Jan 8, 2005 2 min read

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) – Joe Gibbs began the offseason overhaul of the Washington Redskins’ offense Friday, hiring West Coast offense veteran Bill Musgrave as quarterbacks coach. “He brings in a lot of new ideas,” Gibbs said. “We’re looking for ideas there. It’s a good time to bring in someone who gives you different ideas and brings different viewpoints.”

Musgrave’s hiring came at the end of four days of meetings in which the Redskins coaches critiqued the roster from top to bottom to plot a strategy for free agency. They also talked with several players, including left tackle Chris Samuels, whose contracts need to renegotiated to clear room under the salary cap.

Gibbs also wants to fix an anemic offense that ranked 30th in the league this season. Enter Musgrave, who was recently fired after two years as Jacksonville’s offensive coordinator and has worked with Redskins assistants Don Breaux and Joe Bugel. Musgrave also coached Washington quarterback Mark Brunell for one season with the Jaguars.

Gibbs likes the fact that Musgrave, who spent one season as Carolina’s offensive coordinator before resigning after the 2000 season, has spent most of his 12-year NFL career as a player and coach in West Coast schemes. That’s a system Gibbs hasn’t used.

“We’ll look at everything and analyze what we’re doing, and we’ve got to make things happen,” Gibbs said.

Musgrave takes the job held by Jack Burns, who will remain on the staff as an assistant to offensive coaches Breaux and Bugel.

The Redskins had virtually no downfield passing game all season. Gibbs consistently claimed he was calling a sufficient number of long throws, but Breaux acknowledged this week that the game plan was perhaps too conservative.

“At times, maybe guys get too conscious of trying to protect the ball,” Breaux said. “Maybe you get a little conservative, and you have a good defense, so maybe you try to play to your defense. We’re at the point where we know to get where we want to go, we’ve got to let ‘er fly.”