Redskins.com: Gibbs Post-Game: Redskins-Vikings

[bubba9497]

Gibbs Post-Game: Redskins-Vikings

http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=5347

Opening Statement:

"I'm very proud of our team. If there's one thing you look for on a team, it's guys that have great character for 16 straight weeks. We lost games everyway you could lose them, but our guys just kept coming back. It's a tribute to them and their character. I'm proud of that, and I told them that I was proud to be with them. The Lord has blessed us with a great group of guys. They have tried to do almost everything we've asked of them this year."

On his return to coaching:

"It's been very hard. The most important thing that we come out of this year with is that the players have an understanding of us, and we have an understanding of the players. You have an idea of who you have when you start, but it's a different reality when you get to the season."

On choosing a quarterback early in the season:

"We opened it up in preseason. And Mark Brunell had to suffer through our [offensive adjustments], but I think we're a much better offensive football team than we were at the beginning of the season. His career here is not done. I told him he would be a very important part of this team in the future. Patrick Ramsey went from a rough preseason to watching during the season, and that's not bad. He learned a lot, saw mistakes, and sat in the film room. He had a great eight-week learning process."

On the off season:

"There are a couple things I'm looking forward to; the first being getting this team healthy. I think we had 12 surgeries this year. I want to get those guys healthy again. Second would be improving offensively. If we help ourselves there our team will be able to take a step up."

On the play of Patrick Ramsey:

"He is extremely tough. I've never coached a good quarterback that wasn't extremely tough first. It will be interesting how he progresses. If you remember with Mark Rypien, he had a lot of problems with fumbling and we even had to bench him at one point. The young guys need experience. The off season is going to be the key to his future and how much he progresses as quarterback."

On the defense's play this season:

"Only two of our defensive coaches had ever coached together before, so for them to mold that group the way that did, then to put a defense out there and play the way they did, it was an incredible task. We looked forward to having the entire group back next season. I'm really excited about that."

On the play of Ladell Betts on Sunday:

"I had figured him in as more of an athletic pass receiver, but what impressed me in preseason was how much of a physical runner he was. That's good for us. I told Clinton Portis that if he was tired, not comfortable or hurt, just get out of there because we feel comfortable with Ladell in there. Clinton, who had 1,300 yards rushing, was down about his year, but I compared him to John Riggins who had over 1,300 yards in his best year. Anytime you run for that much in a year when the offense wasn't great gives you something to look forward to."

On the play of James Thrash (WR, #83):

"If there's one guy I wish I had gotten the ball to more, it's James Thrash. He always plays at 100 percent in games and in practice. Every time we give him the ball and ask him to produce, he does it."

[NVskinsfan]

Just need to put the pieces together, now that the 1st year albatross is off our back!