While growing up, my Sundays were spent not in pews but rather La-Z-Boys. Tortilla chips replaced wafers and Coke replaced wine as I sat in front of the television, waiting for what I worshipped most to take the field- the Washington Redskins.
A bit of an exaggeration I’ll admit, but you see where I am coming from when I describe to you the love I have for a team that has struggled repeatedly in years past. The team has failed again and again to reclaim its former glory.
Twelve years after his initial retirement from football in 1993, Joe Gibbs returns for his second season in his second stint as head coach of the Redskins. But after a 6-10 season, how will his unit fare this season after struggling last year?
As a fan I will tell you that I want to look at the positive and root the Skins on to a NFC East division-winning season despite what looks like another dismal year. After all, ignoring reason and stirring up pre season hype is what Redskins fans do best.
On that note, let’s take what little there is to play with and mold it into a shaky yet positive rebuttal to those who criticize the man who brought three Super Bowl trophies to D.C. After all, he is a hero to me and is pretty much all I have to cling to when I argue that the Redskins will turn it around in 2005.
In Gibbs’ defense, I must say many coaches struggle with their teams their first year taking over, even those who have found great success in years past.
For example, Kansas City Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil was victorious in previous years just as Gibbs was. He took the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl in 1980, and after a lengthy retirement won the Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams in the ’99 season. Despite his previous achievements however, he went 6-10 after he came back in 2001 with KC, the same record Gibbs had with his 2004 Skins. But in 2003 he was able to turn the Chiefs around, notching a 13-3 record. If Vermeil, a far less accomplished coach, could do it, why not Joe?
Marty Schottenheimer was also a coach who was successful in the 80s and 90s, taking the Cleveland Browns as well as the Chiefs to numerous post season appearances.
After coming out of retirement, however, it seemed he had lost his touch, taking a promising Washington team to a lackluster 8-8 record in 2001. He struggled with the Chargers posting a 12-20 record from 2003-2004.
Despite these setbacks, Schottenheimer proved that old coaches can still find success in the NFL. In 2004, he led San Diego to a 12-4 record and was named the NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.
It might have taken a couple seasons to get back in the swing of things, but both coaches were able to update their schemes and compete. That’s what great coaches do in the NFL, and that’s what Gibbs will do with Washington.
To makes things easier, Gibbs has a lot of help with assistant head coach Greg Williams coaching a defense that finished third overall in 2004. Defensive continuity is something the team hasn’t seen in years, and the unit can only get better with him returning.
So maybe there is hope for Gibbs and the Redskins after all. He has repeatedly stated over the preseason his plans of opening up the passing game and updating what many consider an archaic offense. Even with what seems to be the brink of an annual Washington quarterback controversy, the Redskins did find moderate success in the preseason when going to the air.
It might be thin, but there might just be a little bit of hope left after all to give true Washington fans all they need to scream their yearly battle cry- “Hail to the Redskins!”