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Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs is taking time to teach his son Coy the family business.
Coy Gibbs |
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
ASHBURN--Imagine sidling up to Redskins coach Joe Gibbs as he explained every nook and cranny of his team's offense.
Just the two of you, together in a room at the team's practice facility, taking breaks for pizza or sodas or whatever.
To have this happen, you'd probably have to win a contest. Or be his offensive coordinator. Or be his younger son. That one worked for Coy Gibbs.
Early last summer, Joe Gibbs decided Coy was ready, so the two sat together as Joe broke down the Redskins' offense. He explained plays. He explained formations. Coy says they talked for hours.
"That was really awesome," said Coy, 33, who's a Redskins assistant coach in charge of quality control. "You don't get an opportunity like that very often, because when he's coaching, there's not a lot of time."
For Coy, it's been a wonderful learning experience. For Joe, it's been a wonderful chance for a father to spend more time with his son.
Prior to returning to the Redskins in 2004, Joe Gibbs spent 12 years alongside his older son, J.D., as the two laid the foundation for the family's burgeoning NASCAR operation, Joe Gibbs Racing. J.D. is now president of the company.
Coy had a brief career racing in the NASCAR Busch and Craftsman Truck series, but when his father started coaching again, Coy joined him.
"I think one of the greatest thrills in coaching is being able to work with your kid," Joe Gibbs said this week. "You'd rather see your kid do well than anything you do. Your heart goes out to them when they have disappointments. Certainly, I'm proud of my children."
During Coy's first season, menial tasks were part of the job. But gradually, the former Stanford linebacker has been given more responsibility. This year he's working with the offense, spending extra time with the tight ends. He breaks down video, organizes meetings, scouts opponents and sometimes even acts as a blocking dummy.
"Right now I'm just learning this racket and paying some dues," Coy said. "I haven't really focused yet as far as my future goes. I'm kind of feeling it out and seeing where I fit. Obviously it's the chance of a lifetime to get up here and see exactly what goes on at the level."
It's also a chance for his children--the grandbabies, as Joe calls them--to be around their grandfather.
Coy and his wife, Heather, have three young children: Ty, 3, Elle, 2, and Case, who is 4 months old.
Ty has been at plenty of practices over the past two weeks, bouncing around the sidelines and soaking it all in. He's usually wearing a Redskins jersey.
"Whatever jersey he's wearing, he's been telling people that's his dad," Heather says with a laugh. "The other day he said his dad was Chris Cooley. My job's been to keep him off the field; he keeps thinking he belongs there."
Well, he is a Gibbs, after all.
After a recent practice, Joe took Ty's hand and walked him toward the small outdoor stage where he holds his daily press conferences. Ty stood at his grandfather's feet, eyes wide.
Joe Gibbs was asked about backup quarterbacks and offensive linemen and everything in between. He wasn't asked about his grandson. So, at the end of the session, Joe told a quick story about him.
He said that one day Ty was visiting and Joe--believe it or not--was watching football. When Joe saw something on the television screen he didn't like, he yelled, "Gosh dang it!"
Later, Ty was in the other room with his grandmother.
"Gosh dang it!" the boy blurted, for no reason in particular.
"You're not supposed to say those words," Joe recalled his wife, Pat, saying.
"Joe Gibbs did!" Ty responded.
Pat and Joe laughed.
Coy still watches motorsports--NASCAR, motocross, drag racing--but no longer has a drive to drive. He'd like to become a head football coach someday, but for now he's content to enjoy the time with his father.
"In racing it seemed like everyone went their own direction most of the year," Heather said, "but with this they're together six months of the year and I think it's been wonderful. They're awfully close to each other and it's been so fun for our kids to kind of see how their father grew up."
After yesterday evening's practice at Redskins Park, Coy walked slowly toward the training facility. Heather and the couple's three children stood on a balcony overlooking the practice field, and they saw Coy long before he saw them.
"Dad! Dad!" Ty yelled, smiling and waving.
Coy smiled and waved back. He knows how nice it is to have a father nearby.
To reach ADAM HIMMELSBACH:
Email: ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com
