The Redskins signed Troy Vincent to stabilize their leaky secondary, hoping he could provide on-field guidance for Sean Taylor. Then, on Saturday, they handed him another assignment.
Special teams coach Danny Smith told Vincent he would perform a role the 15-year veteran had rarely done: He’d rush on field goal attempts.
It turned out to be a wise move. While many plays won the game, no play saved the game more than Vincent’s block of Dallas kicker Mike Vanderjagt’s 35-yard field goal attempt with six seconds left in the game — the first block of Vincent’s career. Safety Sean Taylor scooped up the ball, returned it 30 yards and a facemask penalty pushed it to the Washington 30-yard line, from where kicker Nick Novak made a 47-yarder to earn the Skins (3-5) a 22-19 win Sunday at FedEx Field.
Vincent rushed from the right side in what the Redskins call a “Double Push.” Dallas tight end Jason Witten went wide to block Carlos Rogers, leaving the inside free.
“I had a good jump on the ball from watching the center snap and I just looked for my block point,” he said.
“I hit it great,” Vanderjagt said. “I thought we were off to the races. When you hear thud-thud, it’s not a good deal.”
Vincent, signed the week of the Oct. 22 game against Indianapolis, also bumped safety Adam Archuleta from the starting lineup. Archuleta played mostly in the dime package and usually near the line of scrimmage.
“[Vincent] did a tremendous job,” Redskins assistant head coach/defense Gregg Williams said. “We needed that; we needed a focal point back there.”
