How? By taking the swagger and unity from that fight all the way to the Super Bowl.

"Looking back at it, it was a positive in a way," fullback Larry Centers said Wednesday. "It shows the mentality we have to have in order to stay alive in the playoffs. It's going to be a fight every week."

Not literally, one would hope. But the way the players rushed to the defense of quarterback Brad Johnson galvanized an all-for-one, one-for-all mind-set that has helped the Redskins break a six-year playoff drought. In past seasons, it would have been hard to imagine players rushing onto the field in a similar way to stick up for, say, Gus Frerotte.

"I think we have a definite sense of unity on the team," guard Tre' Johnson said. "We watch each other's backs. It's a shame everyone has to get fined over something like that, but it makes its positive statements, too."

That's not to say that Centers, Tre' Johnson or any of the rest of the Redskins are happy with their fines. Just the contrary. Most, if not all, plan to appeal, starting with Tre' Johnson, who struck an official as the fight was winding down and received a $50,000 fine and one-game suspension.

The one-game suspension, which will take effect during the first week of next season, will cost Johnson about $135,000 in salary, prompting him to joke about taking a summer job if his appeal fails.

"No one intentionally went after any referee," Tre Johnson said. "The referee's just doing his job. It's a matter of happenstance. It wasn't as malicious, I guess, as it was made out to be. I stopped. It wasn't like I had to be stopped. I stopped as soon as I realized the referee was involved. It was an accident. It's a lot of circumstance surrounding a lot of emotional energy."

The NFL issued a record $154,000 in fines to 23 players. Fourteen Redskins were fined $117,000, and that doesn't include Tre Johnson's $135,000 salary loss.

The fight started when Detroit defensive end Robert Porcher threw a hard block at Brad Johnson during an interception return. Brad Johnson, who later said he was emulating his favorite WWF wrestlers, then threw Porcher to the ground.

Many players were flummoxed by the amount and breadth of the fines. Tight end James Jenkins, for example, was fined $1,500 for "unnecessarily entering a fight area -- inactive," meaning essentially that he was guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I had nothing to do with the fight," Jenkins said. "I wasn't involved with it. I don't know what area they're talking about, the fighting area. I was in on the play, the fight broke out, I turned around, and then I walked away. Everybody on the field should be fined if they fine me."

Centers, one of four Redskins fined $5,000 for coming off the bench, called the punishments "very excessive."

"I was just trying to calm the situation down," Centers said. "It's ridiculous that they can take $5,000 out of my check just because I'm trying to break up a fight or protect a teammate. Brad is a big part of our team. I think they looked at the tape, ticked off every number that they saw and dished out fines."

In addition to the show of camaraderie, the Redskins can be grateful that Tre' Johnson wasn't suspended for Saturday's divisional playoff game at Tampa Bay. With left tackle Andy Heck out with an injury and center Cory Raymer also hurting, Washington couldn't afford to lose another lineman -- and especially one of the team's vocal leaders.