Dickerson Is Going to Drop the Blame, Too

Upon this town, mired in the gloom and global embarrassment of a massive government scandal, a ray of light shone Sunday evening.

The beloved Washington Redskins won a wild-card playoff game, beating the Rams, 19-7, at RFK Stadium.

And who was responsible for bringing holiday joy to this capital of the free world? If you have to single out one person, I guess you would have to go with Eric Dickerson.

Dickerson plays for the Rams. He is the greatest running back in the game today, maybe ever. You could look it up. He is an indestructible yardage machine who flows like well-written poetry and hits like a badly driven truck.

But he also, on occasion, fumbles the football.

On Sunday, Dickerson had the worst 158-yard game of his life, because he fumbled the ball away three times, contributing heavily to an 0-13 halftime disadvantage and the eventual loss. It hardly seems fair that a guy who gained 1,821 yards in the regular season, who is more durable than linoleum, should be the goat here, especially after running for 158 more yards.

“Does it seem fair,” I asked Dickerson, “that you should have a great season, then wind up shouldering a major share of the blame for the final loss because of the fumbles?”

Dickerson, admirably candid and patient with reporters after this tough game, didn’t like this particular question.

“You can’t say the blame is on your shoulders,” he said, angrily. “That’s a stupid thing for you to say, to be honest. You guys look to me to be the savior and do everything.

“I make mistakes, you blow it up bigger than life. Anyone else, you play it down. I could give a damn what you think.”

Nevertheless, what I think is that Dickerson is the game’s most feared runner, a candidate for NFL MVP, but he will have to live down a reputation for fumbling.

In the final game last season at Chicago, he fumbled twice, losing one. During the regular season, he led the league in fumbles with 15, losing 11. Let it be noted that he also led the league in carries, and, unofficially, in vicious hits absorbed.

But Sunday, the Rams were marching into Redskin territory on the first drive of the game, looking good, when Dickerson fumbled the ball away on a first-down play.

“I ran up a (Ram) lineman’s back,” Dickerson explained, reverting to the genial and cooperative fellow he normally is.

The Redskins turned the fumble into a field goal and a 3-0 lead.

His second fumble, early in the second quarter, killed a Ram drive at the Washington 17-yard-line.

“On the second one, phew, I was just trying for extra yardage,” Dickerson said.

As waves of reporters stormed his locker stall, he explained the same plays over and over and over.

His third fumble came at fourth and one on the Redskin 39 in the fourth quarter, the Rams down by 9 and coming on strong. The fumble was actually immaterial, since Dickerson was stopped short of the first down anyway. That was the ballgame.

Even his moment of glory, a Dickersonian 65-yard blast-and-sprint up the middle in the third quarter, was marred somewhat when he was hauled down from behind by Darrell Green, the NFL’s fastest man. The Rams scored three plays later.

“I knew who it was,” Dickerson said with a laugh. “I knew nobody else was gonna catch me.”

Someone asked Dickerson if he thought his season would be tarnished by the three fumbles in the last game.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “I really don’t know. . . . I don’t think we as a team, or me as an individual, or John Robinson as a coach, has anything to be ashamed of. We didn’t get blown out.

“And I don’t appreciate (writers) saying I was griping about (not) carrying the ball (enough in some previous games). I never said anything to John Robinson. I am not a griper, I go with the flow.”

Dickerson is the flow. Check it out. For the first 3 1/2 seasons of his pro career, the Rams had quarterbacks named Frick and Frack. Dickerson was the show, he was the thoroughbred and the plow horse rolled into one as the Rams made it to the playoffs every season without a real quarterback.

This season, the Rams found a quarterback, but he was still a baby, experience-wise, going into Sunday’s game. Dickerson was the man.

And Sunday, his 158 yards notwithstanding, he was human. Had he held onto the ball, the Rams would probably be getting ready to play the Giants next week.

“Sometimes I don’t protect the ball very well,” he admitted. “I’m not the type of runner that’s gotta run with both hands on the ball. I can make better moves with one hand on the ball. I always carry with one hand. I’m not the fullback type. This (season) is the most I’ve ever fumbled. It’s something I’ll have to try to work on in the off-season.”

By now, most of the Rams were dressed and heading out of the locker room to the team bus. Only Dickerson remained, answering questions.

At one point, he admitted he was the prime culprit in the loss.

“I loused it up,” he said. “We loused it up. I feel bad about it, a lot of players depended on me to do my part. . . . “

Another reporter moved a long boom microphone to within inches of Dickerson’s face.

“How do you feel right now, Eric?” the man asked.

“How do I feel right now?” he said. “Let’s get something straight. I’m not gonna be depressed and cry.”

Dickerson can’t. No time for that. He’s young, he’s healthy and wealthy, and he’s got a team to carry and a reputation to live down.