Joe Gibbs is a man of integrity, committment, and faith. He’s as consummate of a professional as you will ever find among the NFL coaching ranks. His character and personality bleed into his work which grants him the ultimate respect that he deserves from his peers and players.

Gibbs is getting a lot of criticism and flack from supposedly “die-hard” Skins fans and the local media because Washington isn’t playing well. They’re 5-4 and 3 games behind Dallas which means they are only one game behind second-place NY. It could be worse. Just ask Miami.

Many are wondering if these last four years since his return to the NFL have been a wash.

I believe the answer is no.

He’s compiled a record of 26-31 since he returned in 2004 up to last week’s let down vs. Philly, and that includes one trip to the playoffs in 2005 where Washington lost to Seattle. When you consider how long he was out of the league (eleven years) and how much the game has transformed since 1992, I think Gibbs has done a very admirable job dealing with the daily grind, putting up with today’s egos that fill every NFL roster, and stomaching the inconsistency of his offense.

In a way, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Gibbs can handle all this due to his ethics and the way he’s wired physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I think the more amazing aspect of his “second coming” is that he chooses to do it at 66 years old (he’ll be 67 on the 25th!)

You have to give him credit for coaching a team with Clinton Portis first of all. Portis, in my opinion, is the most overrated running back in the NFL. He seems to succumb to the smallest of injuries, can’t hit the gaps consistently, and seems to be lacking the speed and power that he displayed in Denver and when he first arrived in Skins Country. I also don’t think there’s another NFL player out there that disrespects the league, his team, and himself more than Portis. We’re talking about a guy who continuously does interviews with reporters dressed as different characters that have huge homosexual overtones and scream, “Aren’t I the S**T!”

His character combined with that of Joe Gibbs is more of a mismatch than that of Bill Parcells and Terrell Owens by fourteen football fields. I don’t know how he does it.

The Skins offense is comprised of a decimated O-line, sub-par receivers, a project QB, and Portis. Statistically, their defense is pretty sound and has the potential of being very good especially if they can keep their secondary healthy.

Finding the chemistry and creating a well-oiled machine is a huge project to undertake for Gibbs and I’m not entirely sure that he’ll see the finished product. Even at his age, he continues to maintain the same rigorous daily schedule as he did when he first started in 1981.

I don’t think Gibbs has been a failure, but today’s game is all about how many W’s are in the pocket at the end of the season and how much money is in the bank account. For this reason alone, it would not surprise me to see someone else come in next year if Washington doesn’t make the playoffs, and the match-up problems with Dallas Sunday could begin the trek to that reality.

As a Cowboys fan, I love seeing Washington suffer. As a human being, I think Gibbs deserves better, and I can’t think of a better man to carry on his legacy and build on his foundation comprised of character and humility than Bill Cowher.

Other notes and observations entering Game 11:

• When most people think of this historical rivalry, it’s hard to not think of the nail-biter in 1979 when Roger Staubach engineered one of the most dramatic come-from-behind victories of his career and in NFL history. Dallas won the division and knocked Washington out of the playoffs 35-34 on Staubach’s TD pass to Tony Hill with 39 seconds remaining. The TD right before this one was a 26-yard TD pass to rookie RB Ron Springs. Twenty-seven years and 333 days later, Ron Springs, 50, lies in a coma while Dallas plays Washington at home. His son, Shawn Springs, plays CB for Washington and says that he has accepted the reality that his dad may never wake up and is already in a “better place.”
• Tony Romo’s #9 jersey is the top-selling jersey according to NFL.com.
• Dallas might be without RG Leonard Davis (6′6″, 354 lbs.) who sprained his ankle during practice yesterday. It’s not known the severity of the injury, but if it keeps him out of the Washington game, then Cory Proctor (a weak 6′4″ and 297 lbs.) would have to take his place.
• Skins QB Jason Campbell makes his first career start vs. Dallas.
• This will be Tony Romo’s second career start vs. Washington, his first at home.
• Dallas 31 Washington 14