Snyder, who’s long had his say in football decisions, is now saying that there needs to be one voice for the Redskins, and it’s not his own.
The down-trodden history of the Washington Redskins head coaching job was no secret to Ron Rivera when he was considering the position. He was aware that of the last six full-time coaches that were hired under team owner Dan Snyder, all six of them left the position with a losing record.
That didn’t stop him from taking the job though, and it could be because one of those coaches, longtime Washington favorite Joe Gibbs, encouraged him to take the job.
According to ESPN’s John Keim, Gibbs was one of the first people to tell Snyder to try and hire Rivera after the season came to a close, which is subtly ironic seeing as it was Washington’s late-November victory over the Carolina Panthers that ended Rivera’s tenure in Charlotte. Rivera reportedly met with Gibbs soon after being contacted by Snyder, and the Super Bowl-winning coach was said to be a “tremendous influence” on the hire.
Six days after he was fired, Rivera spoke with Snyder for 40 minutes on the phone, and then the next day for 20 more minutes. They met in person shortly thereafter. After that meeting, Rivera met with Gibbs. Bauer said the Hall of Fame coach gave Rivera this message: Snyder is passionate and will do what you ask, but you must be upfront with him and keep him in the loop.
This resulted in a rather encouraging message that Snyder stated during his opening remarks of Rivera’s introductory press conference on Thursday. After wishing the crowd a Happy Thanksgiving, oddly, Snyder stated that in order for the Redskins to move forward and be successful, they’re “going to have one voice and one voice alone and that’s the coach’s.”
It has not been that way in the past, obviously. Snyder, who is not a “football-guy” but owns the team, has had his say in many personnel decisions, and he is reportedly the reason why the team drafted rookie QB Dwayne Haskins in the first round the 2019 NFL Draft. Going forward, however, it appears that Snyder is willing to take a step back and let Rivera run the show.
We’re going to choose to believe it when we see it.
And the meek shall inherit the NFL fields. At least in Week 13, that is. It’s unlikely that anyone in Las Vegas or wherever sports betting is allowed these days put money on a parlay of the Bengals, Redskins and Dolphins winning Sunday. They were a …
And the meek shall inherit the NFL fields.
At least in Week 13, that is.
It’s unlikely that anyone in Las Vegas or wherever sports betting is allowed these days put money on a parlay of the Bengals, Redskins and Dolphins winning Sunday. They were a combined 4-29 heading into the weekend and appeared like the only contenders for the top spot in next April’s draft.
Now, with their eight-game skid, the Giants might wind up with the inside track to starting off the draft, particularly if the Bengals again perform anything like they did in dismantling the, well, bungling Jets 22-6. Of all the tail enders in action Sunday, the Giants were the only also-ran to get run over, by Green Bay at a snowy Meadowlands.
Cincinnati had lost 13 in a row dating to last season, 11 of those in 2019 under new coach Zac Taylor. It was the flat, unprepared Jets — coming off a huge upset of Oakland no less — who looked like the team searching for its first victory, though.
Of course, the Jets also handed a winless Miami its first victory this season, becoming the first franchise to lose to opponents with at least an 0-7 record twice in the same year.
With Andy Dalton reinserted at quarterback after a failed experiment with rookie Ryan Finley, it was all Cincinnati.
“How do I feel? I can’t even describe it. … It’s emotional,” Taylor said. “You go through it with all of these guys, and to finally get it, it feels really good. … Now the pressure is off of you a little bit.”
That was a classic example of a desperate team taking advantage of an opponent that never seemed to have its game face on.
That was not so much the case in Miami; the Dolphins have been competitive for a month and now have won three of five. That they fell behind by 14 points to the supposedly playoff-contending Eagles, then stormed back in a tribute to their resolve. The sort of resolve few teams “tanking” the season for a high draft selection possess.
Sure, they needed a trick play in which holder Matt Haack threw an underhand 1-yard pass to place-kicker Jason Sanders on a fake field goal, sort of. But the Dolphins never were intimidated, something bottom-level teams usually are when they fall into big holes.
And they got win No. 3 in great part because of that.
“This team knows how to deal with adversity,” said rookie coach Brian Flores. “We’re just going to keep swinging.”
They might have knocked out the Eagles. Philadelphia (5-7) has lost three in a row and will likely rue this fiasco if it falls short of equally mediocre Dallas in the NFC East.
That division also houses Washington, which has won two in a row to get to 3-9. When Jay Gruden was fired in October after five losses to begin the season, the Redskins had no fire, no true starting quarterback and, seemingly, no plan.
They’re hardly ablaze now, but there’s a bit of progress in DC, which has to be encouraging for Redskins fans who haven’t felt much of that since Joe Gibbs’ days. Gibbs’ first go-around days.
Interim coach Bill Callahan probably won’t be considered for the full-time gig as owner Daniel Snyder searches for a bigger name. Still, Callahan has instilled something with this team that could work as a foundation for future success.
“I think that we’ve got good veteran leadership and I think with any team anyone can lead it,” Callahan said. “The way you come in the building, how you prepare, how you practice, how you support each other. I’ve mentioned that many times to the team. It’s not one guy, it’s not one player with a C on his chest, anyone can lead, and that’s the beauty of leadership.”
There’s not much beauty to behold with the Bengals, Dolphins or Redskins. Any of the three is capable of dropping its final four games and securing that top draft spot.
However, for one given Sunday, Cincinnati, Miami and Washington gave it to opponents. Who would have called that?
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AP Sports Writer Joe Kay contributed.
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Denny Hamlin’s confidence is at an all-time high ahead of NASCAR’s championship race.
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Denny Hamlin’s confidence is peaking.
One strong performance in the 36th and final race of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season stands between him and his first career championship after 14 years at the sport’s highest level. He won his sixth race of the year six days ago at ISM Raceway near Phoenix to secure his place among the final Championship 4 contenders.
Ahead of Sunday’s Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hamlin is excited but not nervous. He’s relaxed and actually feels like he already won.
“We won Homestead last week,” Hamlin said Thursday. “That was our win-or-go-home race. We performed at an incredibly high level. We have now a free weekend to go out there and have fun and keep doing what we’ve been doing. We’ll have a chance by the end of the night because we have all year long as long as we do the same thing.”
Hamlin is joined in the final four by two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick. He doesn’t have win the race to claim the championship; he just has to finish higher than the other three —although the last five champions have also taken the checkered flag.
Hamlin after winning at Phoenix on Sunday to guarantee his spot in the title race. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Hamlin almost didn’t make it
With 19 top-5 finishes so far, Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota has been consistently strong all season. He opened the year with his second Daytona 500 win and took checkered flags at Pocono Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway’s playoff race in October.
But until Sunday, he and his team were on the brink of elimination. He had a poor finish at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago and entered the Phoenix race one spot below the four-driver cutoff line. And then he dominated, leading 143 of 312 laps on his way to the win.
“I’ve been eliminated from the playoffs many, many ways,” said Hamlin, who is tied for 22nd on the all-time wins list with 37 and the most successful driver without a title.
“The craziest [expletive] has happened to me to keep me from winning championships. Texas was on me. I was going to hate that I was going to be responsible for ending our chance at a championship.”
Hoping third time’s a charm
This is Hamlin’s third real shot at winning it all. He was the runner-up in 2010 to Jimmie Johnson after the title slipped away in the final two races. He said he wasn’t having any fun by the end of that season.
Then in 2014, he finished third in the standings, behind champion Harvick and Ryan Newman, when his car wasn’t running well. Hamlin said he was just happy to be in contention.
Hamlin at Homestead in 2014. (Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)
But this year is different in so many ways. He said he’s not angry or stressed like in past playoff or championship-contending years. Everything feels “nicer and friendlier,” and he’s “not as agitated” this time around.
He said his confidence has never been higher — “not even in 2010 when we were really fast every week.”
Bouncing back from a career-low
Hamlin’s six checkered flags this season follow a winless 2018 — a first for him as a full-time Cup driver. He still made the playoffs but finished 11th in the standings.
“If you go through a whole year like he did last year and not win a race, the rumors start,” team owner Joe Gibbs said Friday. “‘Is this guy over the hill?’ I think Denny was fighting through that, saying that’s not the case. …
“I think that we all know that people mature and grow up. Different things happen in their life, and so I think Denny is — I think he’s in a part in his life where he says, ‘I get a second chance really in a lot of ways,’ and he’s making the most of it.”
Hamlin in the garage at Homestead. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
This year, Hamlin, who turns 39 Monday, is also paired with a new crew chief, Chris Gabehart, after three seasons with Mike Wheeler, and Gibbs said he noticed the positive effect Gabehart has had on the their driver.
Gabehart, 38, “brings out the best” in him, whether he’s a calming voice of reason or pumping him up moments before a green flag flies, Hamlin said.
Even Busch detects the chemistry between Hamlin and Gabehart, who was once a mechanical engineer for Kyle Busch Motorsports.
“Something’s a little bit different with Denny,” Busch said Thursday. “[Gabehart has] done a really, really good job of whether you want to say flipping Denny into the right frame of mind or whatever. But he’s just been a really good leader, and Denny’s been a good listener.”
Hamlin vs. the NASCAR champions
Under NASCAR’s current playoff format, this is Hamlin’s second appearance in the Championship 4 after 2014. But that’s nothing compared with Harvick, Busch and Truex, who are also all past champs.
Hamlin, Harvick, Truex and Busch at media day Thursday. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
Harvick won his title in 2014 and has made it to the final four in five of the last six years. Same goes for Busch, the 2015 champ, but his five appearances have been consecutive since his title season. And Truex made it in four of the last five years, winning it all in 2017.
But Hamlin knows how to win at Homestead. In 14 starts, he has two wins — the other three have one each — and was the last driver finish first without winning it all (2013). He’s also earned four top-5 finishes and nine top 10s.
He’ll start on the pole Sunday, followed by Harvick, Truex, Busch and the rest of the 40-car field.
“I’m excited because I know I’ve got the opportunity, a really, really good, legit opportunity to go out there and get it done,” Hamlin said. “I’m just going to do the same things, prepare the same way that I have all year. I know that will give me a chance.
“At some point in the race, I’m going to have an opportunity to take control and win the race. As long as I continue to do that, I’ll live with the result, win or lose.”
Like the times Joe Gibbs would try to stop Tony Stewart from breaking TVs after a bad race…
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Tony Stewart and Joe Gibbs go way back.
Stewart started his NASCAR Cup Series career racing for the Pro Football Hall of Famer in 1999 and continued competing for Joe Gibbs Racing through the 2008 season, winning two of his three career championships in the No. 20 car.
After 10 seasons working together with a relationship that has lasted much longer, the 2020 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees have some incredible stories about each other.
As two NASCAR team owners with championship-contending drivers, they shared the stage Friday at Homestead-Miami Speedway ahead of Sunday’s Cup Series title race when Gibbs drivers Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick will race to win it all.
They also shared some of those stories about their days working together.
When Tony Stewart would take his anger out on the TVs…
During Friday’s press conference, Gibbs, who’s a few days away from 79th birthday, was asked about scolding his drivers, particularly Hamlin, who crashed his car during practice for the 2019 Daytona 500.
Hamlin recalled Thursday that the former Washington Redskins coach was “furious” and told Hamlin he was paying for the wrecked car. Luckily, Hamlin ended up winning the Daytona 500, so Gibbs eventually forgave him.
As Gibbs explained how he remembers that moment, Stewart chimed in at one point (around the 11-minute mark):
Gibbs: I don’t think I’ve ever penalized anybody for anything, but I threaten them every now and then.
Stewart: That’s not true.
Gibbs: On second thought, there is a driver I’ve worked with where we —
Stewart: I had to pay for two TVs in the lounge of the trailer that I broke.
Gibbs: I used to try and get to the hauler as fast as I could if he had a bad night because he was going to tear up the inside of the hauler.
Stewart: I feel like I got pretty good odds out of it because I think I broke five TVs before he finally said, “If you break another one, this one’s coming out of your paycheck.”
Gibbs: Hey, listen. I got him at Richmond one time. I beat him in there real quick. And you were ticked off. And he’s in there all flustered and everything, and he goes like — they usually turn to me after tearing stuff up — he goes, “I oughta go out there and kick his ass [the driver he was mad at].” And I went like this, I started to go, “OK, I think you should!” Hoping somebody will put a lump on you.
Stewart: See, as a good owner you should have thought of that first, and I would have saved the trailer.
“How it all started,” according to Tony Stewart
Before making his NASCAR Cup Series debut, Stewart was splitting his time between the second-tier XFINITY Series (then the Busch Grand National Series) and IndyCar. He said (at the 29:30 mark) after he was injured in an IndyCar race, he was living with his mom and stepdad for a month.
Stewart: My buddies had been calling all day, and it was AJ Foyt and then it was Mario Andretti and then it was Steve Kinser and this and that. None of them were. It was all my buddies saying who they were. So my mom answers the phone, it’s 10 o’clock at night, and my mom goes, “It’s Joe Gibbs.” I’m like, “Oh, great. Sure, here we go. Which one of these [expletive] is it now?” So they hand the phone over to me, and I’m like, “Hey, Joe, how the hell are you?” He goes, “Tony?” And I’m like, “Oh, my god, it really is Joe Gibbs.”
So that’s the way our whole relationship, literally from the first phone call on — because I obviously had to explain to him why I was being an idiot, other than I was heavily medicated. Had to explain to him why I was being the way I was. But that’s the way we’ve always been with each other. We’ve always had fun with each other. But I think as much as we’ve had fun, we’ve always had a high level of respect for each other as well.
Joe Gibbs knew who to call if he couldn’t find Tony Stewart
This one just speaks for itself (around the 30:35 mark).
Gibbs: I’ve got to tell you, I was chasing him all over the place trying to get him signed and trying to get things worked out. I’ve got to tell this. I don’t think you care [about] me telling it.
Stewart: Do you really have to tell this?
Gibbs: So I couldn’t find him lots of times, I would call the girlfriend. I would call the girlfriend, OK, and she would tell me where he was and everything. So about the third time I called the girlfriend, she goes, “That no-good rotten — don’t you ever call this house again.” I went, well, that was done.
Stewart: We were ready to hold auditions again. It was time. What can I say? All right, we need to talk about something now, oh, boy.
