Redskins-Cowboys rivalry has extra twist

[Jimcs50]

Redskins-Cowboys rivalry has extra twist
Veteran coaches Gibbs, Parcells take center stage
By JOHN MCCLAIN
The buzz in Washington today will become pandemonium Monday.

Politics may make strange bedfellows, but for one night at least, the politicians will be in bed together. The Bush and Kerry camps will stop the mudslinging. Republicans will cheer with Democrats. Lobbyists will stop the arm-twisting. Those howling network talk-show hosts will be silent.

In three days, Washington will not be divided by race, wealth or political parties. The nation's capital will be united for a common cause — to watch Joe Gibbs lead the Redskins to a victory over Bill Parcells and the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

Nothing unifies Washington like the Redskins, and when Dallas is the opponent, the snarling and sniping are directed at the Cowboys rather than each other.

This prime-time matchup will center on the coaches more than the players, and rightfully so. Gibbs and Parcells are among the greatest coaches in history, but that's about all they have in common.

Gibbs is painstaking and polite, a brilliant offensive tactician with three Super Bowl rings and a permanent place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Parcells is arrogant and condescending, a motivational mastermind with two Super Bowl rings and a reservation at the Hall of Fame.


Sizing up the two
Gibbs' greatness comes from his strategic superiority on offense. Parcells' greatness comes from his ability to get more out of players than other coaches.

Parcells knows a lot more about offense than Gibbs does defense. Parcells is also a lot more involved in the draft.

Players respect Gibbs. They respect and fear Parcells. Gibbs is uncomfortable in the spotlight. Parcells welcomes it.

So who's the better coach? Well, let's put it like this: It's no contest in head-to-head compe ion.

Although Gibbs won 140 games in his first 12 seasons (1981-92) with the Redskins, he was 6-11 against Parcells when the Tuna coached the Giants (1983-90). Parcells owns a six-game winning streak over Gibbs, dating back to when they played twice a season in the NFC East.

"It was a tremendous rivalry," Parcells said this week about the Giants and Redskins. "It was a very good division at the time. The teams were very talented, with Hall of Fame players on both sides. But that being said, it's been almost two decades. It's a different time, a different place, different cir stances, so it's not the same. It's not even the same stadium."

A crowd of more than 92,000 will watch the game at Fed-Ex Field, where the Redskins will try to change recent history. Dallas has won 12 of the last 13 games between the two, and since that Dallas domination began in 1997, the only coach to defeat the Cowboys was Steve Spurrier.

After Spurrier was fired and Gibbs was hired, Parcells sent him a congratulatory e-mail. They haven't been in contact since. There's no animosity between them. They just admire each other from afar.

"Listen, this game's big enough for both teams," Parcells said. "Anybody who's been in football knows how I feel about this guy. He's outstanding. I like him personally. I think he's one of the great coaches who has ever coached the game."

But no matter how great Gibbs is, no matter how many Super Bowl rings he owns, no matter how many NASCAR races his teams have won, he's still more comfortable in the background — a workaholic who prefers formulating game plans over conducting news conferences.

It's difficult to understand how Gibbs can be surprised at the attention his return has generated. At one point, he apologized to his players for getting so much attention. This week, he reached the boiling point.

"I'm kind of fed up with that," Gibbs said about the media attention. "Really and truly, I'm starting over. To think that the coach is going to make a huge difference? Players make a difference."


Turnovers agonizing
Gibbs' players made a difference in Sunday's loss to the Giants in which they committed seven turnovers — a record for a Gibbs team.

Those close to him say Gibbs cringes when he thinks about eight turnovers in two games. His 1983 team — the highest-scoring team in history at the time — committed only 18 turnovers in a season that ended with a Super Bowl loss to the Raiders.

Gibbs is trying to do this season what Parcells did last season — turn a 5-11 loser into a winner. The Cowboys made the playoffs in Parcells' first season. It's too early to tell how far Gibbs can take the Redskins, but we may have a better indication after Monday's game.

No matter what happens to Gibbs in his second coronation as the Redskins' coach, nothing can tarnish his legacy in Washington. Bush and Kerry better be glad Gibbs doesn't want to be president.

John McClain covers the NFL for the Chronicle.

[email protected].

McClain's Picks
America's Line McClain's pick
Houston (0-2) plus-7 1/2 at Kansas City (0-2) Chiefs 23-17
Pittsburgh (1-1) plus-1 at Miami (0-2) Dolphins 17-14
Jacksonville (2-0) plus-6 at Tennessee (1-1) ans 17-13
Cleveland (1-1) plus-3 at NY Giants (1-1) Giants 21-20
Baltimore (1-1) minus-3 at Cincinnati (1-1) Ravens 20-19
New Orleans (1-1) plus-7 at St. Louis (1-1) Rams 30-27
Chicago (1-1) plus-9 at Minnesota (1-1) Vikings 33-20
Philadelphia (2-0) minus-4 1/2 at Detroit (2-0) Eagles 23-20
Arizona (0-2) plus-10 at Atlanta (2-0) Falcons 24-10
San Diego (1-1) plus-10 at Denver (1-1) Broncos 24-17
Green Bay (1-1) plus-6 at Indianapolis (1-1) Colts 27-24
San Francisco (0-2) plus-10 at Seattle (2-0) Seahawks 30-23
Tampa Bay (0-2) plus-3 at Oakland (1-1) Raiders 14-13
Dallas (1-1) plus-2 1/2 at Washington (1-1) Redskins 20-16

[SAmikeyp]

IMO, this is the best rivalry in pro football.

Anyone agree? if not, what is?

also where does it rank in pro sports rivalries?

I think right behind Yankees-Sox

[Jimcs50]

George Allen can be thanked for this rivalry.

[SAmikeyp]

He was a big part of it..even though he coached Washington...I always liked him.

The seeds of this rivalry were planted in the late 50's. George Preston Marshall, the owner of the Redskins at the time was vehemetly opposed to NFL expansion into the south. He was against integrating the league with African-American players and has a reputation as a racist. When Clint Murchison's ownership group was working with the NFL to bring a team to Dallas, Marshall fought it tooth and nail and started to work up opposition to the expansion effort. To retaliate against Marshall's efforts, Murchison purchased the rights to the song "Hail to the Redskins" and would not allow it to be played at Redskins games. Marshall quieted his opposition and the expansion deal went through.

[tlongII]

How can this be a rivalry if both teams SUCK?
:Q
Maybe back in the 80's, but not any more.

[SAmikeyp]

in rivalries, records are irrelevant. Fans keep it alive. Much like "The Civil War" in Oregon. For years both those teams were terrible. Some years OSU was bad, some years Oregon sucked....but the intensity never dies.