Moawad, who has worked with 27 first-round NFL draft picks over the past six years and has studied motivation extensively (his father published seminal texts on motivational techniques), believes Gibbs's success in the NFL and later with NASCAR came from his ability to meld personalities, interact with people and cultivate a winning atmosphere.
Moawad recently asked two of his clients on the Dallas Cowboys -- Drew Henson and Roy Williams -- what makes Parcells so successful, and they told him it went beyond fear tactics. Like Gibbs, Parcells knows how to connect to an individual athlete's attitude and assess what makes him tick.
Joe Gibbs, right, brought back his coaching brain trust, Joe Bugel, left, and Don Breaux, who were instrumental in helping the Redskins capture three Super Bowl championships.
(John Mcdonnell -- The Washington Post)
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"From what I've seen, hearing players talk about this guy and his career," Moawad said of Gibbs, "his emotional intelligence transfers itself very well throughout the years. He understands how to relate to people and that's what I think is the biggest difference between now and 15 years ago; there are a lot of things coaches could do or say in the past and it was just accepted, and now I think in players' minds -- because of the development of the agents and the media and the MTV culture -- it's okay for you to say, 'Hey, I'm not going to be treated like that.' And Joe Gibbs's style, I don't think, is going to be affected by that culture change, because he hasn't made a career out of belittling people; he's made a career out of getting the most out of players."
Pat Williams, senior president of the NBA's Orlando Magic and author of 30 books on motivational and leadership concepts, also is confident in Gibbs. Williams has known Gibbs and Vermeil for more than 20 years and follows their careers closely.
"Joe has their respect and they're going to buy in and I think he'll be an even better coach this time around because of his team-building experiences in NASCAR," Williams said. "Joe wants there to be that sense that when someone leaves this team and has to take off that Redskins jersey for the last time, it's the saddest day of his life. He wants to build that sense of pride and sense of dignity and sense of privilege, like when you strap on a Yankees uniform you are automatically a better player. That's what Joe wants here with a Redskins jersey and they've lost some of that and Joe's been called on to reestablish the tradition and the sense of power that used to radiate through being a Redskin."
Gibbs tends to get animated merely saying the words Washington Redskins. His eyes grow wide and focused, while the veins in his neck bulge just a bit. The tone of his voice implies complete seriousness and his right index finger tends to jut out for emphasis. Many former players have been brought in to speak to the current team.
Since taking the coaching job in January, Gibbs has hammered away at developing the work ethic that he believes led to previous Redskins success. He had a players' lounge at Redskins Park decorated with photos and artifacts of past championship teams and the three Super Bowl trophies displayed there are impossible to miss.
Gibbs addressed the entire team before each offseason workout, often relaying essential nuances about what he demands from players. Once he carried a list of all the players in the room who had spent 12 years in the NFL and told the others to observe the work and study habits of those players to ascertain the secrets to their longevity. What do they have in common? What attitude do they bring to work with them?
"And there are other guys who are pains and give you a hard time and the first chance you have you say, 'Hey, I don't want to deal with the pain and suffering anymore,' you know what I mean? So I try to talk about that a lot because, hey, you're cutting your own throat," Gibbs said.
Tight end Kevin Ware was released just days after being arrested for public intoxication in Houston. The Redskins have avoided signing talented but troublesome players in favor of more stable players such as Brunell, who has a strong reputation throughout the league.
When Gibbs discerned that former Redskins wide receiver James Thrash was available on the trade market in March, he interviewed people throughout the organization looking for information on his personality and approach to his job. Longtime Redskins trainer Bubba Tyer instantly perked up when Thrash's name was mentioned and said the most powerful sentence he possibly could: "That guy's a Redskin, that's what he is."
Thrash's eagerness to learn, supportive, team-first attitude, desire to play hurt and willingness to push himself to the limit in practices earned Tyer's praises, and he was promptly acquired from Philadelphia.
"Joe has always used that term," said offensive coordinator Don Breaux, one of Gibbs's longtime coaching confidants. "Even Bubba Tyer uses that term, and he told us he thought a couple of guys here were Redskins when we first got here [in January] and we knew what he was talking about without expounding on it, because we'd been through it together. So, yeah, we're looking for a lot of Redskins, obviously, because once you have dependability and know what you have, then you can set your game plans and schemes accordingly."
It seems like the message is getting through. Several players used words nearly identical to Gibbs's when asked about what it means to be a Washington Redskin.
"A true Redskin is a dedicated player," cornerback Fred Smoot said, "a guy who is there all the time, everyday, a professional. We're talking about a true athlete; you've got some athletes and then you've got a pure professional who you don't have to worry about them. Hell, they can run the whole defense themselves because they know so much about what's going on. Being a Redskin is being accountable for everything you're doing, being a leader, speaking up for what you believe in and being yourself.
"We're restoring it, man, because it's a privilege to be a Redskin."
The final step in Gibbs's master plan is to keep his players. Gibbs wants to breed cohesion and consistency -- in the team's style of play, identity and personnel -- and hopes to replicate the stability of his past teams despite the realities of a very different NFL.
"Maybe there is a little more [turnover] because of the salary cap and stuff, yes," Gibbs said, "but you've got choices to make there and . . . we're looking for real Redskins, and if somebody is a real Redskin for us we're going to go down swinging before we let him out of here. We will lose somebody, yeah, but there is going to be a core group of guys who are going to be here for a long time and if I didn't think you could do that -- and all of our layouts and cash flows and everything else based on the salary cap tells us we can do that -- that's what I'm going to be fighting for. So I'm not looking for a revolving door; we're looking for players we can build with."
Getting players with the right attitude and work ethic, breeding chemistry among them and making them believe in team concepts much larger than themselves is the heart of Gibbs's message, which he believes will resonate regardless of the wealth, fame and status of his players.
"I'll say it over and over again," Gibbs said. "The thing I am always impressed with -- no matter whether it's business or different kinds of sports -- is human nature doesn't change. People are motivated by most of the same things, and I haven't seen that change over 30 or 40 years. The same things motivate people."
Redskins Note: The Redskins are urging fans to arrive early for today's 1 p.m. kickoff.
