AP "Gibbs doubts any draftee could start"

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

I think this article is twisting his words a bit and trying to make a story out of nothing. I don't see where Gibbs directly says that he doubts a draftee could start.

I think more than anything he's trying to show his support and faith in his current personnel. He's simply saying that competition will be tough for any rookie who comes in, he'll have to earn his spot just like anyone else.

I don't know matty...this is pretty convincing:

"You'd love to have a guy who can make an immediate impact," Gibbs said. "But to be quite truthful, you look at our football team, where could a player step in here right now and say: 'I'm taking over'? Where is that? That makes us feel good. I don't feel panicked that we have to take any one thing. It's hard to say that somebody would just step into any position right now."

I don't think anything is being twisted. As they point out, we had the worst D in the NFC last year, and won only 5 games yet only adding 2 real good players in Fletcher and Smoot. How would Landry not start? How would a DE (any DE) not start?
I get the point of Gibbs comments in trying to show confidence in his players, but he just showed a lack of confidence to every player that might be drafted for us. If I was, say, Okoye, and I just heard Gibbs say that...I'm wishing and hoping to not be drafted by the Skins. No one wants to ride the pine out of college.