Lost Faith: Gibbs and God

Maybe it all started last summer.

Perhaps it began when Washington Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs, a fundamentalist Christian, called for the destruction of "The Last Temptation of Christ." In return, God wreaked vengeance upon the Redskins.

Last year, we had glory. Doug Williams came off the bench to win game after game for us, while Jay Schroeder pouted on the sidelines like an ugly Cabbage Patch doll.

Our replacement players made the strike fun for us. For one spectacular game, Timmy Smith made us forget John Riggins. And, of course, we won the Super Bowl.

President Reagan tossed passes to Gary Clark in the Rose Garden. Denver players shoveled snow.

So Washington fans faced the season with glad hearts. Gibbs and General Manager Bobby Beathard seemed to end the quarterback schizophrenia by trading Schroeder. Owner Jack Kent Cooke shelled out $6 million to get Wilber Marshall from the Bears. We returned all the great players: Art Monk, Daryl Green, Kelvin Bryant, Williams...

And what happened? We suck. We lost twice to the Phoenix Cardinals.

But the final straw was Sunday. The Super Bowl Champion Washington Redskins lost at home to our eternal rival, the Dallas Cowboys--one of the worst teams in the NFL. Washington wept.

We are not going to the playoffs this year. Bryant hurts himself whenever he walks. Dexter Manley got suspended for drugs. And the Quarterback Shuffle has reappeared--Gibbs switches Williams with the newest new guy, Mark Rypien.

Bostonians indifferent to the boring New England Patriots and their dwarf-like back-up quarterback probably wonder why I've been loyal to a pro football team. I admit it. The NFL is pointless, slow and cruel. But the Redskins, somehow, are different.

In Washington, a city without sincerity, the Redskins have always been true. All that unites our divided city is the team. No one cares what color the quarterback is, as long as he beats the Cowboys and the Giants. We all throw bagels in Georgetown when we win. We all stay home sick when we lose.

We fill RFK stadium to see them because Cooke loved his players with dollars and kept the team in tiny RFK because we made it shake.

Bobby Beathard remade our team with low draft picks and free agent no-names, letting their performances dictate their saleries.

Joe Gibbs ran the fairest team in the NFL. There were no superstars, no glitzy air attack or fancy 10-man blitzes. Gibbs just coached.

The players were, not to be cliched, blue-collar. Dave Butz, Daryl Grant, and Joe Jacoby busted their helmets for a win. Of course, some players had flair: Manley and Green were always spectacular, but they were spectacular for the team's sake.

And we were the best fans. Life stopped to watch the games, even on Capitol Hill.

But this year that has all collapsed. Yes, RFK is full. Yes, the Skins are better on paper than most teams. Yes, the players try hard. But we lose.

Cooke wants a new stadium. Beathard decided money only goes to Marshall and not draft picks. Safety Alvin Walton does not want to tackle. Smith gains a yard per carry. Rookie kicker Chip Lohmiller loses games with clockwork regularity. And we fans have even booed our own players.

But I blame Joe Gibbs most of all. He broke his tradition of loyalty. He refused to stick by his quarterback, letting Williams and Rypien dance like marionnettes for him. He has let controversy simmer and made the team 45 separate players. Our direction has vanished.

Joe, it just isn't Christmas without a playoff game in Washington.