Now, Redskins Await a Direction Finder

His voice trembling with emotion, Marty Schottenheimer admitted he misplayed the expectations game.

The Washington Redskins finished an 8-8 season Sunday with a 20-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. A .500 finish might seem impressive considering the Redskins’ 0-5 start, but it’s a disappointment for a coach who five months ago spoke of winning a Super Bowl in his first season.

“The one thing I regret about the whole deal is this,” Schottenheimer said. “I never go into a season, ever, with any goal less than to win the world’s championship. Maybe I created an added burden on our team.”

The Redskins also finished 8-8 after starting 0-5 in 1981 under first-year Coach Joe Gibbs, who later won three Super Bowls. Yet Sunday’s game was played amid questions about the direction of the franchise, an uncertainty that hit a new level when Florida Coach Steve Spurrier resigned Friday and declared himself available for an NFL job.

“It’s tough,” quarterback Tony Banks said. “We’ve had enough to worry about around here, then a college coach basically upheaves every NFL team that has a possibility of not going to the Super Bowl, like they’re going to get a new coach. That’s a little difficult, but fortunately we weren’t the only team going through that.”

Things are more stable with the Cardinals (7-9), who started 2-6 in Coach Dave McGinnis’ first full season and couldn’t prevent their 15th losing season in 17 years.

In rainy weather before a half-empty stadium, Stephen Davis scored the winning touchdown on a two-yard run with 3:11 to play. Davis carried a career-high 38 times for 148 yards to finish with 1,432, topping the team record of 1,405 he set two years ago.