Coach Joe Gibbs

Offensive lineman Raleigh McKenzie is expected to start in place of Joe Jacoby when the Washington Redskins open the NFL season against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.Although offensive-line coach Jim Hanifan didn't name a starter yesterday and said both players will play, McKenzie has been working with the first unit. Jacoby has been slowed by back spasms.Meanwhile, coach Joe Gibbs said that running back Earnest Byner will see double duty as the third-down back on running downs.

After the worst season of his Hall of Fame career, Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said yesterday that he doesn't expect his underachieving team to be overhauled in the offseason in regard to its playing roster or coaching staff. In his dual role as coach and team president, Gibbs plans to build the offense around second-year quarterback Jason Campbell, who showed promise after taking over from veteran Mark Brunell the last seven games, and rebuild a defense that finished next to last in the NFL. Despite his team's 5-11 record, Gibbs doesn't think the Redskins are that far away from being a playoff team, as they were last season.

ASHBURN, Va. -- The season-long clamoring by fans and critics for the Washington Redskins to change quarterbacks finally became a reality yesterday, when coach Joe Gibbs announced that Jason Campbell would take over for Mark Brunell this Sunday at Tampa Bay. The move followed another disappointing performance by the 3-6 Redskins and Brunell, who completed 16 of 31 passes for a measly 132 yards in a 27-3 loss at Philadelphia. Brunell threw one intercception, which was returned for a 70-yard touchdown.

ASHBURN, Va. -- The season-long clamoring by fans and critics for the Washington Redskins to change quarterbacks finally became a reality yesterday, when coach Joe Gibbs announced that Jason Campbell would take over for Mark Brunell this Sunday at Tampa Bay. The move followed another disappointing performance by the 3-6 Redskins and Brunell, who completed 16 of 31 passes for a measly 132 yards in a 27-3 loss at Philadelphia. Brunell threw one intercception, which was returned for a 70-yard touchdown.

Gary Glenn, an intern in the Washington Redskins' public relations department, was assigned this week as one of coach Joe Gibbs' rangers. three functionaries patrolled the ivied fences that are Redskin Park's perimeter during practice, checking for spies.The scene was reminiscent of the paranoiac George Allen eraexcept that these rangers were on foot. In the early '70s Ed Boynton, a retired Los Angeles cop, rode a bicycle around the fence and delivered his standard lecture to children of the then boondocks around Dulles Airport.

CARLISLE, Pa. -- There were hints yesterday that an agreement could be near between the Washington Redskins and holdout quarterback Mark Rypien.Head coach Joe Gibbs suggested there was some movement, and Ken Staninger, Rypien's agent, said "there's a chance" a deal could be made today.General manager Charley Casserly declined to comment, but Staninger said he talked twice with Casserly yesterday and plans to talk to him again today. He called the talks "discussions on different ideas on how to accomplish both sides' needs."

Jack Burns, an assistant offensive coach for the Washington Redskins the last three years, became the first member of the organization to cash in on the team's Super Bowl victory yesterday.Burns was named offensive coordinator and quarterback coach by Dennis Green, the new head coach of the Minnesota Vikings."This was a good time to get Jack," Green said. "Bringing in a guy who has just won a Super Bowl gives your team a little extra pop. It's a big plus for us."Burns said: "It gives me an opportunity to bring something to the table and help the Vikings get back to winning ways and playoff appearances."

Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said yesterday that backup tackle Ed Simmons' apology for a drunken-driving arrest won't change the fact that Simmons "will have to pay a price."Simmons was arrested early yesterday and charged with driving while intoxicated, District of Columbia police said.Simmons was stopped in the Georgetown section at about 2:30 a.m., according to police spokesman Sgt. Joe Gentile."I had a talk with Ed," coach Joe Gibbs said. "He told me: 'I just messed up, I shouldn't have done it.' He's sorry about it. He's going to have to pay a price, whatever it is. We don't like it, and he doesn't like it. It's just something he's going to work his way through."

CARLISLE, Pa. -- The last time Stan Humphries passed this way, he passed himself out of a starting job.That was last season. When Mark Rypien suffered a knee injury, Humphries became the Washington Redskins' starting quarterback. The honeymoon lasted five games and 10 interceptions before Rypien returned to save the season.Now Rypien is a holdout and, at least temporarily, Humphries has another chance to show he deserves to start in the NFL."I came into camp trying to fight for the No. 1 job," Humphries said yesterday.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue is expected to decide soon whether former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is eligible to become the first coach of the expansion Carolina Panthers.A league spokesman said yesterday that the Redskins have filed their case in the Gibbs matter and Tagliabue will make a decision "in the near future."The Redskins are arguing that Gibbs can't be hired by another team before 1995 unless they get compensation because he had two years left on his contract when he resigned last March 5.The Panthers counter that since they won't play any games until 1995, they should be able to hire Gibbs now without giving the Redskins compensation.

LANDOVER -- Defense is typically ahead of offense in the early days of an NFL team's training camp, and that was apparent for the Washington Redskins yesterday at FedEx Field in their annual scrimmage against the Ravens. Two plays stood out, and they occurred one right after the other during a drill that featured the Redskins' No. 1 defense against the Ravens' No. 1 offense. The first came when safety Sean Taylor leveled tailback Mike Anderson after a 1-yard gain. On the next play, after linebacker Marcus Washington intercepted a short pass by Steve McNair and returned it for a touchdown, Anderson remained on the ground and came out of the game with what was determined to be a concussion.

ASHBURN, Va. - Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs ended any suspense quickly, naming Mark Brunell as the team's starting quarterback for Monday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins opened the season with a 9-7 victory after Brunell replaced injured starter Patrick Ramsey and guided the offense to three field goals against the visiting Chicago Bears on Sunday. That performance, along with other factors, contributed to Gibbs' decision to stay with Brunell against Dallas (1-0)

About half of the Washington Redskins can rest easy knowing their spot on the roster -- and position on the depth chart -- is safe. Then there's the other half that will get a final chance to make a lasting impression in tonight's final preseason game against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Logjams at wide receiver and running back likely will receive the greatest attention from the Washington coaching staff, which must trim the roster to 53 players by Saturday night. It's a process that coach Joe Gibbs does not anticipate with great fervor.

In the tentative remake of the Washington Redskins' golden era, icon/coach Joe Gibbs has been criticized for running an outdated offense, getting plays into the huddle late and trading draft picks frivolously. Six wins - when Washingtonians envisioned a Super Bowl parade - will do that. Now that reality has replaced idol worship in the nation's capital, and with the Redskins poised to launch Year 2 of Gibbs 2 tomorrow in Ashburn, Va., it's time to take a recount. Just how bad were the Redskins in Gibbs' comeback season of 2004?

ASHBURN, Va. - Another day, another barrage of second-guessing for Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. Fans and local sports talk radio stations have had more than 48 hours to digest Gibbs' decision to use the 25th overall pick of the NFL draft on Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell, but time did little to stem the tide of questions aimed at Gibbs. When NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue announced Washington's pick of Campbell on Saturday, some fans at the team's draft-day party at FedEx Field booed.

Lashing out at critics who questioned his desire and motivation to coach in the NFL again, Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs emphasized yesterday that he plans to stay with the franchise through the end of his five-year contract. Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl-winning Hall of Famer who guided Washington to a 6-10 record in his first season with the team since 1991, spoke at a hastily organized media briefing at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va. He used a considerable amount of time challenging critics who used a comment he had made last Tuesday to suggest that he planned to get out of football sooner rather than later.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue is expected to decide soon whether former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is eligible to become the first coach of the expansion Carolina Panthers.A league spokesman said yesterday that the Redskins have filed their case in the Gibbs matter and Tagliabue will make a decision "in the near future."The Redskins are arguing that Gibbs cannot be hired by another team before 1995 unless they get compensation because he had two years left on his contract when he resigned last March 5.The Panthers counter that since they won't play any games until 1995, they should be able to hire Gibbs now without giving the Redskins compensation.

The Washington Redskins, who never have played a game in a foreign country, may meet the San Francisco 49ers in London in an August exhibition game.According to an NFL source, the league has asked the 49ers if they would like to meet the Redskins in their second preseason game, the weekend of Aug. 15, 1992. The 49ers, who apparently are getting a choice because they've made trips in the past, haven't decided whether to play in the game.The Redskins apparently won't get a choice because they've turned down trips in the past.

In the week leading up to today's game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, one room at Redskins Park has been off limits to the players: the training room. "The training room is closed," linebacker Marcus Washington said, implying that every Redskin - healthy or otherwise - will play in today's game at Texas Stadium at 4:15 p.m. "We don't want to see anyone in the training room. It's Dallas week." If there's any week that Washington players and fans drool over, it's the week preceding a meeting with the hated Cowboys.

ASHBURN, Va. - Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs made a seemingly foregone conclusion official yesterday when he tabbed Patrick Ramsey as the team's starting quarterback for the 2005 season. Gibbs, who started Mark Brunell for the Redskins' first nine games before switching to Ramsey, said the 25-year-old Ramsey's play over the past three weeks had cemented his decision to have the third-year pro begin next year as the No. 1 quarterback. "When somebody goes in and starts playing [well]