Edition: U.S. / Global

Sports of The Times; Hoss Returns to Role Of a Sudden Starter

Published: December 11, 1997

WHEN Jeff Hostetler was informed that it was starting to snow at Giants Stadium yesterday, he laughed.

''Great,'' the Redskin quarterback said. ''Snow and wind. It's not windy up there, is it? Never is.''

The man known as Hoss knows what the weather might be like at Giants Stadium on Saturday and, hoping to deprive the Giants of the victory they need to clinch the National Conference East, he'll know how to play in that snow and wind.

Hoss knows Giants Stadium better than Danny Kanell, the Giants' quarterback, knows Giants Stadium.

Hoss stood around on the Giants sideline for five seasons behind both Phil Simms and Jeff Rutledge, then stood around for most of two more seasons as the backup. Then, with Simms on crutches with a broken foot late in 1990, Hoss suddenly emerged as the first and only backup quarterback to take his team through the playoffs and win a Super Bowl when the Giants edged the Bills, 20-19.

''The wagon was empty as far as people believing we could do it or I could do it,'' he was saying now over the phone to reporters. ''This is a whole different situation. Different scenario. Different team.''

Different Hoss, too. As the Giants' sudden starter in 1990, he had hardly played in his six previous seasons. But now, at 36, he has been around. He shared the Giants' job with Simms in 1991 and 1992 under Coach Ray Handley. When Dan Reeves was hired in 1993, he knighted Simms as his quarterback, so the Giants released Hoss, who joined the Raiders as a free agent.

After four seasons as the Raider starter, Hoss signed with the Redskins last June as their backup. Now, with Gus Frerotte on crutches with a broken hip, he's a sudden starter again. And a sudden spokesman for Saturday's matinee.

''That was a long time ago,'' he said, alluding to the 1990 theatrics. ''I just think the years of playing, the 14 years of experience, have given me a better insight on how to prepare during the season for that. This is a big game and it's going to be played for 60 minutes.

''They pay those guys on the opposite side of us a lot of money to do this, to prevent us from from getting into the end zone, so there's going to be a lot of ups and downs in the game. But when the dust settles, it's who comes out on top that counts and that's what we're here for.

''We're going to play for 60 minutes and do whatever it takes to look up there and see a 'W' in our column.''

Hearing all that, one of the reporters told him, ''That was a 10-cliche sentence, Hoss.'' And the Redskin quarterback laughed. ''I'm a little lackadaisical with my double-talk,'' he said.

In Arizona last Sunday, Hoss was not lackadaisical with his passes. He completed 18 of 34 for 226 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 38-28 victory after his only full week of practice.

In the 7-7 overtime tie with the Giants three weeks ago, he was rusty when he took over for Frerotte, who had sprained his neck by helmet-butting the wall to celebrate a touchdown. ''When I went in there that night,'' he said, ''I'd only had one day all season when I took any snaps in practice. I hadn't thrown to these particular wideouts all season.''

Of his 18 completions against the Cardinals, half were to running backs Stephen Davis and Larry Bowie; the other half included a 23-yard touchdown to wideout Henry Ellard, two for 30 yards to wideout Michael Westbrook and two to the rookie wideout Albert Connell, including a 21-yard touchdown.

''I'm coming to you, I've got a lot of faith in you,'' Hoss had told Connell on the sideline. ''Just hang in there.''

Hoss knows about hanging in there. He hung in there all those seasons with the Giants when Bill Parcells didn't use him. He hung in there when Reeves didn't want him. He hung in there as the Redskin backup. Now he's a sudden starter again, seven years later. Is the coaching pressure different under Norv Turner?

''Bill did a great job with the Giants,'' he said. ''I honestly can't say enough good things about Bill. You get away from it and then you realize some of the things he did, how he prepared the team and the position he put his players in to win. Those are great attributes. He's proven that again with the Jets.''

And the pressure under Ray Handley? ''I don't have any answer for that.''

Photo: Washington's Jeff Hostetler, who beat Arizona in his first start of the season, will face the Giants on Saturday. (Associated Press)