We’re getting into the slow time of the NFL offseason. With this extra time, let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at the 1996 Redskins team and the opportunity that they missed out on as a team.
Buildup
When legendary coach Joe Gibbs surprisingly retired after the 1992 season, the Washington Redskins suddenly found themselves in search of a new coach to lead the team. They promoted longtime defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon, who ran the defense on all three Super Bowl teams, only to fire him after one 4-12 season. After Petitbon’s firing, they then hired Dallas Cowboys’ offensive coordinator Norv Turner.
Despite being an offensive coordinator in the league for just a few seasons, it was obvious that Turner was a coaching star who was on the rise. The Cowboys had just won their second consecutive Super Bowl, with a 30-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills while Turner called plays for the potent Dallas offense. With the hiring of Turner, the Redskins believed they had just found their next young, offensive-minded coach who would bring a Super Bowl back to D.C. They just found the next Joe Gibbs.
Gibbs was unique as he built a diverse dynasty, winning three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks. Turner had experienced his success working extensively with Troy Aikman under center. With the release of Super Bowl XXVI MVP Mark Rypien after the 1993 season, the team was now in search of a starting quarterback. Wanting stability at the position and holding the third pick in the 1994 draft, one of the first things they attempted to do was add a franchise quarterback.
With his first pick in the 1994 draft, Redskins general manager Charlie Casserly selected Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler to be the teams next franchise quarterback. Athletic, mobile, and a can’t-miss prospect, Shuler was supposed to lead the Redskins for the next decade. Later on, in the seventh round, the team also drafted Gus Frerotte.
The 1994 season had its share of growing pains for Shuler as he struggled to adjust to the NFL, and was later benched in favor of Frerotte. The Redskins as a whole struggled as they finished just 3-13 and were eventually awarded the fourth pick in the 1995 NFL Draft. That pick was used on explosive wide receiver Michael Westbrook.
The 1995 season saw Frerotte ultimately win the quarterback competition to be the team’s starter going forward, as they finished the season 6-10 and appeared to be a team ready to break out in 1996, as they had all the pieces to do so.
The Players
Quarterbacks
This group was led by Gus Frerotte. After beating Shuler out for the starting spot the year prior, Frerotte continued to develop and had the best season of his career in 1996, as he was selected to the Pro Bowl. Frerotte threw for 3,453 yards and 12 touchdowns. Shuler did not attempt a pass during the season.
Running Backs
The Redskins had a very talented group of running backs for Frerotte to hand off to. Terry Allen was the workhorse for Washington. Allen had 1,353 yards and a league-leading 21 rushing touchdowns during a season in which he earned All-Pro honors. While Allen handled the majority of the work, behind him was Redskins great Brian Mitchell. Mitchell had 193 yards on 39 attempts and two touchdowns. Rookie Stephen Davis would see some spot action as well.
Wide Receivers
The ageless Henry Ellard led the Redskins receivers group. At 35, Ellard had another outstanding season in an underrated career, as he had 1,014 yards on just 52 receptions. Behind Ellard was Michael Westbrook. Westbrook finished with 505 yards on 34 receptions and one touchdown in what was supposed to be a breakout sophomore year. Leslie Shepard also provided depth at the position, as he had 23 receptions for 223 yards and three touchdowns.
Tight Ends
Jamie Asher led the team in touchdown catches. The second-year tight end had 42 receptions for 481 yards and four touchdowns. Scott Galbraith also contributed at the position. Galbraith started six games and hauled in two touchdown catches while contributing as a blocker.
Offensive Line
Though the famed Hogs were long gone, the 1996 Redskins still had a formidable offensive line. Left guard Tre’ Johnson, the team’s second-round pick in 1994, anchored the interior along with Bob Dahl. Jeff Uhlenhake started 11 games at center, Joe Patton started 15 games at left tackle, and Ed Simmons started a majority of the games on the right side.
Defensive Line
The Redskins defensive front was led by big defensive tackle Sean Gilbert. Before the season, the Redskins traded the No. 6 overall pick in the 1996 draft for him, hoping he would provide an immediate impact, which he did. The recently-acquired Gilbert had an excellent season as he started every game and finished with three sacks. Defensive end Rich Owens started every game on the right side alongside Gilbert. Owens, a fifth-round pick out of Lehigh the year prior, had a career year, as he notched 11 sacks while starting every game. Washington’s left side of the line was not as strong as the right side, with a few guys starting games opposite Owens, Tony Woods started seven games at left defensive end. Marc Boutte started ten games at left defensive tackle.
Linebackers
Ken Harvey led this talented group. One of the 80 greatest Redskins, Harvey had one of his finest seasons in 1996, as he made his third straight Pro Bowl. Harvey registered nine sacks, forced two fumbles, and had a fumble recovery while starting all 16 games. Marvcus Patton started at right outside backer and was steady throughout the season, starting every game and tallying over 100 tackles. Rod Stephens, a free agent signing before the season, started 15 games at middle linebacker. Stephens had some nice plays, but was incredibly inconsistent at times.
Defensive Backs
The Redskins’ secondary was led by the legendary Darrell Green. At 36, one thing Green never seemed to do was age, as the 13-year veteran had another Pro Bowl season, notching three interceptions while starting every game. Tom Carter started opposite Green. Carter had a solid season in 1996, as he led the team with five interceptions. Stanley Richard started 15 games at free safety while a young Darryl Morrison started 12 games at strong safety.
Special Teams
The special teams unit was led by Matt Turk. Turk had his best season as a pro as he earned first team All-Pro honors. Turk punted 75 times for a 45.1 average. Scott Blanton handled the kicking duties and was a modest 26 of 32 on the season while converting all of his PATs.
Brian Mitchell had another outstanding season as a returner in 1996, as he returned 23 punts for 258 yards. He also had 1,258 yards on kick returns, and finished with a league-leading 1,995 all-purpose yards.
The Redskins 1996 Season
After leading the Redskins to six victories in 1995, and after the young team showed both growth and potential, expectations were heightened going into the 1996 season for Norv Turner and his team. Washington had a less than inspiring preseason, however, going just 1-3.
Washinton opened the 1996 season against a familiar face in the Philadephia Eagles. The game was low scoring and hard-fought, but the Eagles won 17-14. This game was highlighted by two Terry Allen touchdowns.
In Week 2, the Redskins faced the Chicago Bears. This was another game in which the defense dominated, registering four sacks and holding the Bears to just three points. Allen had another solid game with the game-winning touchdown run, while Frerotte was a steady 18 of 29 for 177 yards.
In Week 3, the Redskins traveled to the Meadowlands to face the Giants. This was the third week in a row in which the defense had an excellent outing, intercepting Giants quarterback Dave Brown four times while registering another four sacks. The Redskins running game dominated as Allen, Stephen Davis, and Marc Logan all had a rushing touchdown in a 31-10 rout.
In Week 4, Washington traveled to St. Louis to face the Rams. In a balanced team effort, they were able to dominate another tough-fought road game. Scott Galbraith hauled in an early touchdown while Terry Allen had a third-quarter touchdown to give them a 17-3 lead before a fourth-quarter Rams’ touchdown made it 17-10. That score would be final.
In Week 5, The Redskins welcomed the 0-4 Jets to RFK Stadium. Leslie Sheperd had a rushing and receiving touchdown and Terry Allen added two more touchdowns as Washington used a big second half to defeat the Jets and move to 4-1 heading into the Week 6 bye week.
In Week 7, the Redskins traveled to Foxborough to face the Patriots. Gus Frerotte threw two second-half touchdowns and the defense made a critical stop on a two-point conversion by Curtis Martin before Scott Blanton added a 24-yard field goal at the end to preserve another hard-fought 27-22 victory.
In Week 8, Washington welcomed the Giants to town for a division game. Terry Allen had three early short touchdowns, while a 68-yard pick-six by Darrell Green made it 28-0 at halftime. The Giants scored three straight touchdowns before a 45-yard Scott Blanton field goal put the game out of reach.
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In Week 9, The Indianapolis Colts were next up on the schedule. Terry Allen had his second straight game in which he ran for three touchdowns, while Leslie Sheperd hauled in a seven-yard touchdown from Frerotte, as Washington won 31-16 and moved to an impressive 7-1 on the season.
In Week 10, The Redskins took their seven-game winning streak on the road to Buffalo on a cold, windy afternoon. After jumping out to an early 7-0 lead behind a 1-yard Allen touchdown, the Bills scored the next 31 points as the Redskins defense had no answer for Jim Kelly, who was 19 of 23 for 206 yards. Allen had another touchdown, but it was too late, as the game would end 38-13.
In Week 11, Washington looked to rebound at home against the 3-6 Arizona Cardinals. The game was tight through the first half. A 17-yard touchdown reception by Michael Westbrook and two one-yard rushing touchdowns by Allen appeared to put the game out of reach. However, Cardinals quarterback Boomer Esiason threw two late touchdowns to tie it before an overtime field goal by Kevin Butler allowed Arizona to steal one on the road, 37-34.
In Week 12, the Redskins traveled to Philadelphia looking to avenge their Week 1 loss. Ken Harvey helped lead the defense with two sacks while Stanley Richard returned an interception 42 yards. Scott Blanton kicked four field goals while tight end Jamie Asher caught two Frerotte touchdown passes to give the Redskins a much needed 26-21 victory.
In Week 13, the 8-3 San Francisco 49ers were next up. This was another game in which both of the defenses dominated. The teams traded field goals throughout before a 20-yard touchdown reception from Jamie Asher from Frerotte appeared to put the game out of reach. However, 49ers quarterback Steve Young led a late drive to tie the game with two minutes left to play. San Francisco won the coin toss in overtime and kicked the game-winner to drop the Redskins to 8-4.
In Week 14, Norv Turner and company traveled to Texas Stadium to face his former team and reigning Super Bowl champions, the Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins played a tough game, but they turned the ball over three times and couldn’t establish the running game. They were unable to overcome three Emmitt Smith touchdown runs in a 21-10 defeat.
In Week 15, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Redskins in what turned to be an almost identical and another ugly game by Washington. After giving up over 200 yards on the ground the week before, in the loss to Dallas, the defense was unable to stop the run again, as Tampa Bay ran for 209 yards on 45 carries. The Washington offense turned the ball over twice and was only able to rush for 41 yards as the Redskins lost their fourth game in a row, 24-10.
In Week 16, the Redskins traveled to Arizona for a rematch against the Cardinals with playoffs implications on the line. Scott Turner recovered a fumble in the endzone for a touchdown and Scott Blanton kicked four field goals, including a 35-yarder to put them up 26-24 with just under four minutes to play. However, on the following drive, Kent Graham led an Arizona drive all the way down the field to the Washington 10-yard line, before Kevin Butler kicked the game-winning 28-yard field goal to eliminate Washington from the playoffs.
In the Week 17 finale, and what would be the last ever game at RFK stadium, the Redskins faced off against the Dallas Cowboys. With nothing to play for other than pride, Washington played their best game of the season, as Scott Blanton kicked three field goals, Terry Allen had another game in which he had three rushing touchdowns, and Stephen Davis had a fourth-quarter touchdown in a 37-7 victory. This game was a fitting way to send the fans off, as a reminder of a season that could have been special.
Where it went wrong
The 1996 team became the first team in NFL history to start 7-1 and miss the playoffs. How was this possible? There a few reasons why as to why the team wasn’t able to make the playoffs after such a fast start.
One of these reasons was that the defense was unable to stop the running game. On the season, they allowed over 2,200 rushing yards. While injuries did contribute to this high number, the defense as a whole did not play as good at the end of the season as it did at the start. Many times as well, they didn’t play as well at the end of the game as they did at the beginning.
The team’s inability to close out games was the biggest reason why they were unable to make the playoffs. They lost two games in overtime that they appeared to have won in regulation, as well as a third game they lost on a last-second kick. They also lost their Week 1 game by a field goal, despite being plus-three in the turnover margin that game.
Had this Redskins team been able to close those games out, there was a real possibility that the road to Super Bowl XXXI would’ve had to go through RFK Stadium, instead of Lambeau Field. This season will forever be looked at as a season of missed opportunity.