Passing Mark: Qb Rypien Proves Self

WASHINGTON - For years now, Mark Rypien had been told who he was not. Fans, reporters, opponents - occasionally teammates, the mirror - all had let him know at various times that his name was not Cunningham or Kelly, Montana, Marino or Moon.

It's only fair, then, that Rypien is the one correcting others these days, making sure they get the name right. No, it is not RIP-pi-an, a common three-syllable mistake. And no, he is no relation to those baseball-loving brothers, Cal and Billy, about 65 miles up Interstate 95 in Baltimore.

"I still hear that. `Mark Ripken, Mark Ripken, sign this!' " the Washington Redskins quarterback said. "I tell them, `The name's Rypien. But I'll still sign your little thing."'

Hang onto that autograph, kids. Rypien, pronounced RIP-en, still is not one of the glamour guys at his position. But sports collectible stores near the nation's capital reported that the value of Rypien's rookie bubble-gum card recently soared from $4 to $11. Apparently, football's youngest fans have been paying attention.

At the moment, Rypien is the NFL's top-ranked quarterback with a 99.9 rating. He has completed 61.3 percent of his passes for 3,204 yards, with 25 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions.

With Joe Montana sidelined, Rypien also boasts the league's best record among starting quarterbacks. The native of Spokane is 32-12 in regular-season games, 18-3 since November 1990, and 13-1 this season.

If Washington clinches the home-field advantage in the playoffs by beating the New York Giants tomorrow and if it reaches Super Bowl XXVI, Rypien will shed his last bit of anonymity.

"It's catching fire a little bit," said Rypien, 29. "With each week, the more consistent you are and the better you play as a team, the more people (are aware of you)."

OK, Rypien has had help.

"Everybody is running the right routes and the line is blocking for him," said Redskins kicker and former Gopher Chip Lohmiller. "But you've got to give him a lot of the credit, too. He's getting the results, he gets the ball up there and he doesn't second-guess himself."

Rypien came up in 1986, a sixth-round pick from Washington State. He spent his first two seasons on injured reserve with knee and back problems, then beat out Schroeder as Williams' backup in 1988. He showed flashes of brilliance that season and the next, passing for 3,768 yards in 1989, when he made the Pro Bowl.

"I wasn't always smart on the field," he said. "You've got to make big plays when you have a chance and you've got to be smart when things break down. That's how I've grown."

Rypien's most obvious talent as a passer is his home-run power. In an era in which the two-step drop is king, Rypien is a throwback. Or rather, a throw deep. In his career, he has completed 22 passes for more than 45 yards apiece. Rypien's most prodigious day came Nov. 10, when he threw for 442 yards and six touchdowns - including 82, 64 and 61 yards - in a 56-17 crushing of Atlanta.

Less obvious but just as important is a blue-collar approach that makes linemen want to block for him. Rypien is not a California beach boy or a product of those quarterback factories at Brigham Young or Miami. He is from Spokane, a town rapidly becoming famous for spawning humble, underappreciated athletes. Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg and Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton grew up nearby.

"You'd never know he's a starting NFL quarterback," Lohmiller said. "He's not stuck up. He blends in with everybody here."

Said Rypien: "Maybe that's a Spokane thing."