Washington coach Joe Gibbs looked dumbstruck when asked how preseasons translate into regular seasons. He has seen a winless August turn into a Super Bowl championship and winning preseason marks lead to non-playoff results.
Funny thing is, Gibbs really has no idea how prepared this preseason left the Redskins.
If Gibbs doesn’t know, then surely the rest of us have no clue. It would be easy to dismiss 0-4, but only a fool ignores problems thinking they’ll go away.
And it would also be easy to forecast gloom and doom. No points from the starting offense. A defense with holes up front and back. Special teams that often weren’t too special. And yet, you know it wasn’t the real Redskins.
Gibbs won’t excuse poor play as a preseason smokescreen. He saw the problems and was man enough to take the hits. Sometimes Gibbs takes it too seriously, but there’s no second-guessing someone with three Super Bowl trophies who still works way too hard.
The roster now down to expected faces with the final cuts showing no surprises other than punter Derrick Frost remains, the Redskins gain a favorable opening when meeting a reconstructed Minnesota at FedEx Field. The Vikings are in transition with a new coach and lots of questions. But even Gibbs wonders if it’s enough. Then again, he worries with a 14-point lead and 10 seconds remaining.
“I have a tough time saying how we’re going to play,” Gibbs said. “If somebody can do that, more power to them. I’ve never been that guy. I’ve seen quiet teams play their guts out. I’ve seen teams feeling good about themselves and play poorly. … I’m going to be as nervous as anybody in here Monday night. It’s part of what we do. I guess you could say that’s probably the fun of it.”
And the part that keeps plenty of us employed. Nothing in this town captivates the public like the Redskins short of a juicy Capitol Hill scandal. From non-sports fan to the fantasy geeks, everyone has an opinion on how the Redskins will play.
Can quarterback Mark Brunell on the brink of 36 play well through the entire season? How effective will injured running back Clinton Portis and cornerback Shawn Springs play whenever returning? Do the Redskins have enough depth along both lines and in the secondary?
Expectations run from reaching the Super Bowl to Sports Illustrated’s ridiculous last-place finish in the NFC East prediction when making each team 9-7. The Redskins went 10-6 last season only after a miraculous five-game winning streak to end the season. Gibbs was 11-16 beforehand with skeptics wondering whether the second time around would work. Even now, Gibbs is17-17 since returning.
The past is, well, history. Gibbs isn’t very good at translating it into the future.
“Taking back to the past, you can’t project it for today,” Gibbs said. “Today is what it is — today.”
So tune in next week.
