[Twilbert07]

Speaking of interesting quotes, here's Brian Mitchell on Joe Gibbs:

Old-school Redskins say Gibbs needs to get tougher

By Ohm Youngmisuk
New York Daily News
(MCT)
ASHBURN, Va. - As an incredibly disappointing and underachieving season finally comes to an end on Saturday, several Washington Redskins are bracing for what has become an annual Washington ritual.
Just like the cherry blossoms blooming in the spring along the Potomac river, Washingtonians can always count on Daniel Snyder spending millions in free-agency dollars to overhaul the Redskins in the offseason.
However, the biggest change the Redskins might make could come from within.
According to some of his former players, Joe Gibbs has to revert back to being the old school yet innovative coach who produced the three Super Bowl trophies that sit in the Redskins Park lobby. He has to, they say, turn away from being the new-age coach who has tried so hard to adapt to today's game while also serving as team president, handpicking his own players.
"I think he has gotten a little soft on the guys," said Brian Mitchell, who flourished under Gibbs as one of the league's premier returners. "When I got here, I was treated just the same as Art Monk was treated, not as a fifth-round pick. I was treated as an equal. On this (current) team, you see favoritism to certain players."
"I don't see the same guy (Gibbs) today," added Mitchell, who is a talk-show host on WTEM-sports radio in Washington. "I see a guy who was once a disciplinarian without having to yell (going) to making a lot of excuses (for players). I don't think he held people accountable. When Santana Moss got a 15-yard penalty for retaliating, (Gibbs) made an excuse instead of saying (Moss has) to think."
As the Redskins (5-10) look to spoil the Giants' playoff aspirations tomorrow, Gibbs has been busy trying to figure out what has gone so wrong in D.C. The Redskins began the season with Super Bowl expectations after finishing 10-6 and winning six straight games before losing to Seattle in the divisional round last year.
However, Gibbs and the Redskins over-tinkered in the offseason. High-priced additions such as wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, safety Adam Archuleta, wide receiver Antwaan Randle El and defensive end Andre Carter have not lived up to expectations and their exorbitant salaries.
And truthfully, neither has Gibbs, perhaps the biggest personality in Washington outside of the President. The 66-year-old Hall of Fame coach is just 21-26 since returning to run his beloved franchise.
In his dual role, Gibbs has his hands full from coaching to personnel moves, such as trading valuable high draft picks for players like T.J. Duckett and Lloyd. Saying it was best for the team, Gibbs hired offensive guru Al Saunders and uncharacteristically handed over all the play-calling duties to Saunders so he could focus on other aspects.
"A lot of people are wondering if (Gibbs) did this all on himself or was he pushed or forced," Mitchell said. "What has Gibbs done? He puts in offenses and calls plays and plays chess with defensive coordinators and normally beats them. Now, he stands on the sidelines. I don't see him as that type of guy."
The drastic change resulted in disaster as the Redskins' offense looked mostly pathetic under the aging Mark Brunell, whom Gibbs was too loyal to. Gibbs switched to the inexperienced 2005 first-round draft pick Jason Campbell a few weeks too late, then lost running back Clinton Portis to a season-ending injury last month.
The Redskins' defense, which has shuffled players in and out in consecutive offseasons, has also faltered after stellar seasons under associate head coach Gregg Williams.
On Thanksgiving eve, Gibbs criticized his players in a team meeting, ordering them to play more smash-mouth, Redskins-brand of football. The Redskins are 2-3 since but have played better as running back Ladell Betts has rushed for 100 yards or more in five straight games for an average of 135.6 yards.
"He addressed the team in a tone that hadn't been done all year," said Rick (Doc) Walker, Gibbs' former tight end who also is a talk show host on WTEM. "They have gotten back to the hard core that is the way Joe coaches. It is not a social club, a country club. It is a work factory."
Change doesn't take place overnight, not even for masterminds like Gibbs. It's taken him almost three seasons just to clean up the mess left behind by predecessor Steve Spurrier.
"I said I was starting all over," Gibbs said in a conference call this week about when he returned to coaching. "I had a lot of great memories. But it really doesn't buy you anything when you are living in the present day and when you are coaching in modern times here."
Now Gibbs, who has two years remaining on his contract, is trying to figure out how to make all the pieces and coaches he has assembled fit and flow. Maybe all Gibbs has to do is be himself and do what he does best.
"Joe has been too judicious in giving out authority," Walker said. "This has to be a dictatorship. He has to be the one voice. (The players) believe in Joe. But Joe has to believe in Joe."
---