Jimcs50
09-27-2004, 11:02 AM
Two classic rivals back in the spotlight
By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells will be separated by the width of the field, but they'll go headset-to-headset Monday night in a duel of coaches who've won five Super Bowls — and come back for more. Never mind Gibbs' Washington Redskins and Parcells' Dallas Cowboys are both 1-1. Coaching may be more important than ever in this era of the salary cap, free agency and roster shakeups. Gibbs vs. Parcells is as good as the chess game gets.
Joe Gibbs' Redskins come into Monday night's battle with Bill Parcells' Cowboys with a 1-1 record.
By Evan Vucci, AP
These 63-year-olds have put the juice back into a once-hot rivalry that has needed a spike. Dallas has won 12 of the last 13 games. (Related item: Gibbs vs. Parcells)
"You're talking about two of the top coaches in the history of the NFL," ABC broadcaster John Madden says. "Parcells will one day be in the Hall of Fame. Joe Gibbs is a Hall of a Fame coach, so that's where you start."
Sure, the matchup at FedEx Field will have a different cast from the 1980s, when Gibbs' Redskins (John Riggins, Joe Theismann and Co.) battled Parcells' New York Giants (Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, et al.).
In 17 games from 1983-90, Parcells won 11 and Gibbs six.
"I'd say he got the best of it. ... I'm not sure we ever beat them," says Gibbs, who won three Super Bowls to Parcells' two.
Parcells says nearly all those games "could have gone either way" and are irrelevant anyway. "It's a different time, it's a different place, it's a different circumstance," says Parcells, in his second year in Dallas and fourth stop as an NFL head coach.
"It's not even the same stadium," he adds, recalling RFK Stadium.
Gibbs rejoined the Redskins this season after an 11-year hiatus in which he directed a championship-caliber NASCAR racing team.
"Hey, I'm starting over, and the past really doesn't buy me anything but a lot of great memories and great relationships," he says.
But the Gibbs-Parcells hype is there. They aren't doing network pregame shows anymore.
"These coaches, these teams. ... As a player, as a coach, as a fan, you can't ask for anything more," Cowboys tight end Dan Campbell says. "I love it, man. I do, and I'm playing in it!"
Washington defensive tackle Brandon Noble, a Virginian who grew up rooting for the Redskins, knows the rivalry from both sides. "This is the big one," Noble says. "I played four years in Dallas, so I understand what this is about. ... It's kind of a rebirth of both franchises. I think this is going to be the start of a renewal of the rivalry."
Coach needs to be first class
The New England Patriots have won two of the last three Super Bowls under coach Bill Belichick, a former Parcells lieutenant now hailed as a difference-maker.
Dick Vermeil came out of a 14-season retirement and led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title in the 1999 season. Madden, who coached the Oakland Raiders from 1969-78 and won a Super Bowl, buys the theory coaching is more critical than ever. He cites two factors.
"One is with free agency and teams changing every year. ... You have to get a new team ready every year," Madden says. "More importantly ... you have to get them ready quickly."
He also says that while there's a salary cap on players, there isn't one on coaches: "So if there's any place where you can, as an owner, buy an advantage, it's the coach."
Gibbs rejoined the Redskins for a five-year contract reportedly worth $28 million. Parcells' four-year deal with Dallas reportedly is worth $17.1 million.
Parcells on whether coaching is more critical: "I think it's important. I don't think it's above ... the quality and character of players."
Gibbs was asked last week whether a 20-14 loss to the New York Giants, in which Washington had seven turnovers, might create a better understanding that turning things around won't be easy even with a Hall of Fame coach. "I'm kind of fed up with that," said Gibbs, whose team opened by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "Players make the difference, and making great plays makes the difference."
But Parcells' record attests to what a coach can mean.
In his second year with the Jets in 1998, he went 12-4 and reached the AFC Championship Game with a team that was 1-15 two years earlier.
When he took over the Patriots in 1993, they had just gone 2-14. Within two years, they went 10-6 and made the playoffs.
In Dallas last year, with the Cowboys coming off three consecutive 5-11 seasons, he went 10-6 and made the playoffs.
Gibbs took over a Redskins team that was 5-11 last season under Steve Spurrier.
But Dallas linebacker Dexter Coakley knows what Gibbs can do. Coakley grew up in Mount Pleasant, S.C., before the Carolina Panthers existed, when Washington was the regional favorite in the Carolinas.
"When you saw the Cowboys and Redskins play, you knew what kind of game you were going to get," Coakley says.
"Joe Gibbs ... on the sideline with like a red sweater on and he'd have a baseball cap, and he had those guys ready to play."
Coakley on tonight: "This is going to be a huge rivalry with Coach Parcells coming back and setting the standard. ... I know the Redskins feel like they can do the same thing. ... They've got a new coach, a legendary coach, and he doesn't like to lose."
'Some real lessons'
No, Gibbs doesn't especially like that his team lost to the Giants.
In deciding to return, Gibbs prayed for guidance. His faith still guides him.
"Obviously, there have been some older coaches come back and meet with bitter disappointments," he says. "That could very well be what I'm in for. When you go someplace where you think you're supposed to be, and the Lord, I think, wants you to be, it could be to get some real lessons and get some real adversity."
Redskins star linebacker Lavar Arrington had arthroscopic knee surgery last week and is out.
Veteran quarterback Mark Brunell will start despite last week's hamstring injury. Gibbs' next option is third-year quarterback Patrick Ramsey, intercepted three times against New York.
"It's always been kind of a life-and-death struggle," Gibbs says of the rivalry.
Running back Clinton Portis, whom the Redskins acquired via free agency from the Denver Broncos, quickly learned about the rivalry.
"When I was (in college) in Miami, I didn't think too many games could get more exciting than playing (Virginia Tech) or playing Florida State. Then I get to Denver and all you hear is Oakland or Kansas City," Portis says. "Then you come here and everybody is like, 'I don't give a damn if you don't win (another game). We've got to beat Dallas.' "
When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was seeking a coach in 1998, he phoned Gibbs for guidance. Gibbs says Jones asked, sort of, whether he was interested in the job.
"I think somewhere in there he kind of joked about it," Gibbs says.
He didn't take it seriously: "I puke when I see blue.":lol
Gibbs was wooed back by Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.
Like Jones, Snyder's been one of the high-profile owners. Since acquiring the Redskins in 1999, he's on his fifth coach.
Jones and Snyder now take a backseat to Gibbs and Parcells.
But Gibbs lauds Snyder for his role in helping round up a coaching staff and free agents. "Every single thing that Dan could do, he's done," Gibbs says. "It's up to me to try and do my job."
Parcells, whose team lost to the Minnesota Vikings to open the season and beat the Cleveland Browns last week, has hit bumps, too.
Although quarterback Vinny Testaverde has passed for 677 yards in two games, he's 40. He became the starter after the surprise release of Quincy Carter early in camp. Rookie running back Julius Jones suffered a broken shoulder blade last week. So Parcells, like Gibbs, isn't focused on history.
"I think he (Gibbs) is one of the great coaches that ever coached," Parcells says. "That being said, I've been through too much. It's the first division game, it happens to be on the road, Monday night, and that's about the extent of it."
ABC has taken another approach in a week of promos: "Parcells and the Cowboys. Gibbs and the Redskins. Monday Night Football."
Gibbs vs. Parcells: Monday night matchup
Joe Gibbs Category Bill Parcells
63, Mocksville, N.C. Age, birthplace 63, Englewood, N.J.
Five years, $28 million (reported by The Washington Post) Salary Four years, $17.1 million (The Dallas Morning News)
Tight end, linebacker, guard, San Diego State 1964-66 College football career Linebacker, Wichita State 1961-63; 7th-round pick of Detroit in 1964, cut in camp
Graduate assistant, San Diego State, 1964 First coaching job Defensive assistant, Hastings College, 1964
Backfield coach, St. Louis Cardinals, 1973 First NFL coaching job Assistant, N.Y. Giants, 1979, quit before season; linebackers coach, New England, 1980
13th
Washington, 1981-92, returned 2004 Seasons as NFL head coach 17th
N.Y. Giants, 1983-90; New England, 1993-96; N.Y. Jets, 1997-99; Dallas, 2003-present
125-61-0 NFL regular-season record 149-107-1
16-5 NFL postseason record 11-7
3 of 4 Super Bowls won 2 of 3
Only coach to win three Super Bowls with three different starting QBs Unique NFL stat Only coach to lead four different teams into the playoffs
Inducted, 1996 Hall of Fame status Finalist, 2002
Diabetes Medical status Heart bypass surgery, 1992
NFL analyst, NBC TV work NFL analyst, NBC and ESPN
By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Joe Gibbs and Bill Parcells will be separated by the width of the field, but they'll go headset-to-headset Monday night in a duel of coaches who've won five Super Bowls — and come back for more. Never mind Gibbs' Washington Redskins and Parcells' Dallas Cowboys are both 1-1. Coaching may be more important than ever in this era of the salary cap, free agency and roster shakeups. Gibbs vs. Parcells is as good as the chess game gets.
Joe Gibbs' Redskins come into Monday night's battle with Bill Parcells' Cowboys with a 1-1 record.
By Evan Vucci, AP
These 63-year-olds have put the juice back into a once-hot rivalry that has needed a spike. Dallas has won 12 of the last 13 games. (Related item: Gibbs vs. Parcells)
"You're talking about two of the top coaches in the history of the NFL," ABC broadcaster John Madden says. "Parcells will one day be in the Hall of Fame. Joe Gibbs is a Hall of a Fame coach, so that's where you start."
Sure, the matchup at FedEx Field will have a different cast from the 1980s, when Gibbs' Redskins (John Riggins, Joe Theismann and Co.) battled Parcells' New York Giants (Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, et al.).
In 17 games from 1983-90, Parcells won 11 and Gibbs six.
"I'd say he got the best of it. ... I'm not sure we ever beat them," says Gibbs, who won three Super Bowls to Parcells' two.
Parcells says nearly all those games "could have gone either way" and are irrelevant anyway. "It's a different time, it's a different place, it's a different circumstance," says Parcells, in his second year in Dallas and fourth stop as an NFL head coach.
"It's not even the same stadium," he adds, recalling RFK Stadium.
Gibbs rejoined the Redskins this season after an 11-year hiatus in which he directed a championship-caliber NASCAR racing team.
"Hey, I'm starting over, and the past really doesn't buy me anything but a lot of great memories and great relationships," he says.
But the Gibbs-Parcells hype is there. They aren't doing network pregame shows anymore.
"These coaches, these teams. ... As a player, as a coach, as a fan, you can't ask for anything more," Cowboys tight end Dan Campbell says. "I love it, man. I do, and I'm playing in it!"
Washington defensive tackle Brandon Noble, a Virginian who grew up rooting for the Redskins, knows the rivalry from both sides. "This is the big one," Noble says. "I played four years in Dallas, so I understand what this is about. ... It's kind of a rebirth of both franchises. I think this is going to be the start of a renewal of the rivalry."
Coach needs to be first class
The New England Patriots have won two of the last three Super Bowls under coach Bill Belichick, a former Parcells lieutenant now hailed as a difference-maker.
Dick Vermeil came out of a 14-season retirement and led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title in the 1999 season. Madden, who coached the Oakland Raiders from 1969-78 and won a Super Bowl, buys the theory coaching is more critical than ever. He cites two factors.
"One is with free agency and teams changing every year. ... You have to get a new team ready every year," Madden says. "More importantly ... you have to get them ready quickly."
He also says that while there's a salary cap on players, there isn't one on coaches: "So if there's any place where you can, as an owner, buy an advantage, it's the coach."
Gibbs rejoined the Redskins for a five-year contract reportedly worth $28 million. Parcells' four-year deal with Dallas reportedly is worth $17.1 million.
Parcells on whether coaching is more critical: "I think it's important. I don't think it's above ... the quality and character of players."
Gibbs was asked last week whether a 20-14 loss to the New York Giants, in which Washington had seven turnovers, might create a better understanding that turning things around won't be easy even with a Hall of Fame coach. "I'm kind of fed up with that," said Gibbs, whose team opened by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "Players make the difference, and making great plays makes the difference."
But Parcells' record attests to what a coach can mean.
In his second year with the Jets in 1998, he went 12-4 and reached the AFC Championship Game with a team that was 1-15 two years earlier.
When he took over the Patriots in 1993, they had just gone 2-14. Within two years, they went 10-6 and made the playoffs.
In Dallas last year, with the Cowboys coming off three consecutive 5-11 seasons, he went 10-6 and made the playoffs.
Gibbs took over a Redskins team that was 5-11 last season under Steve Spurrier.
But Dallas linebacker Dexter Coakley knows what Gibbs can do. Coakley grew up in Mount Pleasant, S.C., before the Carolina Panthers existed, when Washington was the regional favorite in the Carolinas.
"When you saw the Cowboys and Redskins play, you knew what kind of game you were going to get," Coakley says.
"Joe Gibbs ... on the sideline with like a red sweater on and he'd have a baseball cap, and he had those guys ready to play."
Coakley on tonight: "This is going to be a huge rivalry with Coach Parcells coming back and setting the standard. ... I know the Redskins feel like they can do the same thing. ... They've got a new coach, a legendary coach, and he doesn't like to lose."
'Some real lessons'
No, Gibbs doesn't especially like that his team lost to the Giants.
In deciding to return, Gibbs prayed for guidance. His faith still guides him.
"Obviously, there have been some older coaches come back and meet with bitter disappointments," he says. "That could very well be what I'm in for. When you go someplace where you think you're supposed to be, and the Lord, I think, wants you to be, it could be to get some real lessons and get some real adversity."
Redskins star linebacker Lavar Arrington had arthroscopic knee surgery last week and is out.
Veteran quarterback Mark Brunell will start despite last week's hamstring injury. Gibbs' next option is third-year quarterback Patrick Ramsey, intercepted three times against New York.
"It's always been kind of a life-and-death struggle," Gibbs says of the rivalry.
Running back Clinton Portis, whom the Redskins acquired via free agency from the Denver Broncos, quickly learned about the rivalry.
"When I was (in college) in Miami, I didn't think too many games could get more exciting than playing (Virginia Tech) or playing Florida State. Then I get to Denver and all you hear is Oakland or Kansas City," Portis says. "Then you come here and everybody is like, 'I don't give a damn if you don't win (another game). We've got to beat Dallas.' "
When Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was seeking a coach in 1998, he phoned Gibbs for guidance. Gibbs says Jones asked, sort of, whether he was interested in the job.
"I think somewhere in there he kind of joked about it," Gibbs says.
He didn't take it seriously: "I puke when I see blue.":lol
Gibbs was wooed back by Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.
Like Jones, Snyder's been one of the high-profile owners. Since acquiring the Redskins in 1999, he's on his fifth coach.
Jones and Snyder now take a backseat to Gibbs and Parcells.
But Gibbs lauds Snyder for his role in helping round up a coaching staff and free agents. "Every single thing that Dan could do, he's done," Gibbs says. "It's up to me to try and do my job."
Parcells, whose team lost to the Minnesota Vikings to open the season and beat the Cleveland Browns last week, has hit bumps, too.
Although quarterback Vinny Testaverde has passed for 677 yards in two games, he's 40. He became the starter after the surprise release of Quincy Carter early in camp. Rookie running back Julius Jones suffered a broken shoulder blade last week. So Parcells, like Gibbs, isn't focused on history.
"I think he (Gibbs) is one of the great coaches that ever coached," Parcells says. "That being said, I've been through too much. It's the first division game, it happens to be on the road, Monday night, and that's about the extent of it."
ABC has taken another approach in a week of promos: "Parcells and the Cowboys. Gibbs and the Redskins. Monday Night Football."
Gibbs vs. Parcells: Monday night matchup
Joe Gibbs Category Bill Parcells
63, Mocksville, N.C. Age, birthplace 63, Englewood, N.J.
Five years, $28 million (reported by The Washington Post) Salary Four years, $17.1 million (The Dallas Morning News)
Tight end, linebacker, guard, San Diego State 1964-66 College football career Linebacker, Wichita State 1961-63; 7th-round pick of Detroit in 1964, cut in camp
Graduate assistant, San Diego State, 1964 First coaching job Defensive assistant, Hastings College, 1964
Backfield coach, St. Louis Cardinals, 1973 First NFL coaching job Assistant, N.Y. Giants, 1979, quit before season; linebackers coach, New England, 1980
13th
Washington, 1981-92, returned 2004 Seasons as NFL head coach 17th
N.Y. Giants, 1983-90; New England, 1993-96; N.Y. Jets, 1997-99; Dallas, 2003-present
125-61-0 NFL regular-season record 149-107-1
16-5 NFL postseason record 11-7
3 of 4 Super Bowls won 2 of 3
Only coach to win three Super Bowls with three different starting QBs Unique NFL stat Only coach to lead four different teams into the playoffs
Inducted, 1996 Hall of Fame status Finalist, 2002
Diabetes Medical status Heart bypass surgery, 1992
NFL analyst, NBC TV work NFL analyst, NBC and ESPN