Zac Boyer will be entering his third season covering the Washington Redskins for The Free Lance-Star this fall. Make sure to follow Zac on Twitter (@ZacBoyer) for the latest updates or e-mail him with any questions at zboyer@freelancestar.com.
Joshua Morgan Not Asked To Apologize After Throwing Ball
By ZAC BOYER
ASHBURN – Mike Shanahan said Joshua Morgan was not singled out or asked to apologize for the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he incurred late in the Washington Redskins’ 31-28 loss at St. Louis on Sunday.
Morgan
“I think the action spoke volumes,” the head coach said. “We had talked about keeping your poise before the game, and obviously, a number of reasons why, and then the coaches obviously go over the film.”
The Redskins were driving with 1:18 remaining and trailing by three when Morgan caught a pass from quarterback Robert Griffin III, turned upfield and was hit by cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who shoved him after the play.
Morgan responded by throwing the ball at Finnegan, drawing an immediate flag. That prevented the Redskins from attempting a conversion on fourth down with less than a yard to go and instead moved them from the 29-yard line to the 44-yard line.
Billy Cundiff, on to try a 62-yard field goal, was wide right and several yards short.
Shanahan said he would not have asked for a measurement on the spot of the ball after Morgan’s catch as he was nearby and could see it would have approximately been a foot away. Because of the extra yardage, he turned to Cundiff, who made a career-long 56-yard try in 2005 but was 1-for-10 from more than 50 yards since.
“You’re always asking that,” Shanahan said, referring to whether it was possible for Cundiff to make it. “You don’t have a guy in a situation that you don’t think he’s ready for. But when you see somebody do it in practice and you see how far it goes over, you look at the environment, you look at his kickoffs and you know the strength of the leg.”
