The Washington times., 1937-10-11
Redskins Outgain Eagles
But Lose by TWO TaUies
Reel
275 Yards
To IS
MONTELL STAR
By HARRY COSTELLO

team to outgain an opponent Is
to 2 in first downs, and 275 to rs
in yardage only to lose the game
IA to o?
That question today is on the
minds of numerous football fans
who yesterday watched and heard
broadcast the amazing spectacle
of Philadelphia's Eagles winning
over Washington's Redskins.
Was it amazing?
All last week, this observer en-
deavored to show day by day that
no longer are there easy games in
the National Football League. He
warned that Slow-Starting Phila.
delphia was about due for top
performance, and that such play
ers as Dave Smukler. Emmett
Mortell. Bill Hewitt and Henry
Reese just could not be laughed
off. After all, the Washington
Redskins haven't a corner on
football talent.
CLOSE CONTEST
Analysing yesterdays game,
one is impressed with the sugges-
tion that quite often in football
two or three plays excellently exc
cuted at the opportune time in
close contest are worth SO plays ex-
cellently executed at stages of a
contest not so important to the
final reckoning.
In the order of their import
ance, here are the factors which
yesterday spelled victory for the
Eagles and defeat for the Red
skins:
/. Two perfectly executed for
ward passes by the Eagles, one
of them Mortell to Hewitt, the
other SmuKler to Hewitt. On the
second, which accounted for
Philadelphia's important first
touchdown, two washington
backf;eld stars, Don Erwin and
Cliff Battles, got mixed up with
each other, one humping the
other, thus permitting Hewitt to
stand alone in the end zone to
make : n easy catch of a pass
which could have and should
have been knocked down.
KICKS WELL
2. Mortell's punting. It was a
long, nicely kicked punt by Nor
tell which put the Redskins back
against their goal, midway in
the first period, and gave the
Eagle line a good chance to
hustle Battles punt, kicked from
behind his own goal. The two
perfectly executed forward
passes gave the Eagles that all
important first touchdown.
3. THEE costly RedSkin
fumbles, the first right at the
start of he game probably rank
ing as the most disastrous. With
the Redskins striking with all
the fury of 2 tornado, and NOV
ing ID yards in two plays i'm
mediately following Washing
toms receipt Of the opening kick
off, Don Erwin fumbled, alert
Art Ross recovered for Philly,
and a Redskin attack which
bade fair literally to swamp the
Eagles, was killed aborning.
4. Philadelphia's superb de-
tense against Washington's
overhead attack. So good was
this defense that it placed the
burden of proof on Washing
tons receivers and the load
was too heavy.
S. The Eagle defense against
Washington'S running attack,
when the Redskins were threat
ening.
6. Lack of scoring punch on
the part of the Redskins. No
less than seven times during
the course Of the game the Red
skins were threatening, once
inside the 5-yard line Con the
1-yard line, to be exact), three
times inside the 10-yard line.
four times within the 25-yard
line, six times within the 35-
yard line.
LOSE BALL
1t is interesting to note that
Washington, except for a few
brief minutes early in the fourth
period, when the Redskins carried
the leather to the Eagle 25-yard
stripe. only to lose the ball on
downs, did not have possession
Of the ball during the remainder
Of the game outside Washington's s
35-yard line.
After Hewitt recovered Battles
second bad tumble of a Mortell
punt, early in the fourth period
the Redskin quarterbackS were
called upon to deliver a touch
down attack from the Washing
ton 20-yard line, from the Wash
ington 8-yard line, from the Wash
ingtno 13-yard line and from the
Washington 23-yard line. It was
on the occasion of WaShington's
attack delivered at the RedSkir
13-yard line that Harper, Eagle
center, grabbed one of Dixie
Howell's forward passes and gal
loped to Philadelphia's Seconc
touchdown.
The kickoff play, executed BY
the Redskins a. the start Of the
second half. was sensational, anc
gave the crowd big thrill.
Battles caught the kickoff al
the PadSkin GOAL He ran tn th(