Joe Gibbs doesn’t know what to expect tonight when he returns as coach of the Washington Redskins to face the Denver Broncos in the Hall of Fame game.
That uncertainty has nothing to do with Gibbs’ 12 seasons away from the NFL. When it came to opening preseason games, he never knew what to expect.
“Sometimes I’ve gotten out there and we’ve looked awful and you say, 'Gosh, what are we going to do? We’re so far off.’ ” Gibbs said. “And then other times you’re pleasantly surprised. One good thing is that we’re playing Denver and they have a senior group of coaches. They’ve been to Super Bowls. You go out there and you really get tested.”
In typical fashion, Gibbs did all he could to prepare his team for every question.
Under the dim lights of a high school stadium Friday night, Redskins coaches simulated substituting players and their halftime regimen. They even practiced how to celebrate after a touchdown, though that was an unscheduled exercise guided by irrepressible cornerback Fred Smoot.
“The coaches would like another six weeks of practice,” Gibbs said. “The players are probably ready.”
One who definitely is ready is new running back Clinton Portis, traded by Denver for cornerback Champ Bailey and a second-round draft choice.
Portis, who has rushed for more than 1,500 yards in each of his first two seasons, had been nursing a slight groin pull. But he practiced on Saturday, and almost certainly will see time against his former team.
“It’s going to be enjoyable,” Portis said. “I think they wait for the biggest move of the offseason, and that’s who they put in the Hall of Fame game because everyone’s waiting to see it. That’s exciting, and I’m sure a lot of people will be tuned in to watch it.”
The game, which kicks off the 2004 NFL season, will be shown on national television, which thrills the players and worries the coach.
“I feel like I’m going back and starting all over again,” Gibbs said. “I’d hate to look bad. I think we all would.”
Everyone has something at stake, whether they’re starters protecting jobs, newcomers fighting for jobs or rookies and free agents striving to do anything they can to get noticed by the Redskins or another team.
No one has more at stake than quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Patrick Ramsey. Tonight provides an opportunity for one of them to stake an early claim at being the starter and the key offensive element in making Gibbs’ return successful.
To the untrained eye, Ramsey has looked the sharper of the two, although Brunell had good practices on Friday and Saturday. What Gibbs and his staff see is anyone’s guess, since they refuse to make public evaluations of any position.
Tonight’s game should also provide a peek of where Gibbs sees his team’s confidence level. His first few seasons with the Redskins, Gibbs by design sometimes tiptoed over that thin line between winning preseason games and evaluating talent.
Even though this team is coming off a 5-11 season under Steve Spurrier, Gibbs entered the weekend unsure of how much emphasis to place on getting a victory tonight.
“Toward the end (before), we were more concerned about technically doing things right and if you didn’t win you didn’t win,” Gibbs said. “It’s different now, but I’m not sure our approach will change a lot. I know I’ll be more nervous; the players will, too .
“We’d like to play a good, solid game, not turn the ball over, very few penalties and execute a bunch of stuff. There’s a lot to it.”
Gibbs said he hasn’t been inside the Hall of Fame itself since his 1996 induction, although he has attended several Hall-related functions. The grind of NASCAR always got in the way.
“Obviously, I kind of thought that was it for me, that we were closing the door there on my coaching career,” Gibbs recalled about the day his bronze bust was placed inside the Hall. “Now, we’re back — and there’s a chance we’ll be melting that thing down.”
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/st ... &ran=54355
