European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 20, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 b the stars and stripes sports sunday december 20, 1992redskins look like old selves of 9-5 by Paul Attner the sporting news nearly a month after wondering when their next touchdown would come much less their next Victory the Washington redskins Are on the verge of being playoff bound feisty and healthier than they have been nearly All season and fully aware they Are the opponent feared most by the National football leagues Best teams. Quot i would consider them extremely dangerous Quot says Seattle Seahawk coach Tom Flores a Veteran of playoff psychology who coached the raiders to two super bowls. A any team like the redskins an experienced team a playoff team if they stay healthy they have to be a Force. A a team that is healthy at the end of the season can go the farthest lots of  after pulling out a 20-17 Victory Over the Dallas cowboys last sunday at Frk stadium even the redskins Are becoming convinced that maybe just maybe they could do something big in january. Once an injury wrecked offensively inept 6-5 team they now have won three consecutive games and can qualify for the7 . On an seb to and radio playoffs by beating Philadelphia today. More significantly this was their first Triumph Over a Quality opponent in nearly two months. If these still less than healthy redskins can overcome the Sec Ond Hest team in the league what can they do if they can stay away from additional crippling injuries a i certainly  want to play us a assistant head coach Richie Petitbon says. A fall we have lost at this Point is Home Field advantage in the playoffs1 understand that is a big thing to lose but we still have a Chance. There is a lot of frustration built up and we May have a mental Edge going for us. People have written us off. They May have made a mistake it was important for us to beat someone Good. Who knows what we can accomplish off this win a because of a mediocre Rushing defense and a struggling quarterback it is too much to expect Washington successfully to defend last january a super bowl championship. The offence certainly has to improve Over its ragged Effort against the cowboys who were undermined by four turnovers. And their glaring Lack of team wide quickness puts the redskins at a disadvantage against younger opponents. But the Mere fact they can Harbor any january dreams is evidence enough that this could be Joe Gibbs Best Job of coaching in his 12-year tenure in Washington. In november after Back to Back losses to the Kansas City chiefs and new Orleans saints in which the offence scored just one touchdown a the redskins eventually went an astonishing 23 Quad Joe Gibbs redskins broke out of a slump after he consulted with his veterans. Ters with Only two offensive touchdowns a and the number of starters placed on injured Reserve since the Start of the season had grown to nine Washington faced the potential for destruction that already was consuming the new York giants and was threatening to devour the eagles. Though players on both of those National football conference East division rivals publicly feuded with their coaches and turned internal disagreements into open schisms there was an eerie silence surrounding Redskin Park. No matter How poorly Washington performed a and the redskins had some horrible efforts a there Wasny to a hint of controversy. Not even Gibbs was saying much. Intentionally. This already obsessed Workaholic had virtually locked himself away in his office cutting himself off from the outside world scrambling for a solution to Salvage a fast collapsing season. A i like to isolate myself rid myself of every potential distraction Quot Gibbs says Quot i am a Little bit like a Recluse. I even Stop taking phone Calls from friends. They say it will Only be five minutes but those five minute Calls add up. �?�1 Felt guilty taking any time away from the team. I would go Home at the end of the week and look at television and feel guilty that i should be sleeping so i have enough Energy for my team responsibilities the next  instead of withdrawing from his players Gibbs went to his most respected veterans and asked them if he was doing anything differently than in past seasons anything they thought he should Correct. Imagine giant coach Ray Handley walking up to linebacker Carl Banks and saying a Carl Tell me what i am doing wrong a or Eagle coach Rich Kotite deliberately seeking opinions from his players about which quarterback he should Start what Gibbs Learned from his veterans a that he was More critical of the defense during practice than his beloved offence a did no to directly help resurrect the redskins but it reinforced the players belief that their coach is a firm but benevolent dictator. A what impressed me is that he is willing to admit his own faults a says defensive tackle Jason Buck who joined Washington last year after being released by the Cincinnati bengals. A the will criticize himself As readily As he does the players. We respect that. We can see through fakes so easily but he a sincere. A they Call it a the Redskin Way and when you come in Here you catch on fast. It works because they bring in soft spoken people with character and class who have traditional ethics that reflect How coach Gibbs feels. He wants very reliable people who Are going to keep their Mouths  or As general manager Charley Cas Serly puts it a we might grow the problem but we done to want to inherit them. If the player has been a problem in the past we done to want him Here. If he becomes a problem Here we wont tolerate it for Long. There is Only one Boss a Joe. They can to make an end around coming to me or anyone else. That helps a lot because there is no confusion Over what is  not that there Hasni to been unhappiness within the locker room. A players Are always complaining about coaches and this place is no different a defensive tackle Eric Williams said. There were some grim faces among defensive players when the offence particularly quarterback Mark Rypien  score. Even normally Stone silent receiver Art Monk in a rare interview came close to criticizing Rypien while defending the play of the receivers. But try to get the redskins to openly Knock Rypien who had a dreadful first two months of the season and still Isnit Sharp or Gibbs game plans or the occasional defensive letdown. Unlike the eagles or giants these Guys quickly take the  chargers win away from playoffs by Hornli Wilson san Diego a Bobby Ross did it he Flat out said the Quot pm word. 1�?The Rookie nil coach has qualified any mention of the playoffs in the past few weeks. Finally with the san Diego chargers at 9-5 and a shudder a even having a shot at winning the acc West Ross knows exactly where his team stands. If the chargers beat the los Angeles raiders on sunday  qualify for the postseason for the first time in it years. A each week we be come in and said a this is an important game that s an important  a Ross said on tuesday. A this might he the most important. A win Here assures us of a playoff spot. And think that a first and Foremost on the minds of All of  Ross said he s spoken with his players about the playoffs. A a in be mentioned it to our team a lot.10 . On an seb to and radio he said. A a they re grown men most of them and they understand. A but its always been in the Light of a it depends on what happens this  and its the same. It Hasni to changed. Everybody else is talking about it so in a not going to ignore it. Its there for Lis and we re in a position to grab it. A that s Why you get very very anxious to play. You be got to make sure you prepare before you play. It s very very important because of the  until a few weeks ago Ross did t even know that the in l had increased the number of wild card teams from two to three. In his defense that happened in 1900, when he was leading Georgia tech to an undefeated season and a co National championship. The chargers have won five straight games and put together the Best Streak in the acc by going 9-1 after a 0-4 Start. They could even win their division if they beat the raiders and then the Seattle sea Hawks and if Kansas City loses one of its final two games. The to is Are tied and Kansas City holds the tiebreaker advantage by virtue of sweeping the season series. The chargers Are favored by one Point Over los Angeles a team they pummelled 27-3 three weeks ago at Jack Murphy stadium. The raiders lost 20-7 at Miami on monday night ending their playoff Hopes. Quot id be very very concerned that they d be in a bad mood when they play us Quot Ross said. A i done to want that but 1 m afraid that s the Way its going to he so we re going to have to Deal with them at their  t he chargers Haven t been to the play offs Spike 19s_, the last of a Lour Vear postseason run under Don Coryell. They Haven to had nine victories in a season since 1981, when they finished 10-6 and won their last acc West title. San Diego has become the first nil team to win nine games after starting 0-4. Now it can become the first team to Start 0-4 and reach the playoffs. Ross was asked if he panicked during the 0-4 Start. A i Wasny to Panicky because i had a four year contract to Tell you the truth a he said. A i really Wasny to. I did no to mean that to be sounding funny. A i Felt that Way from a standpoint that there a got to be some time consideration although there were some who Felt like it needed to be showing. A Zihere s a game plan involved Here in the sense of what w Ere trying to get done and get established and lets just stick to it and Don t get a was from