WASHINGTON -- Sam played it again yesterday.
For the second time in three games, coach Sam Wyche and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers found a way to beat the Washington Redskins in the final quarter.
This time, the Bucs pulled out a 17-14 victory on Errict Rhett's 3- yard touchdown run with 7:02 left in the game. It gave the Bucs their first four-game winning streak since 1979.
In Tampa two weeks ago, the Bucs pulled out a 26-21 victory with 32 seconds left.
"It's just so much fun to be a team that knows they're going to win," Wyche said.
Wyche doesn't know how much longer he'll be around the team because it's for sale, but he's savoring the moment.
Redskins coach Norv Turner knows he's going to be around next year, but he's not enjoying the moment. He's guiding a Redskins team that is setting all sorts of negative marks -- the first Redskins team to go winless at home and sixth NFL team since the league went to a 16-game schedule in 1978 to go 0-8 at home, and the first Redskins team to lose 13 games in a season. And Washington's seven-game skid is its longest losing streak since the 1964-65 season.
They also have lost the lead in the second half in eight of their losses, six times in the fourth quarter.
Turner appeared to get annoyed when the negative statistics were brought up. "That's a big deal right now. In two years, it's not going to be an issue," he said. "Make an issue out of it today and tomorrow. . . . In two years, I'm not even going to remember what happened this year."
When the topic was mentioned again, he said, "Those are all issues and they sound great when you write them in a column. That's not the issue. This football team won four games last year. I knew it when I took the job. Did I think we'd lose 13 games. No, I didn't. If we won five games, do you think I'd feel any better than I do right now? No, I wouldn't.
"My whole approach to this is we're going to continue to get better on a weekly basis, on a monthly basis, on a yearly basis and we'll find a way to start winning close football games and we'll win a lot of games."
Said cornerback Darrell Green: "I'm numb. It's very painful. Regardless of the reasons, it's always something. Very disappointing. We still have an opportunity to win one more game before the season's over and then begin to rally for next year."
For Green and several other veterans of the team's Super Bowl years, there may not be a next year in Washington after Saturday's finale at the Los Angeles Rams. It may have been their last game at RFK Stadium in a Redskins uniform.
The Redskins introduced the special teams before the game so Monte Coleman, who is expected to be asked to retire at the end of his 16th season, could hear the cheers one more time.
Coleman told a team spokesman he was too emotional after the game to give interviews.
Green said he hasn't considered the future, but he's a free agent and the Redskins might not be able to afford him next year at his age (37) as they rebuild.
The Redskins who know they'll be back, including linebacker Ken Harvey, hope better days are ahead.
"Dallas was 1-15 [in 1989] and they turned it all around," Harvey said. "Not that we're the Cowboys, but. . . . we've never given up. We're going to keep playing hard."
If it was any consolation, they kept Rhett from running all over them the way he did two weeks ago when he rushed 40 times for 192 yards.
"They came out intent on stopping our running game and that allowed us to throw the ball a bit," Rhett said.
Rhett ran 23 times for only 64 yards and Craig Erickson passed for 267 yards (two interceptions).
The Redskins, though, lost the game more than the Bucs won it.
Henry Ellard dropped a touchdown pass in the third quarter that would have made it 21-10.
"It's an opportunity I let go by me," Ellard said. "I just dropped it. It was the key to the game. That's all I can tell you."
Ethan Horton also dropped two passes and slipped on another one.
"I let my teammates down," said Horton, who threw his helmet in frustration after one drop.
One positive note was that rookie Heath Shuler completed 17 of 35 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns and wasn't intercepted.
But in the fourth quarter, the Redskins had three possessions and got just one first down.
On the second possession, they had second-and-one at the Tampa 48 and were stuffed. Shuler was thrown for a 2-yard loss on a busted play on second down and then he misread the third down play and overthrew Desmond Howard.
On the final series, Shuler passed 23 yards to Howard on first down at the Tampa 49.
But Horton fell down on first down, Ricky Ervins got 2 yards with a catch on second down, Martin Mayhew knocked a pass away from Ellard on third down and Howard couldn't hang onto a diving catch on fourth down.
Even the special teams let the Redskins down. The Bucs' game-winning touchdown was set up when the Redskins didn't do a good job of covering Reggie Roby's 44-yard punt and Vernon Turner returned it 37 yards.
Overall, though, the Redskins almost can't believe they've fallen so far just three years after winning a Super Bowl.
"I could never have imagined us going 2-13," offensive lineman Ray Brown said.
UNHAPPY ENDINGS
The Redskins have led in the second half in eight of their 13 losses.
Date Opponent .. .. Redskins' last lead .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Final score 9/18 Giants . .. .. 20-17 with 11:41 left, third quarter ... .. 31-23
9/25 Falcons ... .. 13-7 with 8:38 to play, third quarter .. .. 27-20
10/9 Eagles . .. .. 17-14 with 9:57 left in game .. .. .. .. .. 21-17
10/16 Cardinals ... 16-9 with 0:20 left in regulation ... .. 19-16,OT
10/30 Eagles ... .. 29-28 with 0:20 left in game .. .. .. .. .. 31-29
12/4 Bucs . . .. .. 21-20 with 0:33 left in game .. .. .. .. .. 26-21
12/11 Cardinals ... 15-14 with 0:04 left in game .. .. .. .. .. 17-15
12/18 Bucs .. .. .. 14-10 with 7:03 left in game .. .. .. .. .. 17-14
WASHOUT
For the first time since they moved from Boston in 1937, the Redskins went winless at home. Since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, they're the sixth team to go 0-8 at home.
Date .. .. Opponent .. .. Score
9/4 ... .. Seahawks .. .. 28-7
9/25 .. .. Falcons ... .. 27-20
10/2 .. .. Cowboys ... .. 34-7
10/16 . .. Cardinals . .. 19-16 (OT)
. .. Eagles . .. .. 31-29
.. .. 49ers .. .. .. 37-22
. .. Giants . .. .. 21-19
. .. Bucs ... .. .. 17-14