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| Rodney Peete, pictured, and the Philadelphia Eagles were not overjoyed out how they won Sunday's game. (John McDonnell - The Post) |
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 12, 1998; Page C7
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 11 For the Philadelphia Eagles, the booing has stopped, and so has the bleeding, at least for now. That's what happens when teams go up against the Washington Redskins these days. They win, they smile, they say all the right things about their vanquished opponents, how hard they fought to the final gun.
In the end, though, after his team had won its first game in six starts, against a Washington team that is now 0-6, Philadelphia Coach Ray Rhodes summed it up the best.
"It's been a long time coming for a win," he said. "I'm happy for the players and everyone involved. We're happy about the win, but you have to be realistic, too. It turned pretty ugly out there at the end. . . . It's not a big step from 0-5 to 1-5. There's nothing to be overjoyed about right now."
The Eagles knew they were fortunate not to be in the same distressing position as the Redskins. Maybe that's why there was no excessive celebration in their locker room, no predictions that today's 17-12 triumph would lead to something bigger as they head to San Diego next week.
"We made mistakes, we had busted plays, sacks and dropped balls," said veteran wide receiver Irving Fryar, who had a 19-yard reception on third and 16 in the Eagles' 75-yard touchdown drive, which consumed 9 minutes 19 seconds and provided the winning points.
"I wouldn't say it's a relief," Fryar said. "It's about time is what it is. We have something to build on, but I don't think it does a whole lot for you mentally. We find ways to lose football games. So any time you win, you feel good."
After the game, Fryar found his friend Darrell Green on the field. Green had been covering Fryar for much of the game, and the two have been battling each other for years.
"No I didn't console him," Fryar said. "Hey, I need consoling, too. I just told him to stay encouraged. It's a year of trial for him and his team and for me and my team. It's a season of struggling. It's really a test of your faith, to see if you can stay on the straight and narrow, while things are going crazy all around you."
There were several crazy moments today caused by the Eagles' aggressive play, particularly on defense. One of the most costly for the Redskins came late in the first quarter, when officials ruled that running back Terry Allen, trying to cross the goal line, had the ball stripped by linebacker William Thomas. It was recovered in the end zone by free safety Brian Dawkins.
The Redskins complained that Allen's forward progress had been halted and the play should have been whistled dead. But Dawkins had another view.
"He was still fighting to get in there," Dawkins said. "[Thomas] stripped it out of his hands and I saw it bouncing around, so I went and got on it. I just wanted to get the ball. If it was blown dead, I would have handed the ball back to the referee."
Dawkins made two other fine defensive plays. He intercepted a pass by Trent Green to end the Redskins' first series of the second half. And when Gus Frerotte tried a quarterback draw on a two-point conversion late in the game, it was Dawkins who read the play and busted through to make the initial hit on Frerotte, who fell inches short of the goal line. Dawkins sprained his right ankle on the play and did not return, but the damage had been done.
"I think they were trying to spread us out so we'd all be thinking pass," Dawkins said. "It just so happened we had a blitz on. I had the tight end man-to-man, and when I saw [Frerotte] start to come up, I went to him. I hit him, another lineman hit me and the whole pile jumped on. That's when I got hurt."
If the conversion had been successful, the Redskins would have needed only a field goal to tie the score at 17 when they got the ball at their own 40 with 1:06 left. On their final play, Frerotte's pass to Jamie Asher on fourth and seven fell a yard short of the first down when strong safety Anthony Marshall came up to make a critical tackle.
"I just read the quarterback and tried to force the play," Marshall said. "It was do or die, and this team had to get a win on the board. We all knew that. I'm just happy I got the opportunity to make that last play. I was always told when I was a little kid that big-time players make big-time plays.
"Right now, for this team, we needed a big play. I know what it felt like to be 0-5, and we didn't like it. I know how [the Redskins] must feel. When you're 0-6, it's tough. They have a lot of stuff on their mind right now. It's gonna be a long week in Washington. I'm just glad it's not us."
© Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company
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