Return of the King: Part II
There was a moment during Joe Gibbs' triumphant return to Redskins Park this afternoon that signaled a seismic change in the future of the Washington Redskins. Gibbs called the team's owner "Daniel".
Norv Turner was 45 when Dan Snyder bought the team. Marty Schottenheimer was 58 when he came to coach and Steve Spurrier was the same age when he abruptly quit two weeks ago. All three men (besides losing in DC) had something in common. They all called their much-younger owner, "Mr. Snyder".
It always seemed strange to see Marty Schottenheimer, who was playing college football when El Danno was still in diapers, call him "Mr. Snyder". Same with Spurrier. It just always felt a little uncomfortable, like when you're watching a movie sex scene with your parents in the room. Nobody wants to say anything about it, but everybody is aware of the awkwardness.
Joe Gibbs is having none of that. It's not that Gibbs is informal about names. He always (and still) calls Jack Kent Cooke "Mr. Cooke", even at today's press conference. Gibbs will call Dan Snyder "Daniel" until he earns the right to be called Mr. Snyder. And by keeping his nose out of Gibbs' locker room and personnel moves, Snyder might do that sooner rather than later. Joe Gibbs showed who was in charge today. Snyder might have the money and the title, but in his subtle way, today Joe Gibbs showed who was boss.

"Is it possible that the game has passed by Joe Gibbs?
The reasonable answer is that, if it has, he'll catch it and pass it pretty quickly."
- Michael Wilbon, The Washington Post, January 8, 2004

Wilbon said it all right there. Some critics, notably ESPN.com's Len Pasquerelli will have you believe that Gibbs won't be able to play today's style of football, won't be able to relate to the players, won't be able to be a force in free agency. Maybe so. But there is nothing that Joe Gibbs has done in his career that would suggest any of those things might come true.
The current form of free agency came into effect the year after Gibbs left the Redskins. Same with the salary cap. So, the assertion is, that Gibbs won't be able to have success with the revolving door that is today's NFL. But the Redskins teams of the 1980's WERE revolving doors. Gibbs won his three Super Bowl's with three different quarterback (two of whom were mediocre the rest of their NFL careers). He plugged in Timmy Smith during his 1987 playoff run and Smith ran for a Super Bowl record 204 yards in the 42-10 romp over Denver. That record still stands, by the way. Talk about your one-hit wonders. Timmy Smith should be wedged in between Dexy's Midnight Runners and Right Said Fred in VH1's Top 100. But I digress.
The point is, Joe Gibbs runs a system. If you can play within the system, you will play on the team. If you can't, you'll be slicing meat at a deli counter. It doesn't matter if you're Vernon Dean, George Rogers, Ed Simmons, Barry Wilburn, Todd Bowles, Brian Davis, RC Thielmann or Kurt Gouveia. All those guy were middle-of-the-road NFL players, at best, yet thrived in Gibbs system. Hell, the replacement players went 3-0 under Gibbs (including a 255-yard receiving day by Anthony Allen against St. Louis that is still the Redskins record. Shouldn't that have an asterisk by it? I mean, didn't Milli Vanilli have to give their Grammy back?). This is not to say that you could stick any player on the Redskins and Joe Gibbs would have them winning, but I bet that if Joe Gibbs had coached the Arizona Cardinals this year, they would have been better than 4-12.


"The past doesn't pay us much, except in relationships. We've got to prove ourselves all over again."
- Joe Gibbs, January 8, 2004

What a change this press conference was from two years ago when Steve Spurrier cruised into town and had everybody thinking that he'd snap his fingers and the Skins would return to glory.
Joe Gibbs isn't lulling anybody into a false sense of security. Today he acknowledged how much work had to be done and how much effort everybody (players, coaches, front-office) needed to give in order for the Redskins to become the success that everybody wants them to be. Just because Joe Gibbs is in town, he says, doesn't mean you can start mapping out a parade route through downtown DC.
Everyone in Washington DC expects a Super Bowl Championship in the first year. More than likely, that's a fantasy. The NFL loves its parity, but with established teams like Philly and St. Louis in the NFC, a playoff appearence is a reasonable goal for the Skins.
Today, Joe Gibbs said there is no timetable or plan for his team. He knows the Redskins need lots of work and isn't afraid to say so. He knows that the team isn't going to go 10-6 just by wanting to. It will take hard work, good scouting and a level of preparation not seen in Ashburn since Gibbs left, to get back to being a contender.

Joe Gibbs didn't wear his Super Bowl Rings today. They are in the past. He knows his success will be measured in how his team performs the next few years.
But even if they falter, Joe will still have coached the Redskins to the pinnacle of success in the 1980's, and not even a few losing seasons can take that away from the man who is more popular in this city than any coach or politician before him.
Today was a magical day in Washington DC. The King is back. Long live Joe Gibbs.