WP:Players and Alumni Share the Excitement Current Redskins Know Gibbs Only by His Re

[TK]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63445-2004Jan7.html

Players and Alumni Share the Excitement

Current Redskins Know Gibbs Only by His Record

By Nunyo Demasio

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, January 8, 2004; Page D12

The first hint was the television truck stationed outside Redskins Park when left tackle Chris Samuels arrived yesterday morning for treatment. Entering the team's training facility, Samuels walked past the franchise's three Super Bowl trophies -- XVII, XXII and XXVI -- glittering in a glass case on a burgundy platform that rises more than five feet.

Then Samuels received the stunning news: Joe Gibbs was his new coach.

Samuels was only 4 when Gibbs became an obscure head coach for the Redskins in 1981. And Samuels can't quite rattle off the pertinent historical facts that make Gibbs one of the greatest coaches in NFL history: Super Bowl victories in 1982, 1987 and 1991; third-best combined winning percentage (.683) in league history with a 140-65 record (including 16-5 in the playoffs); reaching the postseason in eight of 12 seasons.

However, every Redskin grasps the significance of Gibbs's hiring, Samuels said, because of the trophies that are difficult to miss at each practice.

"You can just walk through this building and look at those Super Bowl trophies," said Samuels, smiling, standing in the front entrance, the trophies several feet behind. "And that will tell you enough about him. Even if you were too young to watch the guy coach."

Gibbs won two titles with Joe Bugel as his offensive line coach from 1981 to 1989. And Gibbs -- who signed a five-year deal worth more than $5 million annually -- is expected to name Bugel as his assistant head coach and Gregg Williams as the defensive coordinator.

Bugel oversaw the famous "Hogs" line in the 1980s, and was considered perhaps the best offensive line coach ever in the NFL. Last Oct. 21, Bugel visited Redskins Park after a request from owner Daniel Snyder to watch videotape of the offensive line. Washington's pass protection had been porous despite the club making an offseason splash by acquiring right guard Randy Thomas and left guard Dave Fiore. Bugel's scouting report emphasized the need for better fundamentals.

According to people familiar with Gibbs, the hiring of Bugel means that the Redskins will turn into a run-oriented system, which relies on its offensive line. Mark May was the first Redskins player drafted by Gibbs, who selected the offensive tackle No. 20 overall in the 1981 draft. After May heard the rumors yesterday, he called his former line coach to confirm.

"He told me, 'I'm bringing the old tapes of the Hogs. We're going back to the old style,' " May, an ESPN broadcaster, said yesterday in a phone interview. " 'The tackles [samuels and Jon Jansen] should be in the Pro Bowl every year. They need to get some fundamentals. But we'll get it back. When Joe calls, how can you turn him down?' "

May added: "Joe's theory and philosophy starts with the offensive line. Everything was set up by the run."

Ric (Doc) Walker -- who played tight end for the Redskins from 1980 to 1985 -- agreed: "Joe will change the mind-set. They will go from being a Labrador retriever to a Rotweiller."

The mind-set under former coach Steve Spurrier was a pass-happy offense in his Fun 'n' Gun system. Although Spurrier was considered a quarterback guru when he became Redskins coach in 2002, quarterback Patrick Ramsey expressed elation yesterday because of his new teacher. "That's all I've heard is how well he coaches quarterbacks," Ramsey told ESPN yesterday, "and how successful you can be under his system. I just couldn't be more excited when I found out."

Before going 17-31 as Bills head coach over the past three seasons, Williams was considered a defensive mastermind for the Tennessee Titans. In 2000, the Baltimore Ravens -- with Marvin Lewis as their defensive coordinator -- set an NFL record for fewest points allowed. However, the Titans were actually the top-ranked defense that season, because of the fewest total yards allowed.

Williams -- who becomes Washington's sixth defensive coordinator in six seasons -- is known for an aggressive defense that uses various formations. Under George Edwards this season, the Redskins plummeted to a ranking of 25th in the NFL from being ranked fifth last season. Edwards was hampered by a weak defensive line, but critics believed he wasn't creative or blitzed enough, which are considered Williams's strengths. In 2003, Buffalo was rich with talent but mediocre along the defensive line, and finished ranked No. 2.

"Joe has been out of the game a while," Redskins great Sonny Jurgensen said yesterday. "And he will bring in people who worked with him who remained in the game and understand the evolution of the game."

But the addition of Gibbs himself most captured the minds of the Redskins defensive players. "I'd follow him down the yellow brick road," said Fred Smoot, the colorful cornerback. "He knows how to win."

Since Gibbs's departure, the Redskins have gone 74-101-1, including 12-20 in the past two seasons under Spurrier. When Spurrier was named Redskins coach, he cited Gibbs as the man he wanted to emulate. But the Redskins players will gain a coach whose approach is a stark contrast to Spurrier.

Gibbs also joined the Redskins in 1981 with a reputation for being a pass-oriented coach. (Gibbs had been an offensive coordinator in San Diego under Don Coryell and his Air Coryell system.) But Gibbs adjusted with a run-based offense to fit his roster. After losing five consecutive games -- with fans calling for his dismissal -- the Redskins finished 8-8, then won the Super Bowl the next season. Gibbs reached greatness as an NFL coach, former player said, largely because of his chameleon-like ability, winning Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.

"After he sees what [talent] he has then will figure out what he wants to do," Joe Theismann, who played quarterback for Gibbs, said last night. "Although he will run, he knows to score you have to throw the football. The old saying: 'You throw to score and you run to win.' And that won't change."

Although the Fun 'n' Gun system failed in the NFL, many of Spurrier's problems went beyond X's and O's, according to several players. In meetings, cell phones occasionally rang, players chatted amongst themselves and surreptitiously opened their mail, sent text messages and read the newspapers, according to several players.

"Those days are over. There will be no more Club Med," Jurgensen said yesterday. "I saw the same changes when [Vince] Lombardi came in 1969. That's the type of impact Joe Gibbs will have.

"He brings leadership, organization, hard work. Everything it takes to win. This is one of the biggest days in Redskins history. The mood in the city is nothing but joy. He's returned in a time of need."

Redskins reserve quarterback Tim Hasselbeck remembers seeing Gibbs on the sideline while watching his father, Don, who was a tight end for four NFL teams, including the New York Giants.

"When I was 11 I remember him roaming the sidelines because my dad was playing," Hasselbeck said in a phone interview last night. "But I can't say I know his coaching style. Anybody in their twenties doesn't really know exactly what he was like. But it's really exciting for any player because he's one of the best coaches of all time."

[TK]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63445-2004Jan7.html

Players and Alumni Share the Excitement

Current Redskins Know Gibbs Only by His Record

By Nunyo Demasio

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, January 8, 2004; Page D12

The first hint was the television truck stationed outside Redskins Park when left tackle Chris Samuels arrived yesterday morning for treatment. Entering the team's training facility, Samuels walked past the franchise's three Super Bowl trophies -- XVII, XXII and XXVI -- glittering in a glass case on a burgundy platform that rises more than five feet.

Then Samuels received the stunning news: Joe Gibbs was his new coach.

Samuels was only 4 when Gibbs became an obscure head coach for the Redskins in 1981. And Samuels can't quite rattle off the pertinent historical facts that make Gibbs one of the greatest coaches in NFL history: Super Bowl victories in 1982, 1987 and 1991; third-best combined winning percentage (.683) in league history with a 140-65 record (including 16-5 in the playoffs); reaching the postseason in eight of 12 seasons.

However, every Redskin grasps the significance of Gibbs's hiring, Samuels said, because of the trophies that are difficult to miss at each practice.

"You can just walk through this building and look at those Super Bowl trophies," said Samuels, smiling, standing in the front entrance, the trophies several feet behind. "And that will tell you enough about him. Even if you were too young to watch the guy coach."

Gibbs won two titles with Joe Bugel as his offensive line coach from 1981 to 1989. And Gibbs -- who signed a five-year deal worth more than $5 million annually -- is expected to name Bugel as his assistant head coach and Gregg Williams as the defensive coordinator.

Bugel oversaw the famous "Hogs" line in the 1980s, and was considered perhaps the best offensive line coach ever in the NFL. Last Oct. 21, Bugel visited Redskins Park after a request from owner Daniel Snyder to watch videotape of the offensive line. Washington's pass protection had been porous despite the club making an offseason splash by acquiring right guard Randy Thomas and left guard Dave Fiore. Bugel's scouting report emphasized the need for better fundamentals.

According to people familiar with Gibbs, the hiring of Bugel means that the Redskins will turn into a run-oriented system, which relies on its offensive line. Mark May was the first Redskins player drafted by Gibbs, who selected the offensive tackle No. 20 overall in the 1981 draft. After May heard the rumors yesterday, he called his former line coach to confirm.

"He told me, 'I'm bringing the old tapes of the Hogs. We're going back to the old style,' " May, an ESPN broadcaster, said yesterday in a phone interview. " 'The tackles [samuels and Jon Jansen] should be in the Pro Bowl every year. They need to get some fundamentals. But we'll get it back. When Joe calls, how can you turn him down?' "

May added: "Joe's theory and philosophy starts with the offensive line. Everything was set up by the run."

Ric (Doc) Walker -- who played tight end for the Redskins from 1980 to 1985 -- agreed: "Joe will change the mind-set. They will go from being a Labrador retriever to a Rotweiller."

The mind-set under former coach Steve Spurrier was a pass-happy offense in his Fun 'n' Gun system. Although Spurrier was considered a quarterback guru when he became Redskins coach in 2002, quarterback Patrick Ramsey expressed elation yesterday because of his new teacher. "That's all I've heard is how well he coaches quarterbacks," Ramsey told ESPN yesterday, "and how successful you can be under his system. I just couldn't be more excited when I found out."

Before going 17-31 as Bills head coach over the past three seasons, Williams was considered a defensive mastermind for the Tennessee Titans. In 2000, the Baltimore Ravens -- with Marvin Lewis as their defensive coordinator -- set an NFL record for fewest points allowed. However, the Titans were actually the top-ranked defense that season, because of the fewest total yards allowed.

Williams -- who becomes Washington's sixth defensive coordinator in six seasons -- is known for an aggressive defense that uses various formations. Under George Edwards this season, the Redskins plummeted to a ranking of 25th in the NFL from being ranked fifth last season. Edwards was hampered by a weak defensive line, but critics believed he wasn't creative or blitzed enough, which are considered Williams's strengths. In 2003, Buffalo was rich with talent but mediocre along the defensive line, and finished ranked No. 2.

"Joe has been out of the game a while," Redskins great Sonny Jurgensen said yesterday. "And he will bring in people who worked with him who remained in the game and understand the evolution of the game."

But the addition of Gibbs himself most captured the minds of the Redskins defensive players. "I'd follow him down the yellow brick road," said Fred Smoot, the colorful cornerback. "He knows how to win."

Since Gibbs's departure, the Redskins have gone 74-101-1, including 12-20 in the past two seasons under Spurrier. When Spurrier was named Redskins coach, he cited Gibbs as the man he wanted to emulate. But the Redskins players will gain a coach whose approach is a stark contrast to Spurrier.

Gibbs also joined the Redskins in 1981 with a reputation for being a pass-oriented coach. (Gibbs had been an offensive coordinator in San Diego under Don Coryell and his Air Coryell system.) But Gibbs adjusted with a run-based offense to fit his roster. After losing five consecutive games -- with fans calling for his dismissal -- the Redskins finished 8-8, then won the Super Bowl the next season. Gibbs reached greatness as an NFL coach, former player said, largely because of his chameleon-like ability, winning Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.

"After he sees what [talent] he has then will figure out what he wants to do," Joe Theismann, who played quarterback for Gibbs, said last night. "Although he will run, he knows to score you have to throw the football. The old saying: 'You throw to score and you run to win.' And that won't change."

Although the Fun 'n' Gun system failed in the NFL, many of Spurrier's problems went beyond X's and O's, according to several players. In meetings, cell phones occasionally rang, players chatted amongst themselves and surreptitiously opened their mail, sent text messages and read the newspapers, according to several players.

"Those days are over. There will be no more Club Med," Jurgensen said yesterday. "I saw the same changes when [Vince] Lombardi came in 1969. That's the type of impact Joe Gibbs will have.

"He brings leadership, organization, hard work. Everything it takes to win. This is one of the biggest days in Redskins history. The mood in the city is nothing but joy. He's returned in a time of need."

Redskins reserve quarterback Tim Hasselbeck remembers seeing Gibbs on the sideline while watching his father, Don, who was a tight end for four NFL teams, including the New York Giants.

"When I was 11 I remember him roaming the sidelines because my dad was playing," Hasselbeck said in a phone interview last night. "But I can't say I know his coaching style. Anybody in their twenties doesn't really know exactly what he was like. But it's really exciting for any player because he's one of the best coaches of all time."