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Slowly and menacingly, Norv Turner's Redskins have been sneaking up on the rest of the NFL. If you believe in mathematical progression, the Skins are due for a 12-4 year. Turner won three games in his first season in Washington, six in his second, nine last year.
But this is a team that won't be rushed. For instance, it took Turner two years to figure out whether Gus Frerotte or Heath Shuler should be the quarterback. (Note, however, that last season Frerotte made the Pro Bowl and Shuler was shipped off to New Orleans.)
In both the free-agent market and the draft, Turner and general manager Charley Casserly have chosen wisely. The Skins gambled in 1995 when they signed ex-Viking Terry Allen, who had a surgically repaired knee, but last year he broke John Riggins's team rushing record with 1,353 yards. Defensive end Rich Owens, an undersized 245-pounder out of Lehigh, was written off as a wasted draft pick two years ago, but he had 11 sacks in 1996 — more than any Redskins lineman since Charles Mann had 11 1/2 in 1991. Jamie Asher, a fifth-round choice in '95, caught 42 balls last season, the most by a Washington tight end in 22 years.
The Skins came within a whisker of the playoffs in '96, losing three games on the final play. They had come out of the box roaring and by the end of October were 7-1. But even then there were ominous signs. Wide receiver Michael Westbrook's chronically injured left knee was acting up, and the defense was ranked 27th.
Then the dam broke. Buffalo ran the Redskins out of Rich Stadium with 266 yards on the ground. The next week the Cardinals' Boomer Esiason threw for 522 yards against them. Washington lost four of its next six, the playoffs became a mirage, and the Redskins' defense finished third to last in the league.
"Poor tackling, injuries, sometimes just bad luck," Turner offers as explanation. But he must have thought the causes went deeper than that. Not one week after the season ended, he shook up his defensive staff, replacing coordinator Ron Lynn with Mike Nolan from the Giants. Turner's sense of urgency was apparent in the draft, in which the Skins chose not to go for any of that best-available-athlete stuff and instead sought to fill specific needs.
Washington used six of its first eight picks for defenders, including the first three — Kenard Lang, a 277-pound run-stopping end; Greg Jones, a model strongside linebacker; and Derek Smith, a swift weakside linebacker. The Skins looked for defense among free agents, too. They signed ex-Houston cornerback Cris Dishman, a former All-Pro, to replace Tom Carter, who signed with the Bears, and end Chris Mims, who was the Chargers' 1992 No. 1 draft choice.
So where does the defense stand? There are two leaders: three-time Pro Bowl linebacker Ken Harvey, who is 32, and future Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green, who is 37 and hasn't lost a step. The remaining question for the defense is, When will tackle Sean Gilbert be back?
The 316-pound Gilbert is a powerful force in the middle. He wants $4 million. He ain't gonna get it. Gilbert bashers remind you that he had zero sacks after the first three games of '96. Gilbert boosters, including Turner, remind you that he was consistently double-teamed, which enabled his linemates to get the sacks. Even his detractors won't deny Gilbert's importance to the defense.
On offense, the line is strictly big league (it allowed only 22 sacks last year); there is real punch in the running game; Frerotte is among the NFL's up-and-coming stars; and free-agent signee Jeff Hostetler is a more than capable backup quarterback. There is one vision, however, that haunts Turner. He can still picture Frerotte searching for a receiver in Dallas last Thanksgiving, when the Skins were struggling to stay in the playoff picture. It's no wonder Frerotte couldn't find any receivers; Washington didn't have any. So in June, Turner picked Alvin Harper off Tampa Bay's discard pile.
In the early '90s, when Turner was Jimmy Johnson's offensive coordinator in Dallas, Harper was terrific for the Cowboys. He would draw the coverage downfield, and Michael Irvin would catch the stuff underneath. But Harper and the Bucs never hit it off. "They didn't have me running those action posts and stutter-and-go's, the stuff I did best in Dallas," Harper says. "It almost seems like those two years down there didn't happen. Now? It's like a reunion."
So keep your fingers crossed in Washington, folks. Get Gilbert signed. Get Harper deep. Get the defense together. Three more wins could happen.
— by Paul Zimmerman
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