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

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 18 – Off to their worst start since 1961, the Washington Redskins head into a bye week and five days off. Coach Norv Turner said this afternoon he thought some time away might be what players need.

Veteran Brian Mitchell, however, doesn't want a break.

"The two days we practice, I'm going to suggest we go full pads," Mitchell said after today's 41-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings that dropped the Redskins to 0-7. "We should be punished, basically. We're playing too bad to basically just go out there and play around in shorts and shirts."

Mitchell said he thought players should spend their days off doing some soul-searching.

"You need to check yourself, and if you don't want to play – don't come back. But the days we have to practice, you got to get out there and do some work. I always believe you play the way you practice. I try to practice as hard as I can and as physically as I can."

Turner said players have practiced hard and he saw no reason to change next week's schedule, which brings players in for just two days.

"I thought about where we are, hard, and one of the things that might be good is for some of these guys is to get away from it," Turner said. "We've had hard practices. We went through practice Wednesday and Thursday and we had three times out of about 45 plays where someone jumped [offsides]. We repeated the play when we jumped. Obviously, the number of times we jumped compared to the number of snaps was a lot higher today. Right now, the best thing for this group might be to get away from it for a few days."

Nothing Is a Snap
Through the first seven weeks of the season, Turner has maintained he is playing the best players at each position. Today's loss – and the 11 penalties that contributed to it – shook his faith.

"We've got to find a way to change it," Turner said of the shaky performance. "If we make changes to lesser guys who can line up and get the ball snapped without moving, lined up right, then that's what we've got to do."

Offensive players committed nine penalties. Left tackle Brad Badger was called twice for false starts.

Green's Teammates Take Notice
In an otherwise somber locker room, Darrell Green drew praise for his play against Minnesota's wide receivers – particularly Randy Moss, who is eight inches taller and 17 years younger.

"Norv [Turner] said it best when he said we got 10 guys on this team that know how to play the game – and the rest of the guys don't," Mitchell said. "Look at Darrell Green. He's been there a long time, and he gets on a football field and plays like that? There no excuses for nobody else."

Under Green's guard for most of the game, Moss was held without a touchdown and caught five balls for 64 yards.

Special Teams Improving
The Redskins' special teams unit made strides today, starting with Darryl Pounds's recovery of a punt that bounced off Moss in the first quarter. From Minnesota's 2-yard line, Terry Allen ran it in for the Redskins' only touchdown. Punter Matt Turk stuck the Vikings with poor field position all day – particularly in the first half, with punts that landed on the Vikings' 2-, 13-, 8-, 7- and 6-yard lines. Meanwhile, Mitchell started the Redskins off well. Mitchell had 91 yards on two punt returns and two kickoff returns. None of the Redskins' drives, however, resulted in points.

"It's been like that all year," Mitchell said. "You get good field position, we don't move the ball. We move the ball, we don't get it inside the 20."

Tough Debut for Hicks
The Redskins unveiled third-round draft pick Skip Hicks in today's game, and the UCLA running back had a tough go of it, carrying five times for four yards. Hicks's first carry, on the third play of the second half, resulted in a two-yard loss as Vikings linebackers Ed McDaniel and Dixon Edwards hit him hard. ... Place kicker Cary Blanchard missed on his only field goal attempt today, a 49-yarder that sailed wide left. Blanchard, the Redskins' third kicker this season, is 2 of 4 since his debut in Game 4 against Denver. He missed a 44-yarder, also wide left, against the Broncos.