Even with Gibbs, NFC East is no cakewalk
KEEPING UP WITH the Joneses in the NFC East is hard enough. Add the Reids and the Mannings to the equation, and you can see why Joe Gibbs is working his trademark long hours and getting paranoid about training camp.
The Washington Redskins may have made the signature splash of the offseason by luring Gibbs out of retirement. Still, one Hall of Fame coach alone isn't enough to ensure success for a franchise that has enjoyed precious little since his retirement in 1993.
Not when the rest of the division has rejoined the arms race, restoring it (at least on paper) to the status it enjoyed almost a generation ago.
Besides an influx of talent, the NFC East has at least half of a coaching Mount Rushmore, with Gibbs and Bill Parcells. (Andy Reid and Tom Coughlin aren't too shabby, either.)
Since the Redskins hired Gibbs, the Philadelphia Eagles acquired Jevon Kearse and Terrell Owens. Eli Manning brokered his way into New York. Dallas traded for Keyshawn Johnson and last week added Eddie George, who may be past his prime but still represents an upgrade at tailback.
In the decade from 1986-95, the NFC East won a staggering seven of 10 Super Bowls. The division's three most imposing figures were two coaches (Gibbs and Parcells) and one owner (Dallas' Jerry Jones).
Parcells coached the New York Giants to two titles. He since has joined forces with Jones in Dallas to give Redskins fans two big targets for their venom (or grudging admiration).
Parcells showed last year what a brilliant and organized coach can do with a floundering franchise, taking the overachieving Cowboys to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. If Gibbs' wisdom and painstaking preparation don't make the Redskins similarly better this year, the entire NFL will be shocked.
But will that be enough to reach the playoffs in a division in which all four teams improved significantly?
If he's healthy, the Eagles' Kearse could become the same kind of bane to Gibbs that Lawrence Taylor once was. Gibbs put as many blockers as he could on Taylor (even Art Monk), but LT often wrecked those plans.
Of course, Kearse's health and Owens' ego each could explode at any time. And it won't be easy for Reid to replace veteran cornerbacks Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent, the heart of his defense.
But if they're right, Kearse and Owens join Donovan McNabb to give Reid an amazing arsenal. And the Eagles have two of the division's most underrated commodities: Reid's coaching acumen and Brian Westbrook's multipurpose legs.
Dallas has Parcells, which is worth a couple of wins. Johnson (another talented head case) is the kind of big, physical receiver that will make Gibbs wish he still had Champ Bailey. And the Cowboys also have a rising star in safety Roy Williams, who'll take over the defense's leadership role from injured veteran Darren Woodson.
The Giants quit on Jim Fassel last year, but there's enough talent there to scare the rest of the division. If Kurt Warner weren't past his prime and Manning weren't so young; if Tiki Barber weren't so fumble-prone; and if Jeremy Shockey ever got healthy and focused, New York's offense would be even more dangerous.
The biggest challenge Gibbs may face in the new and improved NFC East is that the Arizona Cardinals aren't around to beat up on anymore. Gibbs went 22-4 against the Cards in his first tenure in Washington. After he left, Arizona was shifted into its rightful division (the NFC West), meaning two fewer gimmes.
The Redskins will be a significantly better team in 2004. They have a proven head coach and a battle-tested staff; Pro Bowl-caliber players at several key positions; and a veteran quarterback (Mark Brunell) for the first time since 1999, the only time they reached the playoffs A.G. (After Gibbs).
Gibbs previously worked for an owner with bottomless pockets, Jack Kent Cooke. His new boss, Daniel Snyder, spends equally eagerly (if nowhere near as wisely). But without those millions, even Gibbs might not have a chance in the NFC East.
Fans will get their first look at the second coming on Saturday. But Gibbs is smart enough to know that if he had waited that long to start preparing, he'd be hopelessly behind the steep NFC East curve.
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