Shar Pourdanesh, who started the season with several penalties but had none Sunday, blamed the penalties on several factors: "It's a lack of confidence, a lack of concentration." (John McDonnell - The Post)

By Liz Clarke
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 19, 1998; Page C10

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 18 – By Coach Norv Turner's analysis, the Washington Redskins' offense set a new standard of ineptitude this season in their 41-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings this afternoon. But it was a familiar failing that contributed to the miserable performance, in which the Redskins compiled 177 yards of total offense to the Vikings' 435.

Once again, penalties proved to be the Redskins' undoing, as players were called 11 times for infractions that cost the team 94 yards. Of those 11 penalties, nine were committed by offensive players. The Vikings, by contrast, were penalized roughly one-third as much (four penalties for 35 yards).

Said Turner, whose teams in the past have been noted for committing very few mistakes: "We can't snap two plays together in a row and not jump offsides. When we do get the ball snapped properly, and a guy's open, we can't get him the ball."

But it's clear that if the Redskins (0-7) are to stop the slide, their worst start to a season since 1961, they must find a way to line up and execute basic plays without mistakes.

"I don't know what's going on," said Brian Mitchell, the team's veteran return specialist. "We've got guys still making all these dumb plays – we have the holding, the false starts. We can't have that. First of all, we're not playing well enough as a team."

Against Minnesota, penalties didn't cost the Redskins a score outright – as they did in Game 2 against the San Francisco 49ers, in which a face-mask penalty against Michael Westbrook negated a touchdown pass to Leslie Shepherd. But several times this afternoon, Redskins penalties turned third-and-short situations into third-and-longs. Given the trouble quarterback Gus Frerotte had converting third downs, the extra yardage didn't help matters. The Redskins' final third-down efficiency tally was 2 of 14, or 14 percent.

"You go from third and five to third and 12 or third and 15 a bunch of times, and it makes it pretty hard," said Frerotte, who had an ugly day, completing just 10 of 26 passes for 117 yards, including an interception that led to a Minnesota field goal. "You've got to hold the ball, wait for guys to get in the zones, get in the lanes. It's hard to pick up the first downs when things are going that way. We had a couple times where we got a first down but there was a holding call or some type of penalty. We just can't have that."

Trailing 14-7 early in the second quarter, the Redskins crossed into Vikings territory and were at fourth and one. The sold-out crowd at Minnesota's Metrodome erupted with a deafening roar as the Redskins handed off to Terry Allen, who burrowed through for the first down. But a holding call against fullback Jim Kitts negated the play and brought up fourth and 11, forcing the team to punt.

Early in the third quarter, a delay of game penalty turned a third and 12 into a third and 17. Frerotte's pass to Westbrook was intercepted at midfield, and the Vikings took a 24-7 lead on the drive that ensued. Later in the quarter, Westbrook was called for holding on the first play of a drive. It sputtered as Frerotte, facing first and 20, handed to Mitchell for a 14-yard gain and then threw an incompletion.

Trailing 31-7 in the fourth quarter, the Redskins committed back-to-back penalties on their second possession of the quarter: Yet another illegal shift and a false start, this time by Michael Batiste. In seconds, third and two became third and 12. An incompletion to Westbrook brought punter Matt Turk.

Offensive tackle Shar Pourdanesh, who started the season with a rash of penalties but had none today, said several factors are to blame.

"It's a lack of confidence, a lack of concentration," he said. "When you run scrimmages, you have to be 100 percent confident of what you're doing and then you focus on executing. If you're not confident of what you're doing – then on the line of scrimmage there are things that happen. You jump offside, you forget the snap count. That's a fact. But there are no excuses for this week and the last week."