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When the NFL playoffs rolled around, Joe Gibbs made sure of one thing: He’d do everything possible to outwork his coaching rivals.

That meant elevating his game a few notches. He studied harder than ever, going deep into his playbook for anything that would outwit his opponents. He looked for any edge. He also made sure his Washington Redskin players understood what they needed to do and how to get it done, and he readied them so they wouldn’t beat themselves through turnovers, penalties and other mental errors.

To him, it was all about preparation.

“One thing that always struck me is how aggressive Joe was in the playoffs with play calling and strategy;’ said former Redskins general manager Charley Casserly. “He didn’t pull back in the playoffs; he went after it. It was clearly because of preparation.

He was great at preparing.

“He never played tense in the postseason. He went at it without a conservative game plan, whether it was by throwing the ball, formations, opening things up. He didn’t hold back. He never played not to lose:’

Gibbs’ patience and fearlessness paid off. He posted a 17-7 postseason mark in 16 NFL seasons for a winning percentage of .708. That and his regular-season mark of .621 (154-94) are among the best for coaches with at least 100 victories.