Hicks Gives Them an Outside Shot

When Washington running back Stephen Davis left the game because of a sprained knee ligament in the second quarter, it was former UCLA running back Skip Hicks who took over. And it will be Hicks who’ll get the call if Davis can’t play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend.

“If I do have to step up, I’ll be ready,” Hicks said.

Hicks rushed 23 times for 46 yards Saturday, which was close to what he averaged in yards in the two games he subbed for Davis while Davis was out because of a sprained left ankle. Hicks also caught two passes for 27 yards.

The Redskin offense featured less power running and more outside plays, plus short passes to Hicks when he was in the game.

“[Coach Norv Turner] adjusted to me, got me out on one-on-one matchups,” Hicks said.

And there could be more of that look if Hicks starts against the Buccaneers.

“If they hit me with a lot of screens, [the defense] is going to have to go with the nickel [package, with an extra defensive back] more than they want to,” Hicks said.

That could be one way to slow Tampa Bay’s fierce pass rush.

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Gus Frerotte’s most infamous moment during his stint as the Redskins’ quarterback came in 1997. You might say he christened the Redskins’ new home, then known as Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, when he celebrated a touchdown by running and ramming his head against the padded wall that surrounds the field. He suffered a sprained neck on the play, and that was the beginning of the end of his tenure in Washington.

There were plenty of reminders during Saturday’s game, with banners hung along the wall that featured arrows and bull’s-eyes inviting Frerotte to take another shot.

He passed on the offer, but after Lion strong safety Ron Rice returned a blocked field-goal attempt for a touchdown, he fired the ball at one of the banners.

“There were targets all over the stadium, so I thought I was supposed to try to hit them,” he said.

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Detroit defensive end Tracy Scroggins, on the Lions’ season that went from 6-2 to 8-8 and a quick exit from the playoffs: “We let it slip, and we just couldn’t get it back together. It’s hard, and very disappointing. We worked so hard and surprised a lot of people in the league. We finally started to get some recognition, and in the latter part of the season we let it slip away.”

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The Redskins have never lost to Detroit in Washington (or its suburbs), extending the streak to 20 games. . . . Saturday’s attendance of 79,411 was a record for FedEx Field. . . . Davis’ 58-yard run in the first quarter tied a Redskin postseason record set by Timmy Smith in the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos on Jan. 31, 1988.