RMN: Second coming yields Capital improvement

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Second coming yields Capital improvement

Return of Gibbs took some adjusting, but things are looking up for Washington

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/broncos/article/0,1299,DRMN_17_4138628,00.html

ASHBURN, Va. - Like so many others who heard the news, Mike Shockley danced a jig, high- fived his buddies and promptly took off the rest of the afternoon to celebrate.

Yet this was not Denver, circa 1983, when the trade for a rookie named Elway sent Broncos fans dancing in the streets.

This was a different sort of seventh heaven.

"My son tells me the four greatest men to ever walk the face of the Earth were Jesus Christ, Cal Ripken Jr., Joe Gibbs and grandpa," said Shockley, a Virginia real-estate agent.

And with the Jan. 7, 2004, announcement, Shockley knew one of them would be back walking the Washington Redskins sideline. Of course, those expecting Joe Gibbs to be a savior last season for a franchise that had fallen onto hard times were disappointed.

Sure, many gave the Hall of Fame coach with three Vince Lombardi Trophies a bit of a free pass during the ugly 6-10 season.

But that didn't mean there weren't plenty of questions by those who thought Gibbs could walk on water.

"A lot of them were wondering how shallow it was," Redskins offensive lineman Ray Brown said last week. "The expectations were tied to nostalgia, and a lot of times, that's not going to win you a lot of football games. It will make you feel good about how it used to be, but, unfortunately, I think our talent just didn't play to its level. That bore itself out by us being 6-10."

Now, 2004 seems like eons ago.

The Redskins still might not be an offensive juggernaut, but entering Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field at Mile High (2:15 p.m., KDVR-Channel 31), they are 3-0 - one of four undefeated teams in the NFL.

The last time Washington was 3-0 was 1991. That season, they started 11-0, finished 14-2 and beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI for Gibbs third championship.

"That's all it's about - winning," receiver Santana Moss said. "I just feel privileged to be part of something special. We have a special coaching staff that has done a lot for the city. I just want to be part of it."

While some will point to Sunday's nail-biting 20-17 overtime victory at home against the Seattle Seahawks as proof the Redskins are for real, others will remember the wild Monday night in Dallas last month as perhaps the turning point for the franchise.

In that game, the Redskins chased away the demons and found a way to beat the Cowboys on the road, despite trailing 13-0 with just less than 4 minutes remaining.

Before the game, Gibbs told ABC's announcers he felt like a homecoming opponent - a sacrificial lamb on a night that was all about the Cowboys.

The Triplets - Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin - were being inducted into the team's Ring of Fame at halftime. Charlie Pride was singing the national anthem.

And for 55 minutes, it appeared America's Team would be celebrating its 10th consecutive win against the Redskins at Texas Stadium.

Then embattled quarterback Mark Brunell - one of the guys responsible for handing the Broncos one of their all-time toughest losses when he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1996 season - rediscovered his wheels and scrambled for 25 yards. Less than 1 minute later, he hit Moss in stride for a 39-yard touchdown.

If that wasn't shocking enough, a team that had gone 116 minutes, 13 seconds without a touchdown to start the season had two in three plays when Brunell found Moss again, this time for a 70-yard, winning score with 2:35 remaining.

When the Cowboys' last-gasp pass downfield failed and time expired, Gibbs could be seen smiling under an ice-water bath supplied by running back Clinton Portis.

The 64-year-old coach was so emotional, so caught up in the moment, he admitted he didn't even feel the cold at first.

But he didn't hesitate to rank the victory up there with his Super Bowl wins.

"Knowing what we went through last year, to get a win like that was a stepping-stone," said Portis, who had as many wins last season (six) with Washington as he had the first half of his rookie season with Denver. "Not beating (Dallas), we had pretty much become a pushover in this conference. This told you we had a team of guys who really want to win, guys who are tired of losing, tired of being pushovers."

Instantly, Gibbs was vindicated in his decision to go with Brunell over Patrick Ramsey at quarterback.

Bungled season

Last season, Brunell was being called Gibbs' $8.6 million mistake as injury and ineffectiveness left him benched in favor of Ramsey.

But there were plenty of other mistakes critics assailed.

Sure, Gibbs still had his signature play, the counter trey. But it went nowhere against blitzing defenses. Likewise, his once-innovative offense, the one that in 1983 set an NFL scoring record that stood for 15 years, looked as if time had passed it by.

Critics questioned if the same had happened to Gibbs himself, who, after being away from the game for 11 years, had returned to a sport that drastically had changed.

The players were different, the rules were different, the offenses and defenses were different, even the climate had changed.

"First years are always kind of hard, but it had been so long since I'd been through one I kind of forgot all the things that are involved," Gibbs said last week. "The hardest thing is you're uncomfortable because you don't really know the people, and, of course, you don't really know the players. It's really unsettling. It was a hard year for us, for sure.

"Having said that, there were a lot of other coaches who were first-year coaches who did better than I did. So you go ahead and admit that and go on down the road."

Despite his acclaim, Gibbs and his bunch of geriatric assistants looked dysfunctional at times last season. It was particularly noticeable on the sideline, where the Redskins often had trouble getting the play in on time.

No longer was Gibbs operating under a 45-second clock, which was in place when he retired because of health reasons, including diabetes, after the 1992 season.

Now there was a 40-second clock, and those 5 seconds were huge, especially with defenses doing so many more things these days.

"I don't think it was confusion," said 65-year-old assistant Joe Bugel, whom Gibbs lured out of retirement last year along with 65-year-old Don Breaux and 63-year-old Rennie Semmons. "With a new football team, there were a lot of formations, a lot of different movements. We really had to water down some things after last year so we could beat the clock and get in and out of the huddle. We learned a lot last year."

More change

ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth, a former Broncos offensive lineman who also played on Gibbs' 1991 championship team, believes some off-season moves will pay off more than others.

The first was getting rid of receiver Laveranues Coles, who complained mightily about the team's lack of production. It didn't matter that the Redskins had to take a $9.3 million salary-cap hit to get rid of him.

"You don't want to be here, good, I'll get rid of you," Schlereth said of Gibbs' thought process. "Those statements you make help you establish yourself as a guy in charge again and helps direct that organization.

"It has floundered from a leadership position since Joe left. You don't change the culture of losing by walking in the front door. You've got to make some tough decisions."

Besides Coles, Gibbs dumped No. 2 receiver Rod Gardner and brought in Moss and David Patten from the New England Patriots, playmakers who could buy into the team concept.

"If you can't play within a team concept under Joe Gibbs, you don't see the field," Fox Sports analyst Howie Long said.

As far as staff changes, this year, Gibbs added Bill Musgrave as quarterbacks coach.

Musgrave, whose final playing days were spent as John Elway's backup, brought knowledge of the West Coast offense and zone defenses. And he helped Gibbs do the once unthinkable - install the shotgun formation.

"I think Bill has given him a much more up-to-date perspective," said ESPN analyst Joe Theismann, who helped Gibbs win his first championship in Super Bowl XVII. "It's made him a better coach."

Staying the course

Few can match Gibbs' credentials.

He has won 149 games, has a .762 win percentage in the postseason and three Super Bowls rings.

Likewise, there's no questioning his work ethic.

This is a man whose first order of business upon returning last year was to have a shower installed in his office to keep him fresh during those 18- and 20-hour days.

Though his wife teases him about going off to "prison" for five months, Gibbs insists he has no regrets even though he knew he might sully his reputation.

"You're going to ruin your good name," his wife, Pat, warned last year.

"After the first year, I told her, 'We're halfway there,' " Gibbs said.

Joking aside, Gibbs, who is guided by strong Christian convictions, is more concerned that this is where God wants him to be.

"If it's to go through tough things, then I need to go through tough things," he said.

Barring what he calls a "personal disaster," he is in it for the long haul.

"I don't think I would have signed (a five-year deal) if I didn't intend to live up to it," he said. "My intentions are to get the Redskins back to winning.

"The fans have always treated me much better than I deserve and have always been there for us. You'd like to get back to a point where they have a lot to cheer for."

They have that now. At sold-out

FedEx Field on Sunday, the house was rocking.

There was no doubt where the fans' loyalty lies.

After watching four coaches in six years unsuccessfully try to resurrect the Redskins, they were behind Gibbs.

Though two tough road games loom in Denver and Kansas City, whatever happens, fans like Shockley will stick by Gibbs.

"He can go 0-16 and we'd blame it on the owner," he said of the controversial Dan Snyder. "It would never be his fault."

Second verse same as the first

The Washington Redskins' Joe Gibbs is not the only coach to have success in the NFL, leave the game, then come back and have more success. Current coaches who fit that description:

• Bill Parcells, Dallas Cowboys: His first coaching job was with the New York Giants, in 1983. He led them to Super Bowl wins in the 1986 and 1990 seasons. He left the Giants after the second Super Bowl win to be an analyst for NBC, then returned in 1993 with New England, leading the Patriots to the Super Bowl in the 1996 season. He coached the New York Jets from 1997 to 1999, then re-emerged four years later with the Cowboys. Career record: Regular season: 156-118-1. Postseason: 11-7 (Three Super Bowl appearances, two victories).

• Dick Vermeil, Kansas City Chiefs: He coached the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976 to 1982, with a Super Bowl appearance in the 1980 season. After a 14-year hiatus, he took over as coach of the St. Louis Rams in 1997 and led them to the Super Bowl title in the 1999 season. After taking 2000 off, he returned as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, leading them to the AFC West championship in the 2003 season but no playoff wins. Career record: Regular season: 112-105. Postseason: 6-5 (Two Super Bowl appearances, one win).

• Dennis Green, Arizona Cardinals: He led the Minnesota Vikings to great regular-season heights, going 92-52 from 1992 to 2000. But in his first four postseasons, the Vikings lost their first playoff game and in his final four, Minnesota suffered two losses in the NFC Championship Game. He left after going 5-10 in 2001, took two years off, then was hired as coach of the Arizona Cardinals, with whom he is 7-13 in one-plus seasons. Career record: Regular season: 104-75. Postseason: 4-8.

• Marty Schottenheimer, San Diego Chargers: He coached Cleveland from 1984 to 1988, guiding the Browns to two AFC Championship Game losses. From 1989 to 1998, he was with the Kansas City Chiefs, getting to one AFC title game. He retired after the 1998 season, then came back in 2001 in Washington. After one year, he was fired, then hired by the Chargers. Career record: Regular season: 179-119-1. Postseason: 5-12.