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Washington kicker Shaun Suisham drops his head after missing a field goal late in the fourth quarter. The kick would have clinched the game for the Redskins, who lost in overtime. |
LANDOVER, Md.
--Shaun Suisham pulled his gray sweater over his head late yesterday afternoon and reluctantly welcomed the horde of reporters and cameras to his locker. Kickers don't relish the spotlight because they usually find themselves in it for the wrong reasons, and this was no exception.Suisham used the softest tone to recount one of the lowest moments of his professional career. His disappointment oozed out through his measured words, and tears welled in the corners of his eyes as he detailed his heartbreaking miss of a potential game-clinching 23-yard field goal late in regulation in the Washington Redskins' 33-30 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints.
"I sure wish there was something I could do," Suisham said. "Just apology, really, to my teammates, coaches, Mr. Snyder, fans. I feel terrible."
For the second time in three games, Suisham missed a fourth-quarter field goal that would have given the Redskins a two-possession lead in the waning moments.
Yesterday, Washington led the Saints 30-23 with 1 minute, 56 seconds left in regulation. The Saints had used all of their timeouts. If Suisham had made the field goal from the right hash marks, New Orleans would have had to score quickly and recover an onside kick just to keep the outcome in doubt.
The kick went awry, though, from the snap. Veteran longsnapper Ethan Albright's delivery sailed a bit high. It wasn't too high for holder Hunter Smith to handle, but it threw off the meticulous rhythm of the snap-hold-kick.
"It starts with me," Albright said. "I've got to do my job. It's hard to say without seeing the film, but it felt like a high one."
Suisham then kicked the ball outside the right upright. It was wide from the moment it left his foot. He was perfect on all eight of his previous field goals from inside 30 yards this season, including two earlier in the game.
"I sure am disappointed," he said. "I wish I could just get back out there. It's difficult. I won't allow that kick to define me. The only thing I can do is go back to work this week and get ready for [next Sunday's game against] Oakland."
Elsewhere around the locker room, players refused to blame Suisham for the loss. Center Casey Rabach, for example, echoed the sentiment that the group wins and loses as a team--a popular cliche in such situations.
Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, however, spoke more bluntly when asked if he said anything to Suisham.
"We've all got to do our job," he said. "I can't really say anything. We've got to do what we're here to do."
Line gave campbell
Jason Campbell's jersey was still relatively clean when he took it off yesterday evening--a rarity indeed. The Redskins did not surrender a sack for the first time all season, and that helped Campbell have one of the best games of his career.
He was 30-for-42 with a career-high 367 yards, a career-high-tying three touchdowns and one interception. The 367 passing yards were the most by a Redskins quarterback since Brad Johnson's franchise-record 471 against San Francisco in December 1999.
"With the protection that the offensive line gave today, along with the receivers, you couldn't ask for anything more," Campbell said.
Campbell helped the Redskins score a season-high 30 points by spreading the ball around to nine different receivers. He was accurate on most of his throws down the field, and he did well in recognizing open receivers.
"Very sharp," coach Jim Zorn said. "I thought today he really extended himself down the field with his vision. He saw receivers that were wide open. In the past he's missed those things, but he was right on it."
Campbell targeted second-year wideout Devin Thomas with seven passes, and Thomas caught each one. He totaled a career-high 100 yards and two touchdowns.
"I think Jason did a great job of reading the field," Thomas said. "They call me 7-11 because I'm always open. He found me and we was connecting, so it felt good."
Double move seems
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees victimized the Redskins' second-ranked pass defense the same way other teams have recently: with double moves for long touchdowns.
Free safety LaRon Landry was faked out by a pair of double moves, both of which resulted in scores. Marques Colston beat him on a 40-yarder in the first half, and Robert Meachem juked him for a 53-yard, game-tying touchdown with 79 seconds left in regulation.
Landry has been beaten deep several times this season, and Saints coach Sean Payton noticed.
"We felt like the safeties on this team were going to post some of those in-cuts, and certainly they did," he said.
Landry didn't seem to be too hard on himself afterward. Instead, he credited the Saints.
"When they make a break and you break on the ball with them and they double-move you, it's a great play call," he said.
NEWS AND NOTES
Defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth (sprained ankle), Cornelius Griffin (sprained knee) and Kedric Golston (sprained elbow) were injured in the game. Griffin did not return. Haynesworth, who was injured late in the fourth quarter, briefly returned but then left the game. Receiver Antwaan Randle El (shoulder) also returned after his injury. Fullback Mike Sellers suffered a thigh contusion.
The Redskins surrendered a season-low 55 rushing yards. They punted only once and committed only two penalties.
Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com
