Like many within the franchise, Washington's head athletic trainer Bubba Tyer expected a battle when the team traveled to play the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football in 1990.
"Every game in Philadelphia was a tough game. That astroturf field was like concrete," he reflected. "Just a hard place to play a game."
While a matchup against the division rival was usual for Washington, the particular affair outlined in the most recent episode of “Hail Tales: Stories from Washington Football History” was anything but. Nine Washington players were injured and, after starting quarterback Jeff Rutledge and backup QB Stan Humphries went out hurt, rookie running back Brian Mitchell had to play quarterback. During those four quarters, Washington's athletic training staff, which back then only included Tyer and two assistants, was certainly put to work.
"Normally trainers, we might go on the field once, twice during a game to assist an injured player, but this game it seemed like we were out there eight or more times. I mean we were out there a lot," Tyer said.
The 28-14 Washington loss went on to become known as the Body Bag Game after then Philadelphia coach Buddy Ryan told reporters his team would inflict a beating on the Burgundy & Gold so bad that "they'll have to be carted off in body bags." There are varying stories on when those within Washington became aware of the "body bags" terminology. Some didn't see it in the headlines until after. Others heard it via Washington's PR staff on the bus on the way to Veterans Stadium. Tyer, however, was one of several who learned of it mid-game.
"We went out for our punter returner. I think he sprained his knee, and Andre Waters, their defensive back, who was, to put it mildly, was rather mouthy…he's hollering, 'You better get your body bags. You better get more busses. You've gotta get body bags,' you know,'" Tyer recalled. "That's the first I heard of body bags."
The mentality of the Eagles players wasn't a monolith on that Monday night. During that same incident, Tyer saw a glimpse of compassion.
That gesture it seemed was a rarity, however, on what was overall a brutal and scary night for the Burgundy & Gold. Thanks in part to the incredible care of Tyer and his team, most of the injuries sustained during the Body Bag Game weren't season-ending. Several weeks later, a way healthier Washington would go on to meet Philadelphia again in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The athletic training team played a part in that matchup in a way that didn't involve ice bags or rehab exercises.
"We kept a bulletin board, and I had a lot of fun with that in the training room," Tyer said with a laugh. "Every newspaper clipping or whatever I could get that was said about our game for the week or whatever, I was printing and making signs to make sure guys read it…I liked doing all that."
The bulletin board and all the X's and O's prep worked. Washington knocked Philadelphia out of the 1990 playoffs. It was Buddy Ryan's last postseason appearance as a head coach.
