Gibbs Prepares His Game Face for Giants

Since the days of Amos Alonzo Stagg, football has been more than a game of blocking and tackling.

It is also a game of gamesmanship.

Coaches have had to build up the opposition since Stagg’s pessimistic comments produced “Stagg Fears Purdue,” headlines. They never like to rile the opposing team.

Nobody plays the game better than Joe Gibbs, the coach of the Washington Redskins, who makes every opponent sound as if it’s ready to step back in time and play the greats in “The Dream Season.”

When the Redskins managed to escape with a two-point victory over the injury-riddled Phoenix Cardinals last week, he didn’t blame his team for not doing better. He blamed the oddsmakers for making his team a heavy favorite.

All this would explain why Gibbs should like the backdrop for Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.

He is the underdog against a team that has beaten him in eight of the last 10 non-strike games -- so he can talk about how good the Giants are.

There is only one problem. From Gibbs’ point of view, he could not be facing the 4-1 Giants at a worse time. For one thing, they are coming off a bitter loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, 21-19, last week.

“I’d rather see us playing someone undefeated,” Gibbs said. “I’m sure they’re going to be in a tough frame of mind for us.”

If that’s not bad enough, Giants quarterback Phil Simms is in a bad mood because the Eagles were riding him for saying it is so easy to read their 46 defense that a high school quarterback could throw for 300 yards against it.

At least he supposedly said that. After all, Terry Bradshaw said on a CBS telecast that he said that. And the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote last week that Simms, “supposedly said last year that given a few weeks of practice, ‘any high school quarterback in America ... could throw for 300 yards against the Eagles.’ ”

Alas, Simms said he never said anything about a high school quarterback and the man who originally quoted Simms on the subject, Lou Tilley, a former Baltimore sportscaster who now works in Philadelphia, agrees with him.

Tilley said Simms told him after a tough loss to the Eagles last year that, “I’m so frustrated. I can’t wait to play them again. Any good college quarterback, if prepared for a week, and given time and protection, could throw for 300 yards against this team.”

Tilley didn’t get the comment on videotape and didn’t even bother to report it until two days after the game.

Simms also denies making the college quarterback comment although it’s not as inflammatory as the high school quarterback line.

“It was said in the wake of an emotional game and he probably doesn’t remember it,” Tilley said.

One thing led to another and by this year, it was being reported that Simms said “high school quarterback.”

Lost in the controversy is the fact that nobody ever suggested it was difficult to read the 46 defense. It’s based on an all-out rush to the quarterback. If the defense doesn’t get to the quarterback, though, it’s vulnerable to the pass. The Eagles are 26th in the league this year against the pass.

Forget all that. The Eagles were gloating during and after the game.

“Just to rub it in a little bit,” Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner said, “I think a high school quarterback could have done better.”

Meanwhile, Simms was furious after the game. He snapped, “I’ve got nothing to say. Write that down and get away from me.”

Nobody is unhappier about this turn of events than Gibbs. The last thing he wants to face is an angry quarterback. After all, Simms passed for 255 yards in the team’s 27-24 victory over the the Redskins in the opener.

Gibbs thinks it makes a difference when a team or player is riled.

“I definitely do,” he said. “Yes, it does make a difference. What is written makes a difference. They probably play a little harder because of that.”

Bill Parcells, the Giants’ coach, has a different view.

“Phil was disappointed that something like that came out. He told me there was no statement made in that regard. But we’re in a national sport and there’s going to be things from time to time that appear that aren’t necessarily true, but we have to live with some of those things,” he said.

Parcells doesn’t believe it has anything to do with the game on the field.

“That didn’t have anything to do with the outcome of the game. That’s talk and conjecture and that stuff never has anything to do with the outcome,” Parcells said.