FanHouse Joe Gibbs

There was a Joe Gibbs sighting at a restaurant near the Washington Redskins complex on Tuesday that fueled more speculation that Gibbs might soon take an official role with the team.

Redskins general manager Vinny Cerrato said that was not happening.

"Joe has a place in the area," Cerrato said. "He remains a friend of the Redskins. But no, he was not here today as part of something where he is coming aboard. Joe is too busy for that. He is not coming back."

I lived in Washington, DC for four years, and it was more than enough time for me to come to hate the Redskins. But that was earlier this decade, when Joe Gibbs had returned to the nation's capital to rescue the franchise he had previously led to three Super Bowl titles.

Gibbs was hailed as a savior, the one man who could save Dan Snyder from himself and, frankly, it all got to be a bit much. But after less than two years of Jim Zorn, I've softened my anti-'Skins stance, mostly because it's such pitiful situation. And it would be one thing if Snyder and Vinny Cerrato were the only victims in this sideshow, but Gitmo detainees have been better treated than Redskins' fans.

But as the Sports Bog's Dan Steinberg writes, some good has come from the hopelessness: "One thing about this Burgundy Revolution; whatever happens in the end, it's been beautiful to see the creative flowering this unrest has engendered."

Danny Rouhier, disaffected 'Skins supporter, has taken his story to the YouTubes. It's poignant and funny. But mostly poignant.

Sorting the Sunday Pile looks back at the NFL weekend that was. It's also an unofficial Brady Quinn blog.

A year ago, Matt Cassel got his chance to be an NFL starting quarterback when then-Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard blew up Tom Brady's knee. Cassel led the Patriots to 11 wins, and played well enough for the Chiefs to trade for him in the offseason.

Smash cut to Cassel tweaking his knee during Kansas City's third preseason game (God's sense of humor is underrated), which forced him to miss the first Sunday of the 2009 season. Any chances the Chiefs -- an outfit that won six times in their last 32 games -- had against the Ravens were out the window with Cassel on the bench.

Sorting the Sunday Pile looks back at the NFL weekend that was. It's also an unofficial Brady Quinn blog.

A year ago, Matt Cassel got his chance to be an NFL starting quarterback when then-Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard blew up Tom Brady's knee. Cassel led the Patriots to 11 wins, and played well enough for the Chiefs to trade for him in the offseason.

Smash cut to Cassel tweaking his knee during Kansas City's third preseason game (God's sense of humor is underrated), which forced him to miss the first Sunday of the 2009 season. Any chances the Chiefs -- an outfit that won six times in their last 32 games -- had against the Ravens were out the window with Cassel on the bench.

I think it's fair to say that Jason Campbell, the Redskins' 2005 first-round pick, has yet to live up to expectations. It's not entirely his doing -- Washington is notoriously tough on young quarterbacks, particularly in a Joe Gibbs system (which Campbell found himself for the first three years of his career) -- but that doesn't make fans and media suddenly more forgiving.

In Mike Wise's Washington Post column from this morning, you'll find a story about Jim Zorn and Joe Gibbs hanging out and shooting the proverbial, uh, well, you know. In it, you'll find discussions ranging from charity work to Zorn's admiration about the legacy Gibbs left as a great coach for the Washington Redskins.

Invariably, the subject of the Redskins' polarizing quarterback came up. Gibbs was specifically asked about how Jason Campbell handled the situation this offseason where the Redskins tried to replace him, not once, but twice. Alas, Jay Cutler is in Chicago and Mark Sanchez is in New York. The Redskins are "stuck" with Campbell and his big arm.

The following excerpt, including Gibbs' quote after he was asked if Campbell was mistreated, grabbed my eye.

Although it's tough for some fans and media (looks in mirror) to turn the page on the Redskins' "Anybody But Jason" offseason tour, the guy caught in the middle, Jason Campbell, has done just that. Unlike Jay Cutler, who bellyached his way out of Denver, Campbell (save one moment of weakness) has said all the right things. He's moved on -- even if we haven't -- and is looking toward the 2009 season.

Detractors like to point out that Campbell isn't consistent (or smart) enough to be an NFL starter, but they often leave out an important little fact: he's played in three different offenses in five seasons.

Filling in for an injured Jason Campbell, Todd Collins started the final three games of the 2007 regular season, winning all of them, and helped lead the Redskins to the playoffs. Even though he was in his mid-30s and a career backup, there were suddenly questions as to who the team's starter should be heading into '08.

During a January preseason test session at Daytona International Speedway 15 years ago, I asked NASCAR Cup driver Mark Martin who he thought would win the Super Bowl, which was only a couple days away.

"Who's in the Super Bowl?'' was his reply.

And to be fair -- in those humble days well before NASCAR's growth spurt -- most NFL players probably couldn't name a race outside of NASCAR's Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 or a stock car driver other than Richard Petty.

But those times are long gone and it speaks as much to how far NASCAR has evolved as to how popular the Super Bowl has become.

NASCAR is no longer the forgotten Southern stepchild of professional sports. The redneck stereotype is outdated and short-sighted and some of stock car's best are sharing the weekend Super Bowl spotlight right alongside the biggest names in sports and entertainment.

I honestly believe that most Redskins fans don't really know what they think about Jim Zorn. I know I don't. He was a total surprise as the hire for the head coaching position. His first NFL game was horrible, but he then led his team to a 6-2 mark. Since then, Washington has lost four of five and are spiraling out of control.

He can be blamed for the playcalling, blamed for being in over his head, blamed for his brash style and blamed for not being Joe Gibbs.

The recent tift with Clinton Portis has rubbed many the wrong way. This marks the second time that Portis has publicly complained about Zorn. Zorn needs to watch it. Portis is a fan favorite and the biggest Redskins fan there is just happens to own the team. Daniel Snyder loves Clinton Portis and Zorn needs to remember that.

Not to say that a coach can't do something that isn't popular to his team if they need it. But Zorn's "benching" of Portis was very troubling. I mean, this is a guy who was one of the favorites to win the MVP award this season. I say was because his production has gone down and he's dragged the team down with him.

This isn't to say that Zorn was wrong.