Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.sports From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Gibbs has no plans to bench Rypien Date: Fri, 6 Nov 92 11:28:29 EST Message-ID: \SE D;SPORTS;PRO FOOTBALL;REDSKINS NOTES \HD Gibbs has no plans to bench Rypien \BY Thom Loverro \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES If Washington Redskins fans who are unhappy over the play of quarterback Mark Rypien expect coach Joe Gibbs to pull a Rich Kotite, they are wrong. Kotite, coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, benched starting quarterback Randall Cunningham in last week's loss to Dallas and announced that Cunningham would ride the bench again this week with backup Jim McMahon getting the start for just one game. Gibbs, however, believes that changing quarterbacks is a drastic move and it isn't one he is thinking about now. "I think every quarterback situation is different," he said. "It depends on how you feel as a coach as where you're going with the team. How much of [the problem] is the quarterback? Do you feel like that could give you a lift? Also, who is backing him up, how do you feel about that? And I think you have to take that whole context and put it together. I take it pretty seriously. I just don't jerk them in or out. "That's the way I feel about it," Gibbs said. "Is that the right way? Who knows? But you have to take into account what the guy has done for you. How long he has played? Is he hot? If he off? Is it other things to do with your offense? I think all of those things are factors. "So when people ask me about benching Ryp, no, I haven't thought about it." Rypien has thrown six touchdown passes this season and nine interceptions. Last year's Super Bowl MVP currently is the lowest-rated quarterback in the NFC. STICKING TOGETHER The difference in play between the Redskins' offense and defense this season - the offense sputtering and the defense picking up slack - is not causing any dissension. Defensive players, who had been spectacular until giving up 24 points and 389 yards to the New York Giants last Sunday, are not taking offense at anoffense that hasn't produced a touchdown in 11 quarters and is putting enormous pressure on the defense. "We know the points are coming," safety Danny Copeland said. "It's really a matter of playing as hard as we can and exercising patience. We have some great offensive football players. We don't doubt that. Sooner or later, they're going to come around. "For us, it's a matter of going out, knocking people around as much as we can and keeping those guys confident that we're not going to turn against them," Copeland said. "We're going to remain as a unit no matter what happens." The Redskins have the 14th-ranked offense in the league while the defense is ranked eighth, falling from third after the Giants loss. Linebacker Kurt Gouveia said the defense has to get back to holding teams down and not focus on what the Washington offense is doing. "We know that the offense is struggling right now, but we can't worry about what the offense does," he said. "We need to worry about what the defense does. We need to stop the run and stop people from scoring." RESPECTING SEAHAWKS After suffering two of their three losses against opponents that were supposed to be relatively easy, the Redskins are doing all they can to make sure that no one takes their next opponent, the 1-7 Seattle Seahawks, lightly. In fact, some players see a lot of similarities between the Giants and the Seahawks: a good running attack with big backs and a tough defense. "I respect those guys," Copeland said. "They have a pretty good ground game, with two pretty good backs, which we didn't handle very well last week. Defensively, it's going to be a matter of stopping that running game.' The ground game for Seattle consists of 6-foot-2, 230-pound Chris Warren, who has 408 yards rushing and is averaging 4.1 yards, and veteran fullback John L. Williams, who has just 188 yards in 1992 but has rushed for 3,869 yards and a 4.1 average over six seasons. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM