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Second and Goal

Aired January 08, 2004 - 10:29   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In Washington, football fans are hoping the future is about to reflect the past. A stunning move, the Redskins managed to lure former coach Joe Gibbs out of retirement. Gibbs left fame 11 years ago. He led the Skins to three Super Bowls in what many felt were the glory days of an often underachieving franchise. For more, we want to talk to Gene Wang, football reporter for "The Washington Post," probably licking his chops with this story today.
Gene, good morning.

GENE WANG, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Daryn, good morning. Thank you for having me.

KAGAN: Let's talk about good or bad moves, first for the Washington Redskins.

WANG: It's just a phenomenal move for the Washington Redskins. They couldn't have made a better choice. He is a figurehead in the city like no other there. He's just revered. It's hard to describe to people who are not from D.C. what Joe Gibbs really means to this city. And Dan Snyder kind of pulled a coup and kind of surprised everyone by making this hire.

KAGAN: You cannot argue with his great legacy as a Redskin, but the man has been out of the game more than a decade. And you know from covering football, just how much the NFL has changed. Does that make Joe Gibbs the right man for the game right now?

WANG: I think if you look at his history and track record, it makes him the perfect man for the job right now. If you look at Dick Vermeil, who's done wonders coming back from retirement, Bill Parcells, the same way. Gibbs is in that mold. If you look at his teams that have won Super Bowls, he took many different personalities and got them all to play as a team. And in this age of free agency, where there's heavy turnover year after year, he's the perfect man to do the same thing again.

KAGAN: And it makes me wonder, is this a good move for Joe Gibbs. The guy hardly has been sitting on the couch eating bon bons. He's gotten into NASCAR. He was a partial owner here in Atlanta of the falcons. He's going to have to give that up. So he is giving up quite a bit by going back to coaching.

WANG: He is giving up a little bit. He actually has turned over most of the operations of NASCAR to his sons. And as far as ownership goes, don't be surprised that Dan Snyder gives Joe Gibbs partial ownership of the Redskins at some point in the future.

And I think -- I know, knowing how much Redskins mean to Joe Gibbs, having watched what happens to the team, the degeneration of the team over the last decade, I think it's not really about the money for him, it's about trying to bring glory back to D.C. and the city, and a team that's meant so much about him.

KAGAN: Let me just throw one more at you. Is this not a classic Dan Snyder move? The guy likes to spend money, likes to bring in big players. We'll make him a big player in the coaching world, but sometimes, and often, he's brought people back past their prime.

WANG: It is a great move for Dan Snyder. Dan Snyder likes the splashy hire, to get the headlines. And this time, he's done it, you know, in a bigger way than ever before. He interviewed three other candidates for the job. And all the while, had Joe Gibbs, kind of not in his back pocket, but knew that he was close. And all he had to do was get a couple things ironed out, and he kind of sprung it on everyone in D.C., and now he's looked upon as almost a hero. He's almost bulletproof, because he's hired the one guy that no one in D.C. can criticize.

KAGAN: And just one final question here for you. Joe Gibbs' first season, back in the early '80s, he went 0-5. Will he be allowed to do that this time around? Will

WANG: My feeling is if Joe Gibbs went 0-16, which is not going happen. But if it did, he would still be untouchable, because of what he's brought to this city. And now there's a feeling of hope that they haven't had in I don't know how long, since he left probably.

KAGAN: Sports reporters can be a cynical bunch, I know from having been among you for awhile, can't wipe the smile off your face this morning. You can tell that you're happy about the turnaround.

WANG: As a Washington native, it's -- I can tell everyone in the city is very, very happy. And it's good to have some good news for a change.

KAGAN: It's been a little while. Gene, thank you very much. Gene Wang with "The Washington Post."

WANG: Thank you, Daryn.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired January 8, 2004 - 10:29   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: In Washington, football fans are hoping the future is about to reflect the past. A stunning move, the Redskins managed to lure former coach Joe Gibbs out of retirement. Gibbs left fame 11 years ago. He led the Skins to three Super Bowls in what many felt were the glory days of an often underachieving franchise. For more, we want to talk to Gene Wang, football reporter for "The Washington Post," probably licking his chops with this story today.
Gene, good morning.

GENE WANG, "THE WASHINGTON POST": Daryn, good morning. Thank you for having me.

KAGAN: Let's talk about good or bad moves, first for the Washington Redskins.

WANG: It's just a phenomenal move for the Washington Redskins. They couldn't have made a better choice. He is a figurehead in the city like no other there. He's just revered. It's hard to describe to people who are not from D.C. what Joe Gibbs really means to this city. And Dan Snyder kind of pulled a coup and kind of surprised everyone by making this hire.

KAGAN: You cannot argue with his great legacy as a Redskin, but the man has been out of the game more than a decade. And you know from covering football, just how much the NFL has changed. Does that make Joe Gibbs the right man for the game right now?

WANG: I think if you look at his history and track record, it makes him the perfect man for the job right now. If you look at Dick Vermeil, who's done wonders coming back from retirement, Bill Parcells, the same way. Gibbs is in that mold. If you look at his teams that have won Super Bowls, he took many different personalities and got them all to play as a team. And in this age of free agency, where there's heavy turnover year after year, he's the perfect man to do the same thing again.

KAGAN: And it makes me wonder, is this a good move for Joe Gibbs. The guy hardly has been sitting on the couch eating bon bons. He's gotten into NASCAR. He was a partial owner here in Atlanta of the falcons. He's going to have to give that up. So he is giving up quite a bit by going back to coaching.

WANG: He is giving up a little bit. He actually has turned over most of the operations of NASCAR to his sons. And as far as ownership goes, don't be surprised that Dan Snyder gives Joe Gibbs partial ownership of the Redskins at some point in the future.

And I think -- I know, knowing how much Redskins mean to Joe Gibbs, having watched what happens to the team, the degeneration of the team over the last decade, I think it's not really about the money for him, it's about trying to bring glory back to D.C. and the city, and a team that's meant so much about him.

KAGAN: Let me just throw one more at you. Is this not a classic Dan Snyder move? The guy likes to spend money, likes to bring in big players. We'll make him a big player in the coaching world, but sometimes, and often, he's brought people back past their prime.

WANG: It is a great move for Dan Snyder. Dan Snyder likes the splashy hire, to get the headlines. And this time, he's done it, you know, in a bigger way than ever before. He interviewed three other candidates for the job. And all the while, had Joe Gibbs, kind of not in his back pocket, but knew that he was close. And all he had to do was get a couple things ironed out, and he kind of sprung it on everyone in D.C., and now he's looked upon as almost a hero. He's almost bulletproof, because he's hired the one guy that no one in D.C. can criticize.

KAGAN: And just one final question here for you. Joe Gibbs' first season, back in the early '80s, he went 0-5. Will he be allowed to do that this time around? Will

WANG: My feeling is if Joe Gibbs went 0-16, which is not going happen. But if it did, he would still be untouchable, because of what he's brought to this city. And now there's a feeling of hope that they haven't had in I don't know how long, since he left probably.

KAGAN: Sports reporters can be a cynical bunch, I know from having been among you for awhile, can't wipe the smile off your face this morning. You can tell that you're happy about the turnaround.

WANG: As a Washington native, it's -- I can tell everyone in the city is very, very happy. And it's good to have some good news for a change.

KAGAN: It's been a little while. Gene, thank you very much. Gene Wang with "The Washington Post."

WANG: Thank you, Daryn.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com