WT:Nearly all players taken by surprise

TK · January 8, 2004

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20040107-111718-6621r.htm

Nearly all players taken by surprise

By Mark Zuckerman

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Jon Jansen's phone rang at 9 a.m. yesterday. It was Patrick Ramsey, with the unlikely name of the Washington Redskins' new coach.

Joe Gibbs?

"I thought he was playing a joke on me," Jansen said.

Jansen wasn't the only Redskins player to be taken aback by the team's stunning hire.

"I still can't believe it," said defensive tackle Jermaine Haley, one of only a handful of players to stop by Redskin Park yesterday. "It's shocking to hear it. I can't wait to meet him."

Added safety Matt Bowen: "It was a surprise to a lot of people. But it's a great surprise, let's put it that way."

Most of Washington's players were children or teenagers when Gibbs originally retired from coaching following the 1992 season. (Only punter Bryan Barker, a 14-year veteran, has an NFL career that overlaps Gibbs'.) That doesn't mean the Redskins lack knowledge of and respect for their new coach.

"Just walk through this building right here and look at those three Super Bowl trophies," tackle Chris Samuels said. "That right there will tell you enough about him, even if you were too young to watch the guy coach."

Gibbs, 63, couldn't be more different than predecessor Steve Spurrier. Spurrier was a big winner on the college level but unproven in the NFL. Gibbs, meanwhile, wears Super Bowl rings on three different fingers.

He also has a reputation as a tireless worker who sometimes slept on a cot in his office and as a master strategist on game days.

That's a stark contrast to Spurrier, who often seemed more comfortable on the golf course than in his office and who by the end of his reign had lost the respect of many players.

"[Gibbs] gives us leadership, the ability to steer our organization in the right direction," Jansen said. "I've heard he's a good man, true to his word. And I've heard he gets the most out of his players. That's what we need."

The Gibbs Redskins also figure to look different than the Spurrier Redskins on the field. The Fun 'n' Gun is gone. Smashmouth football is back.

"Tough, run the football, play good defense, push people around," Bowen said, describing what he remembered about Gibbs' teams of the 1980s and '90s. "That's the kind of football I like."

Gibbs isn't a total mystery to everyone on Washington's roster. Wide receiver Darnerien McCants, who grew up in Anne Arundel County rooting for the Redskins, couldn't believe yesterday that he'll be playing for his boyhood idol.

"There's a great respect there," McCants said. "He has the background, the history, especially with the Redskins. ... We've been a circus for the last couple of years. Hopefully, he'll help us out and get us in the right direction."

The mere prospect of meeting Gibbs for the first time, let alone playing for the legendary coach, was enough to turn McCants into a starry-eyed fan again.

"I'm probably going to get his autograph, introduce myself and say, 'Can you sign right here?' " the receiver said. "It should be pretty cool."

McCants' teammates may not share his giddiness over their new coach, but they'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better choice than Joe Gibbs.

"He's a Hall of Fame coach," Bowen said. "What more can you ask for?"

• Staff writer Jody Foldesy contributed to this report.

TK · January 8, 2004