensated by completing 18 of 33 passes for 280 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Against the Steelers, Stephen Davis subbed for the injured Allen. He had a passable day against a tough run defense with 66 yards. Mostly, the offensive line gave Frerotte adequate protection.

In other words, the elements were in place for Frerotte to carry the Redskins up and over the barrier of not having Allen. He didn't.

Unlike the past, Frerotte is walking around with a five-year, $18 million contract. That's adult money.

Time for him to earn it.

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