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Dallas Is the Rubber Match of Gibbs 2.0
By Jamie Mottram | December 27, 2007
After all Washington has been through, it’s down to this. Win at home vs. a Dallas team with nothing to play for, and they’re in the playoffs. Lose, and they’re out. Somehow, it’s even bigger than that.
For Joe Gibbs, the outcome determines the foreseeable fate of his second turn in DC: great success or ultimate failure? A win gives them two playoff births in four years. He’d be the savior, and history would be kind. A loss means one postseason in four years of sub-.500 football. He’d be ridiculed for letting the game pass him by.
Considering the Redskins made the playoffs once during Gibbs’ 11-year absence, it needn’t be that drastic, but it will be and large questions arise either way. If they win, should Todd Collins start if Jason Campbell can play? Does it even matter? Yes and yes, because Collins is a man on fire, Campbell’s job will be there for him and no team on a roll is denied a chance of beating Seattle, Dallas and Green Bay. If they lose, will Gibbs return for the final season of his contract? No one knows but him, because the decision is his.
Predictably, I’ve gotten ahead of myself. Hopefully the Redskins don’t make the same easy mistake. Three weeks ago, reeling from the death of Sean Taylor, the loss of Campbell and the reality of 5-7, I never would have thought it possible, but, here they are, ready to reclaim victory. Win and they’re in, not just for the playoffs, but for the eternal graces of time.
One Response to “Dallas Is the Rubber Match of Gibbs 2.0”
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December 27th, 2007 at 11:18 am
The thing about eternal graces is that they are normally not a part of the SportsCenter production meetings.