Hiring the brightest young coaching prospect in the NFL was supposed to herald a rapid rebuild in Washington in 1994. Instead, Norv Turner only accelerated a rot that had already set in one year earlier by presiding over a 3-13 debacle.
Winning only four games, just two years after being named Super Bowl champions, showed how quickly Washington had declined. Unfortunately, long-time defensive mastermind Richie Petitbon was the man in charge of the disaster of 1993, an undeserved footnote to a great career for one of the most important figures in franchise history.
Petitbon was not solely responsible for the instant fall of a dynasty. No more than the abrupt retirement of Joe Gibbs after the 1992 season, which only hastened an inevitable demise.
In reality, Turner stepped into a no-win situation. That didn't stop the man who'd won back-to-back titles as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys from making some epic misjudgements in personnel and scheme.
Norv Turner got the big decision wrong in Washington
Turner was a bold and imaginative coordinator, but he often proved anything but as a head coach. He tried to play it safe by finding another Troy Aikman, the efficient passer who'd made his offense work in Dallas, but Turner fatally misjudged Heath Shuler.
He wasn't even confident enough about the No. 3 overall pick to start Shuler right away. Instead, Turner let career backup John Friesz take the reins in Week 1, a decision that immediately raised the wrong kind of questions about Shuler being the future of the franchise.
Shuler proved anything but, and Turner's reputation as a quarterback whisperer took a hit, even after he made seventh-rounder Gus Frerotte a starter.
That came after Friesz opened the season getting pummeled by his former team, the Seattle Seahawks. The 28-7 defeat at RFK Stadium was an ominous warning of things to come, and not even a career-high four touchdown passes from Friesz, along with some typical Brian Mitchell brilliance in the return game to help upset the New Orleans Saints on the road in Week 2, eased those concerns.
Friesz made way for Shuler by the time the Cowboys came to town in Week 5. All they did was beat up and confuse the rookie en route to a 34-7 blowout.
No credibility or continuity at football's most important position kept Washington in the doldrums. So did Turner, forcing his system onto players regimented in the Gibbs and Petitbon way of doing things.
There were too many poor scheme fits in Norv Turner's offense
SEAHAWKS V REDSKINS
Reggie Brooks regressed after rushing for over 1,000 yards as a rookie. | Doug Pensinger/GettyImages
The Turner scheme, a version of the 'Air Coryell' system with a 1990s twist, didn't suit many of the Gibbs holdovers he inherited. The iconic former head coach had once been coordinator of the original Air Coryell proponents in San Diego, but he had tweaked his playbook in specific ways once he took charge in D.C.
Most of those ways stemmed from his beloved Counter Trey, the premier running play of the 1980s. It suited Reggie Brooks, who ran it for Petitbon and topped 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie.
Brooks was not suited to the Lead Draw that Turner and Emmitt Smith made fashionable again with the Cowboys. The play didn't work for Brooks and Ricky Ervins, who had also run the CT for Gibbs and Petitbon.
Turner made Brooks inactive for two weeks after a five-carry, five-yard effort against Dallas. Brooks didn't carry the ball again until Week 9, but he never averaged four yards per rush for the rest of the season.
Failures on the ground weren't just on the runners. Too many members of the offensive line had been used to pulling into space or blocking head-up. Road hogs like tackles Jim Lachey and Ed Simmons, along with guards Raleigh McKenzie and Ray Brown. None were used to the zone-based blocking Turner used in Dallas.
Turner also didn't have a fullback to compare with Daryl 'Moose' Johnston. Letting Cedric Smith lead the way summed up the talent drain happening in Washington at the time.
Bad drafting and poor free-agency work took a toll on Washington
Desmond Howard
Draft flops like Desmond Howard were in key positions in '94. | Mitchell Layton/GettyImages
The biggest problem facing Turner was a lack of talent brought about by bad drafting and poor recruitment in free agency. Gibbs had tried to cover the draft missteps by milking all he could from a veteran core. Still, first-round flops defensive tackle Bobby Wilson and wide receiver Desmond Howard were starters during Turner's debut season.
He inherited a roster devoid of star performers. All-action linebacker Wilber Marshall had left town a year earlier. Petitbon couldn't replace him with Carl Banks, despite the latter winning two Super Bowls as a key member of a great linebacker corps for the New York Giants.
There was no longer a Charles Mann along the defensive line. Nor a Gary Clark and Art Monk double act at receiver.
Washington had gotten old at key positions, and the younger replacements weren't up to the mark. General manager Charley Casserly couldn't change things because of salary cap restraints.
The impact of those restrictions was most keenly felt along the defensive front, according to Sports Illustrated's Peter King:
"Washington had to give up its pursuit of expensive defensive ends Clyde Simmons and William Fuller, both of whom were in the $2.8 million-per-year range. The Skins set their sights lower, on free agent Jon Hand, who had spent eight years in Indianapolis. Still too pricey. Hand re-signed with the Colts for $1.7 million a year.
Now their sights went lower still, to the $700,000-a-year range. That doesn't buy much in the defensive-end market. It bought former Ram Tony Woods, who in seven NFL seasons has averaged one sack every six games."
Peter King
Fortunately, the one silver lining of this three-win season was how a couple of new recruits defied expectations.
1994 free-agency class contained gems for Washington
Banks hadn't worked out, but Ken Harvey proved one of the great hidden gems of the early years of free agency. Ditched by Buddy Ryan in Arizona, Harvey earned the first of his four Pro Bowl nods in 1994.
He was mostly a blitzer that year, leading a defense mismanaged by Turner's handpicked coordinator, Ron Lynn, with 13.5 sacks. Lynn floundered, and Turner's inability to find a capable play-caller for his defenses was a problem he never overcame during six seasons in Washington.
Before then, Harvey outplayed his scheme and logged two sacks in back-to-back games. First, against the Cardinals in Week 7, when Shuler tossed five interceptions during a 19-16 defeat in overtime.
That was a low moment, but Harvey was in dominant form again a week later, when Turner got his second win, a 41-27 triumph on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. It was the best result of the campaign, but just another stellar game for another free-agent find.
Turner had coached Henry Ellard with the Los Angeles Rams, and the greybeard wideout proved why he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with a season for the ages. Ellard snagged 74 catches for 1,397 receiving yards and six touchdowns, despite a carousel of calamitous quarterbacks.
Producing five 100-yard games showed Ellard was the offense in Washington 30-plus years ago. He added five catches for 81 yards to help seal a successful homecoming, a 24-21 victory over the Rams in Anaheim that brought the curtain down on a truly painful season.
1994 results
Week 1 Lost 7-28 vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 2 Won 38-24 at New Orleans Saints
Week 3 Lost 23-31 at New York Giants
Week 4 Lost 20-27 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 5 Lost 7-34 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 6 Lost 17-21 at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 7 16-19 (OT) vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week 8 Won 41-26 at Indianapolis Colts
Week 9 Lost 29-31 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 10 Lost 22-37 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 12 Lost 7-31 at Dallas Cowboys
Week 13 Lost 19-21 vs. New York Giants
Week 14 Lost 21-26 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 15 Lost 15-17 at Arizona Cardinals
Week 16 Lost 14-17 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 17 Won 24-21 at Los Angeles Rams
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