KAPALUA, Hawaii, March 23 -- Joe Gibbs tucked into a breakfast of oatmeal and an egg-white omelet, a healthy change for him in his second go-round as the Washington Redskins coach.
But Gibbs hasn't changed that much. He still doesn't make predictions for any NFL season. And he still has confidence in his coaching ability, reiterating that he will be able to revitalize the team.
Joe Gibbs said he is rested and ready to lead the Redskins this season.
(Jonathan Newton - The Washington Post)
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"Oh, yeah," said the Redskins coach, who is attending the annual NFL owners' meetings. "I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. I'm real relaxed about it. . . . How would you like to sit around the rest of your life saying, 'I felt like I was supposed to do that, but I was too scared to do it?' . . . I wouldn't be there if I didn't think [a Super Bowl victory] is possible. It will be super hard . . . but that's what you're trying to do, that's what motivates us."
But Gibbs admitted that a 6-10 finish after 12 seasons away from the sidelines was "real hard. Some of these coaches around here did better than I did. You need to get to know your people, try to get your team in what you think is the right mental attitude. Some people weren't in the first year."
Gibbs said he believes that will not be the case this season with 57 players participating in the offseason workout program at Redskins Park. Gibbs said he also is encouraged by the progress of several key players who missed all or parts of last season because of injuries, including offensive tackle Jon Jansen, linebacker LaVar Arrington, safety Matt Bowen and middle linebacker Mike Barrow.
His major disappointment last year involved an offense that didn't start to show signs of life until the final six games. The improvement coincided with his decision to start Patrick Ramsey at quarterback over Mark Brunell. That's how the team will go to training camp, as well, though Gibbs maintained again that he believes Brunell can still be of great value to the franchise.
"The team was not as good around Mark as it was [with Ramsey] toward the end of the year," Gibbs said. "The quarterback thing is so sensitive. We were struggling at right tackle, we were not as good up front. The fan reaction you live with. They want the next guy, and then they want the next guy if things aren't going well. We felt like in the preseason, Mark earned it. In general, I'm not a quick-trigger guy. In the second game against the Giants, his hamstring was black. But he played with it."
Ramsey's poor play in preseason last year remains a mystery to Gibbs, who said he liked what he saw of the third-year quarterback when he eventually took over.
"He's very smart. He has a real good arm," Gibbs said. "Even though Patrick lost the first two games, he was very poised. He made a statement, and after those games we did start playing better. You want a young guy like that to continue to improve and he's got a lot of improvement he can make and he needs to keep doing that.
"He's a good decision-maker. When we first got Doug Williams when I was in Tampa, he threw everything through a wall. When he came back [to Washington], he was an unbelievable passer. He could still whooosh it, but he could also throw over the top. To be a good passer, you have to take something off it, take a delicate approach. That needs to continue with Patrick."
Gibbs also reiterated he is happy with his relationship with owner Daniel Snyder, who convinced him to come back and sign a five-year, $25 million contract that Gibbs said he intends to honor.
"Dan Snyder could not be better," he said. "He wants to win. I haven't gotten the job done, he's gotten the job done. We do everything together, and everyone is on the same page together. . . . We went through some tough stuff, and he was like a rock. One thing about football -- you'll get tested, and we certainly got tested. But the thing about our football team is that we had some of the toughest losses anyone could have, and we came back at the end of the year and kept fighting.
"My wife Pat said when I decided to do this: 'You're gonna ruin your good name.' I told her yesterday, 'Hey, we're already halfway there.' "
