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Gather round as Ol’ Ricky sings the sad ballad of Redskins quarterback Heath Shuler. He never saw a linebacker he didn’t like. Actually, that he never saw linebackers is what the Redskins didn’t like. Especially Marvcus Pattton, who gave Heath a black eye in practice. 1/
Heath is a good guy. When I hear people talk badly of a player as a person, it bothers me because fans judge a person by their play and not their character, Heath is a great guy and doesn’t quite deserve the reputation given because of poor play, but that’s life. 2/
The Redskins selected Heath third overall in 1994. Both coach Norv Turner and GM Charley Casserly said it was the other’s choice. Most likely, it fell to Norv as the new coach coming in. I doubt Casserly would have forced the pick on Turner. 3/
Redskins coaches and scouts would later blame Tennessee’s coaches for lying to them, saying the Vols wanted to use Heath’s high selection as a recruiting tool. Maybe that’s true, but it was up to the Redskins to evaluate Heath’s fatal flaws. 4/
Basically, Heath relied more on physical talent in college where a great team offered mismatches. Heath could throw certain passes in college that worked, but are interceptions in the NFL. The speed difference does that. Heath couldn’t run around as much, either. 5/
One time in his rookie training camp, Heath threw yet another pick to a linebacker when Norv came across the field yelling the f-word. Fans hushed because coach Joe Gibbs certainly never said such things. Norv actually learned from that. Big cusser in private, not in public. 6/
Heath held out the first 13 days of training camp. That sure didn’t help. Teammates taped him to the goalpost after practice. BTW, Heath was good at throwing footballs through basketball hoops at indoor practices at Frostburg. 7/
Turner was coming off two Super Bowls with Dallas as the OC with Troy Aikman. He didn’t have the patience for a rookie throwing picks. Nowadays, I think Shuler would be treated like Dwayne Haskins and given more time, but then Haskins wasn’t the third overall pick. 8/
Heath’s other problem was fellow rookie Gus Frerotte was a quick learner and grabbed the job after 1-7 start. Redskins fans love third-string QBs so Gus was the favorite in town. Heath couldn’t get fans back on his side. 9/
Gus would play 15 seasons for six teams. He was great at learning a system really quickly as a reserve and spot play. He just didn’t get better with experience. But, a great relief man. 10/
There was never any animosity between Heath and Gus. Both good people. 11/
After three years, the Redskins told Heath to pick between Green Bay and New Orleans for a trade. I can remember discussing the ins and outs one night on the staircase at Redskins Park. I recommended Heath go to Packers and grow as a backup. But, he wanted to start with NOLA. 12/
Redskins traded Shuler to Saints for a fifth-rounder in 1997 and a third-rounder in 1998. Heath was 4-5 in New Orleans before suffering a foot injury. The Saints cut him in 1998 and after re-injuring his foot in 1998 training camp, Shuler retired after being cut. 13/
Now Shuler isn’t a sad story after football. He smartly invested in real estate and ran a successful development company until becoming a Democratic Congressman from his native western North Carolina. Shuler lasted three terms. Today, he’s an energy lobbyist in town. 14/
Shuler was a bust in football, no doubt. And a busted third-overall pick sets back a team for years. But, Washington still hasn’t found a long-term passer with 24 starters since 1993. My memories will always be of Heath as a great person. 15/
Tomorrow: Trainer Bubba Tyer. Remember, lots of stories in my book and these are the types of tales I’ll tell this summer at my “Pizza and Pigskins Tours” whenever it’s safe to come out. -30- https://www.amazon.com/Things-Redskins-Fans-Should-Before/dp/1600789366/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1408370759&sr=1-1&keywords=100+things+redskins+fans+should+know
