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Jimcs50
08-09-2004, 11:42 AM
Associated Press
CANTON, Ohio -- Preseason games don't get any juicier than this.




Joe Gibbs coaches his first NFL game in 12 years, returning from NASCAR to lead the Washington Redskins. Clinton Portis and Champ Bailey, traded for each other in one of the biggest football deals in recent memory, square off immediately.


And with their first Hall of Famer, John Elway, in the audience, the Denver Broncos try to make it a perfect weekend for the franchise.


Not bad for the kickoff to the NFL's exhibition season.


Gibbs, himself a member of the Hall after coaching the Redskins to three championships, not surprisingly is taking a business-first approach to Monday night's game.


"We'll just treat it as our first go-around working against another team," he said. "It will be good from that standpoint. We are a new staff, it'll probably take us an extra game or two in preseason to get a feel for some of the problems that we will have going through our first game. And you know, through that standpoint I'm looking at it as a positive thing."


Gibbs will have plenty of adjustments to make, beginning with the challenge system for replays, and including the coach-quarterback transmitter for relaying plays to the huddle. He's never worked with either.


"I practiced it," he said of the transmitter. "The first thing you do is you start off and hit the button and you go, 'You idiot!'


"The bad thing is they shut it off with 15 seconds to go."


Actually, though, Gibbs likes it.


"I think it's much more efficient. It's quicker," he said.


"The hand-signal thing really drives you crazy. Somebody picking something up, you're constantly worried about that. I think this is a much better system. I think it speeds play-calling up. I'm just glad they can't talk back to me: 'You idiot. Why did you call that?'"


As for replay, Gibbs admitted, "That's going to be different for me. You're going to have to make decisions, and some of those decisions are 'Can you appeal this play or can't you?'"


Providing Gibbs with something of a comfort zone will be Clinton Portis. Gibbs' strong Redskins teams were predicated on a balanced offense featuring one ball carrier. That guy will be Portis, the 2002 Offensive Rookie of the Year who rushed for 1,591 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.


Portis doesn't expect to see a lot of time Monday night, particularly with the Redskins having an extra preseason game this summer.


Still, Portis wouldn't mind one breakaway run against Denver, preferably with star cornerback Bailey chasing him.


"It's somewhere in the back of my mind that if I go out and get one carry for 85 yards, I probably haven't got to play anymore that game," Portis said. "I'm just hoping I get one carry for 85 yards."


That's not what Bailey wants to see, of course. After the Redskins traded him to Denver for Portis in March, Bailey doesn't mind facing Washington immediately.


"How ironic? Like they really made that mistake," he said. "It's good for me to play it. I get to see a lot of my old teammates.


"We take it serious, but we aren't going to be out there that long. We'll get our work in and see how it goes. It doesn't count until September."


Yet, maybe it counts a little more for the Broncos, who would like to put on a good show in front of their greatest player. Elway was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday along with Barry Sanders, Carl Eller and Bob Brown.


"I just get real excited because of John the person," said receiver Rod Smith, one of Elway's prime targets through the years. "He taught me a lot and I just have so much respect for him as a person, as a man, as a businessman, and on top of that he was a great football player. That's the only place he should end up. First ballot for sure, and the best to ever play the game."

Jimcs50
08-09-2004, 11:44 AM
Joe Gibbs is only the second coach to coach in the HOF game when he was also a current member of the Hall of Fame.


Who was the other? Anyone?

bigzak25
08-09-2004, 11:57 AM
i don't know the answer, but i'm fucking pumped up for tonight....just to see Joe on the sideline again....oh man....

as for the game, i just hope we stay healthy....wouldn't mind beating champ deep and seeing something from our backup running backs....like rock. it will be interesting to see how bad our D line is or if we can get any pressure with them....i don't expect to see many blitzes in the preseason, but hell, you never know.....

We'll see dallas in about 7 weeks on monday night. R U Ready 4 Some Football!!??!! :smokin2

SAmikeyp
08-09-2004, 12:18 PM
I am just glad to have football back.

Joe Gibbs by himself is worth three more wins. I know a lot of Redskin fans had respect for Tom Landry. The same is for Cowboy fans about Joe Gibbs. Despite the dislike for the team...a lot fans I know always had a healthy respect for Gibbs. When you win 3 super bowls with 3 different QB's, you are doing something right.

Jimcs50
08-09-2004, 12:35 PM
Yes Mikey, I like old stone face Landry too....he got a raw deal by Jones IMO.

Jimcs50
08-09-2004, 04:37 PM
it will be interesting to see how bad our D line is

Alas, it has never been near as good as when we had Mann and Manley at the ends.:(

bigzak25
08-09-2004, 04:53 PM
we are crossing our fingers in that dept. Jim, but Williams will be bringing the heat with Washington and Lavar, and maybe a little bit of Taylor.

Hopefully they can hold up against the run and keep the bodies off our linebackers....

there is a rumor that portis won't play tonight as he needs to rest a sore groin, insert joke here......but i have a hard time believing he won't play at least a series though....

DuffMcCartney
08-09-2004, 05:25 PM
The Redskins D-line still sucks balls. They won't get near sacking the QB anytime this year. I think I saw on ESPN that nobody on the D Line got more than 3.5 sacks last year, simply pathetic.

Joe Chalupa
08-09-2004, 05:52 PM
I'm ready for some college football!

How 'bout them Buckeyes!! http://graphics.ocsn.com/confs/big10/graphics/big10-04-top-osu.gif

scott
08-09-2004, 07:31 PM
I'm excited to see Tatum Bell in action tonight.

T Park Num 9
08-10-2004, 01:10 AM
answer Jim,


Paul Brown.



Bad luck for Washington, loosing Jon Jansen I believe it is, for the year torn achillies.


great to see football on tonight, it means fall is around the corner, my favorite time of year.


Spurs start up, baseball is in the playoffs, football is going.


Great time of year coming up.

Right now, August, its hot, and we have to wait for more football, and get through the freakin dog days.

August in Sacramento California, sucks balls.

Jimcs50
08-10-2004, 01:12 AM
TPark, you win the trivia contest.....I knew you would, big guy. Congrats.....I am so upset at losing our best offensive lineman.... Gibbs can't catch a break.:(

T Park Num 9
08-10-2004, 04:49 AM
damn right I did.:fro


Yeah that blows, loosing one of the best players on the team in the first exhibition game.

Felt bad for him, as he was getting wheeled out.