January 8, 2008
Breaking: Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs Resigns
It's the final edition of the Passion of the Gibbs! Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is resigning, the Post is reporting. Gibbs will reportedly stay with the Redskins in some kind of consulting capacity, but the 67-year-old will no longer serve as head coach after 16 years in the job.
No decision has yet been announced on a replacement for Gibbs, but if owner Dan Snyder does what he said he'd do when he hired assistant coach Gregg Williams, Williams should be the new head coach.
After dishing out a few of the standard Gibbs criticisms, Kissing Suzy Kolber decides that a future with Williams in charge is no future at all:
You can challenge all of the obvious fumbles you want. Feel like calling back-to-back timeouts? Have at it! Hell, I'll even let all of the Jesus bullshit slide for another season or so, just don't leave us with that smarmy prick in charge of our franchise!
A press conference is planned for this afternoon. We'll have more on the Gibbs resignation later ...
More from DCist Graham:
Gibbs' resignation doesn't come as a huge surprise to anyone who listened to yesterday's press conference, where he managed to field nearly a dozen questions about his future without actually giving an answer. It was about as vague and noncommittal as, well, all the rest of his press conferences, and, after a meeting with Snyder last night, the Hall of Fame coach will end his up-and-down second tenure in Washington.
It's something of a bittersweet day for Skins fans, some probably crying and some perhaps cheering the ageing coach's decision. The catalog of mistakes and bizarre coaching decisions has been extraordinarily well-documented this season, but in a season of unimaginable tragedy with the death of Sean Taylor, Gibbs held the locker room together and managed to inspire a dejected and stumbling team to 4 clutch wins and an unlikely playoff berth. That he did so with an unheralded backup who hadn't started a game in ten years at quarterback got the more nostalgic of us remembering Gibbs' first run as coach, when he managed to win three Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks -- the only coach to ever do so.
In yesterday's press conference, Gibbs told reporters, "It was the toughest [season[ for me. When you go through a season like that, it's kind of hard to re-grasp reality." Always a family man too, he's previously expressed his desire to spend more time with his "grandbabies" and, specifically, his ailing 2 year old grandson, recently diagnosed with leukemia.
So it's goodbye to Coach Gibbs, for good this time. Though he only went a mediocre 31-36 over four seasons in his second stint (1-2 in two playoff appearances) and while we'll remember this stint for his incessant repetition of trite phrases like "we really fought our guts out" and "he's a true Redskin", Gibbs deserves to be remembered as a three-time Super Bowl champion and the greatest Skin of all time.
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Bring "the chin"...I want Cowher!
I hear Snyder's already hired an archaeologist to dig up another fossil to coach the team.
P.S. Fly Eagles Fly.
did the Eagles even make the playoffs this year?
perfect time for him to leave... somewhat of a positive note making the playoffs with a mediocre team. If he were to stay, he could only do worse under this owner and with this team. Not sure why he came back to begin with. It is better to leave people with the memory of your superbowl victories than comeback to coach teams that are not winning superbowls any time soon.
Doesn't he know the rules? You can't resign twice in a row! That's a 15-yard penalty.
Doesn't he know the rules? You can't resign twice in a row! That's a 15-yard penalty.
i "heart" jeffrey.
with their mascot gone, here's to the redskins changing their name and packing up and moving to LA.
did the Eagles even make the playoffs this year?
Does it really matter? I'd rather not even make the playoffs than lose in the first round. In fact, I'd rather lose in the NFC Championship than lose in the first round!
As much as I dislike the Redskins, I think this is the right move. Their team is way too talented and has seemed to underperform every year. A new coach will make this team scary. The NFC East looks like it'll be back as the best division in football.
I guess you'd rather go to the Super Bowl and lose (choke) too...oh wait the Eagles already did that a few years back.
I think Gibbs got a sinking ship back to level. Since Gibbs left the team the first time we only made the playoffs once. In his four years back they made the playoffs twice. We are what we are, a team good enough to lose to second round playoff caliber teams. Any coincidence we lost to the same team twice? Let's see what the new regime can do for a team making baby steps to becoming a super bowl champion once again.
I'm humbled by the stinging reminder that the 'Skins finished a glorious 9-8, as opposed to the Eagles shameful 8-8.
As a Steelers fan, I think the worst thing the skins could do is hire Cowher. While he is undoubtedly a great coach, his style would put him strongly at odds with the redskins management structure. Couple that with the fact that he apparently wants GM power and it would pretty much be set up to fail. Of course, that is pretty much more because of the redskins shitty ownership and management, but still.
I guess you'd rather go to the Super Bowl and lose (choke) too...oh wait the Eagles already did that a few years back.
Choking in sports is when you lose to a team that you are supposed to beat. The Eagles barely lost to the Rams in the NFC Championship in 2001. The Rams were by far the best team in the NFL that year. Hardly a choke. They choked against Tampa in 02 bigtime. In 03, Carolina took a cheap shot at McNabb in the 1st quarter and he played very injured throughout the rest of the game before being pulled in the 4th quarter. Choke? maybe. In 05, we won the NFC and then lost to an equal, maybe better team in the Super Bowl.
ces12 - just curious: why would you rather not make the playoffs than lose in the first round?
If I'm an established-but-out-of-work coach (Cowher) or an emerging assistant (Jason Garrett), there's no way I'd want to be the Redskins head coach. Keep in mind that the #1 priority of a Danny Snyder-owned team is to maximize profits. Putting a winning team on the field is secondary, at best. As a lifelong 'Skins fan it hurts me to say it, but the Baltimore and Atlanta teams are way ahead of DC in having the ownership, front office, and football philosophy that is conducive to winning.
rather not make the playoffs than lose in the first round??? i can't believe that to be a true statement.
i don't care if the Redskins make it in every year by the skin on their teeth (which they did at 9-8) -- that gives me even more of a reason to cheer for them.
but i guess if you'd rather be a fair-weather fan and only support your team if there is a Super Bowl involved, then I give you that choice. in which case, you better pick a team that has a chance of that instead of the Eagles
ces12 - just curious: why would you rather not make the playoffs than lose in the first round?
As a lifelong Philadelphia sports team fan, it's better not to get your hopes up :)
By that logic, the Dolphins KICKED ASS this year. And now that Ricky's ready, I'm sure they'll do even better next year! (read, 0-16?).
Keep in mind that the #1 priority of a Danny Snyder-owned team is to maximize profits.
I am no Snyder fan, but there is very little evidence to support that Snyder pursues profits at the expense of winning (though he does, most-assurdedly, pursue profits). Recent example: In the one area he could spend money for talent to create a winner (coaches) he blew up the salary scale for NFL assistants, spending far, far more than he had to.
The better criticism is that he does not yet know how to build a winner. He has been the common denominator through a decade of mediocrity, but I believe he very much wants to win.
I wasn't around for Gibbs' super bowl glory days, so all I can say is good riddance. Looking forward to another playoff season next year.
KR is right on the money, Snyder simply doesn't know how to build a winning team. At first Danny Boy thought he could take a fantasy football approach by buying up, past their prime, marquee free agents and we all know how well that worked out. Then he thought overpaying for coaches would do the trick and that didn't work either.
Snyder needs to hire a GM and let him do his job.
What "management structure"? There is The Dan and everyone else.
And just say "no" to Jason Garret. We already burned through one ex-Cowboy coach.
The Eagles have been a crap team ever since Mark Wahlberg retired.
Crap. I'm gonna need a new handle...