EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Lionel Vital has been cut by two NFL teams, played outfield for the Chicago White Sox Instructional League team and opened a grocery store in Loreauville, La., in the past 14 months.
Now he's one of the stars of NFL replacement football, with 210 rushing yards and two touchdowns in two games since the regular players went on strike.
Vital gained 128 yards and a TD on 27 carries Sunday to lead the Washington Redskins to a 38-12 victory over the New York Giants. The victory was Washington's second in two replacement games, while the Giants dropped to 0-4 before the smallest NFL crowd at Giants Stadium.
The Giants were one of the teams to cut Vital. They signed him during training camp in 1986 after he was released by Washington, but waived him when Joe Morris ended his holdout.
'I know they messed up, anybody who cuts me messed up,' said Vital, a seventh-round Redskin's draft choice out of Nicholls State in 1985. 'But I didn't come in here with any animosity. I came here to do my job. My goal was to gain 100 yards and help us win.'
Wayne Wilson, an eight-year NFL veteran, rushed for 56 yards and two TDs as Washington rolled up 200 rushing yards. Wilson, who spent seven years with New Orleans and played for Minnesota part of 1986, walked the picket line with his friend George Rogers and other Redskins before signing on their replacement team Wednesday.
'I'm glad this team here can help them,' Wilson said of the 3-1 Redskins. 'I guess you could say we're holding the fort down until they come back.'
The defending Super Bowl champion Giants had won their last four at home against Washington, including a 17-0 victory in the NFC Championship game in January. With 17 of his regular players outside on the picket line and none in uniform, New York Coach Bill Parcells helplessly watched his replacementsreceive their second beating in six days.
The Giants lost 41-21 to San Francisco Monday night.
'Angry? No, frustrated would be a better word,' Parcells said. 'If you're a coach, you don't like to get out there and get you butt kicked all over the field every week. That's tough to take - particularly in light of what we have done here lately.
'We just couldn't stop them. The only thing we did well was run kickoffs back, and we certainly had ample opportunity to do that. Our defense just can't make any plays at all. We can't stop the run and we can't pressure the quarterback and we don't cover too well. That's a pretty helpless feeling.'
The Giants were outrushed 200-47, outgained 376-171, outsacked 6-0 and Mike Busch completed 14 of 41 passes. The Redskins had no regular players either.
The crowd of 9,123 broke the week-old NFL low of 12,370 at Giants Stadium set at the New York Jets-Dallas game. The Giants sold out their first 87 games at Giants Stadium until drawing 16,471 Monday night.
Four Jets and one Redskin joined 17 Giants among about 100 pickets outside the stadium. There had been about 500 pickets Monday night.
Cold weather and rain, which let up around kickoff, might have cut attendance both on the picket line and inside the stadium. Giants owner Wellington Mara said he was hoping for 30,000 fans if the weather was good.
Wayne Wilson second-quarter TD runs of 1 and 3 yards, with a 22-yard Vital TD in the middle, helped the Redskins to a 24-3 halftime lead.
Ted Wilson caught a 64-yard TD pass from Ed Rubbert and set up two touchdowns with punt returns for Washington. The Redskins also scored on Tim Jessie's 14-yard run and an Obed Ariri 22-yard field goal.
The Giants scored on Busch's 23-yard pass to Edwin Loveland and field goals of 45 and 20 yards by George Benyola.