It would
be easy for the locker room to splinter. The defense could look at the offense,
point a finger and say: Why do you keep sending us out on the field in the
fourth quarter. The offense could look right back and say: we gave you a
10-point lead and you couldn't hold it. Why not? And we gave you 35 points
against Tampa Bay -- and you were facing an inexperienced quarterback.
The
chances for divisions are many.
It
hasn't happened.
And
that's a credit to the coaching staff, starting at the top with Joe Gibbs. And
it's why the Redskins have a chance to recover from three straight crushing
losses. Assistant head coach for defense Gregg Williams said one of the things
he's most impressed with by Gibbs is his ability to pick the right people,
surrounding himself with team-first coaches and players.
If you
don't put the team first, you probably don't get a job at Redskins Park.
Privately, players often grumble about one thing or another. Are some peeved by
certain things? Yeah, probably. But the finger pointing, even in private, is
absent.
Trust
me, at Redskins Park under Dan Snyder's ownership -- or in the Norv Turner era
-- that's a rarity.
Maybe
Gibbs won't turn this around. Maybe he needs to find stronger front office
personnel -- someone who can draft well. He's a great coach, but he's not
infallible; not every player thinks he's the best coach they've ever played for.
But
Gibbs has put together the right sort of people. Forget team meetings --
Monday's has had a minimal impact on the players. Why? They take care of
business themselves. If nothing else, they have the right character for
overcoming obstacles.
It's why
the Redskins cling to hope.
