Heyer’s penalty nullifies touchdown
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By Brian Hunsicker
Published: September 21, 2008
Stephon Heyer’s crucial late-game personal foul may have conformed to the old football adage: The second man in always gets caught.
As the Washington Redskins were nursing a one-possession lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Heyer was flagged for unnecessary roughness; the penalty wiped out a touchdown and pushed the Redskins deep in their own territory.
Replays showed Heyer, the right tackle, hitting Arizona Cardinals’ defensive tackle Darnell Dockett after the ball had left the tackle box and most of the linemen were well away from the play. Quarterback Jason Campbell scrambled to his right and found rookie receiver Devin Thomas, who had slipped behind Arizona’s defense.
“This game is so vicious, and you’ve got a lot of guys who [are] taking a lot of cheap shots,” guard Randy Thomas said. “You get caught, you know what I mean? You’ve got to watch film to see it.”
The penalty pushed the Redskins back to their own 17-yard line, though Campbell’s 20-yard completion to Santana Moss got the Redskins out of the hole.
Heyer, in his second year, also suffered a left shoulder sprain during the Redskins’ second offensive series.
— IT’S DALLAS WEEK: After two straight home games, Washington hits the road to visit Dallas and resume the twice-a-year rivalry.
Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs offered to race Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens before Sunday’s 4:15 p.m. kickoff.
“Me and Terrell ‘Usain Bolt’ Owens, I can’t wait,” Springs said with a smile, referring to the Jamaican sprinter and 100- and 200-meter world record holder. “I’ve got to train. I’m excited. I’m gonna call him and tell him I’m gonna be coming down there smokin’. I’ll take Friday practice off, just like track meets — take two days off for a big meet. We’re gonna race, pre-game or after the game.”
Springs was joking, of course; the two will do enough running on the field. But not everyone was so excited — not yet, anyway.
“Give me about 24 hours,” defensive end Andre Carter said.
— THREE S: The Redskins had success with a defense that included three safeties; starters LaRon Landry and Reed Doughty were on the field at the same time as rookie Chris Horton, the defending NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
That differs from a traditional nickel defense, which typically uses an extra cornerback, not a safety. But the Redskins use it, depending on who’s on the field for the opposing offense.
“It depends on personnel,” Doughty said. “If they’ve got bigger guys in there, [if] it’s first down, we might put safeties in there.”
— MILESTONES: Clinton Portis’ 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was his 38th score as a Redskin. That ties him for third all-time with former running back Terry Allen ... Moss’s game-deciding touchdown continued a scoring streak. He has scored a touchdown in each of the past six games, stretching to the 2007 playoff loss in Seattle. That puts him in a tie for the franchise record; Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell had a six-game scoring streak in 1964.
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