Closer Look

Spurrier benefits from wising up, getting Davis involved

Stephen Davis had three rushing touchdowns Sunday; he entered the game with three TDs on the ground all season. Al Bello/Getty Images

By Don Banks, Sports Illustrated

LANDOVER, Md. -- And on the 12th week, Steve Spurrier figured it out.

Finally embracing the run-first, throw-second style of play-calling that has been dictated by his offensive talent all season long, Washington's rookie head coach was rewarded Sunday with the type of better-safe-than-sorry victory that he seemingly has disdained for much of 2002.

Who said even an ol' ball coach can't learn a new trick or two?

"We knew we had to run and try to stay on the field to make some first downs," said Spurrier, whose Redskins have never once this regular season resembled the Fun-n-Gun offense that he made famous at the University of Florida. "We made some yards here and there. Overall, we probably didn't gain a whole lot. We were able to run it into the end zone, and that's the important thing."

Here's what Washington gained by running the ball 39 times for 127 yards and calling just 24 passes against St. Louis: its fifth victory and at least another week on the fringes of playoff contention.

In losses to the Jaguars and Giants the past two weeks, Spurrier was heavily criticized for not committing to the Redskins’ running game, even though it represented a much bigger threat than Washington's feeble passing attack. Spurrier had Washington throw 51 times at Jacksonville and 35 times at New York with very little success.

Redskins running back Stephen Davis openly questioned Spurrier's lack of interest in the running game, and more than one Washington observer noted that both coaches and players were beginning to wonder if Spurrier would rather lose playing his style of game than win with a conservative offense.

But in Sunday's 20-17 defeat of the Rams, Spurrier's offense finally played to its strength, even while Redskins quarterback Danny Wuerffel -- making just his second start of the regular season and first since Oct. 6 -- turned in one of the team's few effective passing performances of the year.

Wuerffel, who benefited from Spurrier's fifth starting quarterback change since the preseason finale, was 16-of-23 for 235 yards with no sacks, interceptions or fumbles and a 102.6 quarterback rating. He threw no touchdowns but led the Redskins to three touchdown drives and put kicker James Tuthill into position for two makeable field-goal attempts (he missed both).

It was Davis who collected all three Redskins touchdowns, tying a career high with scores from 1, 3 and 5 yards out. Overall, he ran 31 times for 88 yards, helping Washington mount a 31:16 to 28:44 edge in time of possession and limit the Rams to just eight drives the entire game.

Get the feeling that maybe somebody should have started complaining sooner?

"I was excited for Stephen," Wuerffel said. "He played really well today. He's been ready to go the whole time, and it really set up this week. We had a great plan and we stuck with the plan. We mixed things in and created some conflict assignments for them. They had to worry about both [the run and the pass]."

The Redskins entered Sunday with the NFL's 26th-ranked offense, but they did not panic and throw the ball with abandon even after St. Louis built a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. Instead, Spurrier stuck with the Davis-led attack, giving his 230-pound running back the ball nine times on the 12-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ensued after the Rams grabbed their 10-0 advantage.

Davis gained just 23 yards on those nine carries -- three times being dropped for no gain -- but Washington kept pounding away with him. He carried on the drive's final five snaps, picking up the final 14 yards, with the capper coming on a 1-yard touchdown plunge.

"Everybody knows we can run the ball," Redskins veteran defensive tackle Daryl Gardener said. "We have a great running attack."

Said Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith of Davis' day: "It was nice to see his number called."

This was the first time this season that Wuerffel has resembled either the quarterback who led Washington to the majority of its NFL-record preseason point total or the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner who starred for Spurrier at Florida. Sunday represented just his second NFL start since 1998 and his first since he lasted just seven plays at Tennessee before leaving the game with a throwing-shoulder injury.

"I'm just very thankful for this opportunity to be here," Wuerffel said. "I say that all the time. I've been around a lot and on a lot of different teams, but haven't gotten a lot of chances to play. ... It was so exciting to get a chance to play and to get the win. It was as good as it could be."

The Redskins' three touchdowns came on what amounted to three consecutive possessions, minus a three-play march in which Washington was merely running out the first-half clock. Before striking a caretakers’ role with the 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter, Wuerffel was 15-of-20 for 217 yards through three quarters.

"Even though he hasn't had the career Kurt Warner has had his first three years, Danny still was poised and very comfortable with the offense," Rams cornerback Dre' Bly said. "It was just a matter of time and him getting an opportunity, and he got it tonight and he executed.

"They didn't punt until like four minutes left in the fourth quarter, and that's not the way you play. You at least want to make them punt four or five times. That's bad."

Wuerffel was so good he'll have to wait only four days to make consecutive starts for the first time since 1998. Washington plays at arch-rival Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. A win and Washington would be 6-6 and very much in the NFC wild-card race. With the whole football nation watching, will Spurrier continue to submerge his passing instincts and keep the Redskins' running game at the forefront?

Tune in and find out. Only then will we know if the lesson of Sunday's game plan in Washington really stuck.

 

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