'Skins safety experiences high of TD, low of ejection

Sean Taylor's fumble return makes it 14-0, but spitting on Michael Pittman almost proves costly.

By DAVE SCHEIBER
Published January 8, 2006

TAMPA - Free safety Sean Taylor started his day putting the Redskins in spitting distance of a playoff victory.

He wound up nearly costing them the game with a spitting incident. But fortunately for Taylor, his touchdown, not his personal foul, made the biggest difference Saturday as Washington held off Tampa Bay 17-10 for its sixth consecutive win and a date in Seattle.

Taylor raced 51 yards with a fumble recovery to stake his team to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. But late in the third quarter, he was ejected for spitting in the face of Bucs tailback Michael Pittman as Tampa Bay battled to overcome a seven-point deficit.

Taylor's score came a week after returning a fumble for a game-sealing touchdown against the Eagles. The play resulted from Marcus Washington hitting Cadillac Williams, jarring the ball loose then fumbling when he started to run.

Taylor came flying in and picked up the ball without missing a beat, dashing in for the score with 4:33 left in the first quarter.

"In the previous game, they beat us on a couple of deep balls, so we wanted to keep everything in front of us. And I think we did that very well," he said. "And on the (fumble return), there were some guys hustling to the ball.

"Next thing you know, Marcus Washington came out running with the ball, and I was just running behind him. They say when you hustle around the ball and you run to the ball, good things happen. He got stripped of the ball, and I just scooped it up and kept going."

When asked about the spitting incident, Taylor waved a hand as if to brush off the question and walked away. Pittman, however, had something to say about it. "It would have been a lot worse if it had been on the street," he said. "You just don't do that. That's not sportsmanlike. As a human being, you just don't do that to another human being."

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs added, "I think, certainly, that if he did what they said he did, then we can understand someone getting kicked out of the game. He's a dominating force. He covers the field. He's had a great year. He's really played relaxed all year. He's been a model citizen for us and done everything we've asked of him.

"I hate to see it happen. I wish it hadn't happened."

The loss of Taylor seemed to tilt the momentum toward the Bucs, with the Redskins holding on to a precarious 17-10 lead. Instead of punting from its 22, Tampa Bay was back in business with a first down at its 37.

But the 'Skins defense - already without standout cornerback Shawn Springs - forced a punt. Stopping the Bucs having just lost its hard-hitting safety was a big moment for Washington's defense.

"We always talk about how there's going to be some adverse moment in the game," said Washington, who later sealed the win with an interception. "We don't know when it's going to come or what it's going to be.

"But we just had to pull closer together. We knew Sean ... was rooting for us. And we wanted to go out there and finish what we started."

[Last modified January 8, 2006, 00:45:14]