Joe Gibbs no longer is the Washington Redskins coach, and at a time such as this, it is a shame.
The NFL released its 2008 schedule yesterday, and I miss the opportunity to hear Gibbs issue his complaints about the Redskins slate.
Jim Zorn, who replaced Gibbs, was predictably bland, noting the difficulty of playing three division rivals in the first five weeks.  Zorn also thanked the NFL for sending him “home” to Seattle to play the Seahawks on Nov. 23.
Actually, no thanks were necessary. The NFL scheduling formula gave the Redskins a road game against Seattle, where the Redskins are 0-2 in their past two appearances—both playoff games.
What Zorn didn’t say, and one of the first things Gibbs would have noted, was the December schedule. The Redskins play three of four games in December on the road. And the one home game in that stretch is against Philadelphia. The Eagles don’t mind playing at FedEx. They’ve won seven of the past eight games played there.
Gibbs would have issued complaints about playing three of those first five games against NFC East teams, and if you can, imagine his voice climbing an octave or two as he ended his sentence by saying, “and they’re on the road. On the road.“
But that December schedule would have raised Gibbs’ ire. He undoubtedly would have been reminded of how well his teams have played in December. And he wouldn’t have been the least bit impressed.
The Redskins do face certain challenges with this schedule. They open the season in a Thursday night game against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants, in Giants Stadium. Despite their late-season victory in Giants Stadium last year, the Redskins have not fared well in the Meadowlands.
Zorn faces a large challenge in getting through those first five games. The Cowboys handled the Redskins easily in Dallas last season, and Philadelphia hardly offers a friendly environment. The Redskins have had some road success there, though.
The Redskins two home games in that opening stretch might be “trap” games. New Orleans will be attempting to bounce back after a disappointing 2007. The Redskins were fortunate to escape with a victory at home against Arizona last season. The Cardinals figure to be even better in 2008 in their second year under head coach Ken Whisenhunt.
On the surface, the Redskins 2008 season doesn’t look that difficult. They play six games against 2007 playoff teams. A bigger problem is that New Orleans, Arizona, Cleveland, Philadelphia and maybe Baltimore and Cincinnati could be in the thick of the playoff race in 2008.
And as my co-worker George Templeton just pointed out, November could be a real grind for the Redskins as well. They have a Monday night game against Pittsburgh, a bye, a Sunday night game against Dallas and then travel to Seattle. They come back from Seattle to play at home against the Giants.
That, folks, is not easy, as Joe Gibbs would have pointed out. But instead of getting upset and worried about the schedule, chances are that when Gibbs, now comfortably situated in Charlotte with his NASCAR teams, simply smiled when he saw it and thought one more time, “That’s another reason I got out of coaching.“