So much for destiny.
Coach Joe Gibbs called it the “toughest year” of his career so an ugly ending was appropriate. A 21-point blitz by Seattle kicked Washington into the offseason, 35-14.
Saturday’s playoff ouster wasn’t devastating to the Redskins, though. Devastating was burying safety Sean Taylor. This was disappointing. Maybe a little stunning. Four straight wins left Washington feeling invincible beforehand. Instead, Seattle slapped them back to mortality.
Players gathered their belongings Sunday. They get two months off while the front office signs free agents and readies for the draft. There will be plenty of fresh faces come July when Gibbs begins perhaps his final season.
The Redskins will always look back on 2007 as special, though. For reasons good and bad. Taylor’s death on Nov. 27 is something that hopefully never happens again. Losing six games with second-half leads shouldn’t happen again. Six starters on injured reserve hopefully doesn’t happen again.
But then, becoming the first team in 11 years to make the playoffs afterstarting 5-7 is memorable. Going 4-0 after Taylor’s funeral is memorable. So was watching Gibbs, who looked every bit like the Hall of Fame coach he is, over the final weeks.
“This is something we’ll remember forever,” quarterback Todd Collins said.
It was an unforgettable season by a franchise that has been largely forgettable since 1993. Gibbs said the close losses, injuries and Taylor left him with a team proving more than resilient. It was unbreakable.
“They faced a lot of tough things this year,” Gibbs said. “You become battle tested. You go through emotional things. We all know this — the two things that challenge you as a human being is real success and real adversity.”
Certainly, the midseason success at 5-3 soon surrendered to a four-game losing streak. Yet, Gibbs led the second improbable streak in three years to reach the playoffs. When nearly all hope was gone, the Redskins played their best football since perhaps the 1991 championship season.
“As a team, we exemplified the lesson of one game at a time, one day at a time, one practice at a time,” guard Pete Kendall said.
Most players reflected upon Taylor when leaving Redskins Park. They admit the last six weeks have been too hectic to gauge Taylor’s loss or the playoff run.
“I don’t think one team has, probably ever, gone through so much, one moment in time, one season,” offensive tackle Stephon Heyer said. “To go on a run like we did was very exciting. It says a lot about us and the team.”
Gibbs’ parting words to players was training camp wasn’t that far away. With a roster expected to stay largely intact, players believe they’re due another season that is special.
“I’d be surprised if we don’t take the next step next season and keep on going,” center Casey Rabach said.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
