What Gibbs? Washington in last place

Three weeks into his homecoming, Joe Gibbs finds his team at the bottom of what is shaping up to be the NFL's toughest division. The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-0 and look like the best team in football, the Tuna-fed Cowboys (2-1) just can't seem to lose, and Kurt Warner is experiencing his own revival in New York (2-1).

The Washington Redskins? 1-2, with only a six point victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- who look like the worst team in football -- to their credit.

Much-lauded addition Clinton Portis is off to the slowest start of his career, and his stats are padded by one long run on his first Redskins carry. The Hogs haven't seen that level of excitement since, with Portis averaging a measly 3.4 yards per attempt on 71 carries.

Washington's offensive line has surrendered 9 sacks in the last two games. Gibbs' offense coughed up the ball 7 times in Week 2.

Before the fourth quarter vs. Dallas on Monday night, quarterbacks Mark Brunell and Patrick Ramsey had a combined passer rating below 70. H-back Chris Cooley, the alleged key to Gibbs' offense, has proven a poor blocker at times and has only 52 yards to his name.

What gives in Washington? A scenario with which Redskins fans are all too familiar: their coach has a system -- but the wrong personnel.

When Steve Spurrier arrived in Washington in 2002, he inherited one of the best players in football at that time -- Stephen Davis. In the three seasons preceding Spurrier's arrival, Davis rushed for 4,155 yards and 33 touchdowns on 978 carries; but Spurrier didn't see Davis fitting in with his Fun 'n' Gun offensive attack.

Despite starting one of the best offensive lines in the league, Spurrier limited Davis to 207 carries in 2002 -- he still managed 820 yards and seven touchdowns -- and dropped the Pro Bowler to free agency at the end of the season. The next year, in Carolina, Davis rushed for 1444 yards and eight scores behind a lesser offensive line, leading the Panthers to the Super Bowl.

Washington, meanwhile, despite a 3-1 start, dropped to 5-11 in Spurrier's second year. The ol' Ball Coach left the NFL, but not before dramatically altering the Redskins' roster. In 2003, Spurrier had brought in wide receiver Laveranues Coles from the New York Jets -- what proved to be a brilliant move - and Trung Canidate from the St. Louis Rams -- not so brilliant.

Coles, a serious big play receiver, paired with wideout Rod Gardner to establish a formidable threat in Washington's passing attack. The tandem logged 1800+ yards and 13 touchdowns on 141 receptions.

Canidate, however, proved much less effective in the Fun 'n' Gun. The speedy tailback was supposed to provide Spurrier's big play threat out of the backfield but failed sorely.

The player Spurrier really needed at running back -- Clinton Portis -- didn't arrive until after the coach's departure. In one of the biggest trades in NFL history, Joe Gibbs' acquired Portis from the Denver Broncos for standout corner Champ Bailey and a second round draft pick.

But, why Portis? The player best-suited to run Gibbs' straight-ahead ground attack was Stephen Davis, and he had departed Washington two years earlier. Too bad Gibbs wasn't around then. Portis, a cutback runner, would force Gibbs to base his entire running game on the counter play, with which Portis had thrived in Denver for two seasons.

Unfortunately for Gibbs, the counter requires a commitment to the downfield air attack, an anomaly in Gibbs' system, which relies on a punishing running game and short to intermediate passes. With a runner like Portis, Gibbs needs to pass to set up the run, a plan that is counterintuitive to his entire legacy.

Courtesy of Steve Spurrier and Daniel Snyder, the personnel are there -- Coles and Gardner can exploit corners in man coverage, as they showed in the fourth quarter vs. Dallas Monday night. Mark Brunell can work outside the pocket and give his receivers time to get open downfield and has the arm to get them the ball on time and on target.

Will Gibbs let his system evolve to take advantage of his team's strengths or antiquate himself, as Spurrier did? With the NFC East off and running, he better decide soon.