Off Into the Sunset

Joe Gibbs returned to the Redskins on January 7, 2004. It's no coincidence that this blog was born that very same day. Gibbs had always been my sports hero; the man who had led my beloved Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl with three different quarterbacks and whose absence the team had never been able to get over. When the stunning news broke that Gibbs would return to the franchise he had taken to the NFL's summit, I felt the need to do something - anything - to show what this meant to me as a fan. So I created a Blogger account and posted my euphoric thoughts on what the return of Joe Gibbs meant to the Redskins. And while that second tenure with the team wasn't as successful as everyone (including me) had hoped on that chilly afternoon four years ago, one thing hasn't changed: In my book, Joe Gibbs is still the greatest.
Some will call Gibbs' comeback a failure. From a won/loss standpoint, maybe it was. Gibbs, who had the third highest winning percentage of any coach in NFL history prior to his comeback, finished five games below .500 during his second go-round in D.C.. Those losses included games where Gibbs' staff botched crucial decisions, made egregious mistakes and presided over teams that couldn't hold onto leads. There were times when the Redskins looked like a poorly-coached football team. After Jason Campbell went down with a season-ending injury though, it looked more and more like the only thing Gibbs and his staff were guilty of was a lack of confidence in their young quarterback. His two point conversion decisions and use of timeouts on Sundays were suspect, but hardly an indicator of senility like some churlish hacks seemed to suggest.
Gibbs' coaching greatness came mainly on the other six days of the week, anyway. Like Red Auerbach, Gibbs was of the belief that the bulk of coaching came during practice and in game-planning. And, as was evident over the past month, Gibbs was a genius in player motivation. Nobody else could have had the Redskins ready to play just 72 hours after burying their All-Pro teammate and 96 hours after a crushing loss that should have had everyone packing it in for the season. The Redskins didn't and, four wins later, went to Seattle where they lost a playoff game in a tough atmosphere that they were in control of early in the fourth quarter.
From the sound of today's press conference, the loss in Seattle played no role in Gibbs' departure. He sounded like a man whose mind was made up weeks ago. My mom even predicted it. After seeing Gibbs linger on the field following the playoff-clinching win over Dallas, she texted me with her opinion that he was gone. (The on-field display garnered some attention today, so much so that Gibbs was asked about in the presser - he said he did it after every season, just in case - but I didn't read one thing about it in the week following the act.) After yesterday's strange press conference, when Gibbs refused to commit to much of anything, let alone coming back for a fifth year, I wrote my buddy The Wolfman, "gibbs is going to retire. i have the feeling. his press conference today was very weird." Today, he confirmed those fears.
The only way Joe Gibbs knows how to coach football is to put in 19-hour days and sleep on a cot in the office. When he came back in 2004, he said he'd try to avoid that at all costs. He knew it was a pipe dream. So, when Gibbs realized that all the hours and time and angst were keeping him from his family, he made the only choice that he could make: Give up the football. Joe Gibbs doesn't make compromises. He doesn't go halfway. If he couldn't be 100% into the Redskins, he knew he had to quit, because giving 99% would have been a foreign concept to him.
Today's press conference was boilerplate Gibbs. He thanked a laundry list of people, made numerous reference to Redskins fans ("they're always there, it doesn't matter what the weather is," a quote which has to be a knock at Giants fans who avoided the Meadowlands like the plague during a cold, windy night three weeks ago) and invoked God's name often. Gibbs was eloquent and funny; his words heartfelt. It's clear that he is a genuinely good man. Washingtonians' love for Gibbs isn't based on victories or trophies or playoff apperances, it's different. It's real.
That's why his players loved him too. It's why they fought so hard for him and why they were so pleased to contribute to his success. Watch other teams celebrate big wins. Most times, the players run out onto the field, leaving the coach behind to trot out for the post-game handshake. Gibbs always had players around him at the final whistle though. Clinton Portis, Mike Sellers, Mark Brunell and Rock Cartwright, to name a few, constantly huddled around Gibbs after each win, patting their coach on the back and giving him hugs. That sort of stuff happens on other sidelines during Championship games and Super Bowls, but not during the regular season. It's a sign of the respect that players had for Joe Gibbs.
Gibbs neither tarnished nor enhanced his legacy during his comeback. Frankly, nothing he did this time around would have taken away from the three Super Bowls and great successes he had during the 1980's. The second coming will be remembered for the two playoff appearances, injuries and, sadly, the death of Sean Taylor. That somber reminder was on display today as Gibbs wore a black "21" lapel pin during his 45-minute talk with the press. Had Taylor not been killed, it's difficult to say whether Gibbs would have returned. It doesn't much matter now, but I think there's a decent chance he would have. The stress involved in the past five weeks would have tested the strength of men half Gibbs' age, let alone ones with diabetes and a sick grandchild. That Gibbs made it through looking as composed as he did on the day he accepted the job four years ago is a testament to his will.
Unlike the first time he retired, Gibbs leaves behind a strong Redskins team. As Peter King wrote today, Gibbs' greatest accomplishment might have been in teaching Dan Snyder the value of patience in team-building. This Redskins team wasn't built overnight, the key players who came in under Gibbs were picked in different drafts (Jason Campbell, Laron Landry, Chris Cooley), trades (Clinton Portis, Santana Moss) and free agency (London Fletcher, Cornelius Griffin, Antwan Randle-El). There wasn't one off-season bonanza like in year's past (despite what Len Pasquarelli writes every March). Instead, Gibbs has selectively added parts to make a cohesive team.
This is why I reluctantly think Gregg Williams should be the next head coach of the Washington Redskins. He's had his troubles as a head coach before and last year was a debacle for many reasons, but going outside of the organization would undo the continuity and sense of family Joe Gibbs has instilled in these Redskins. With a similar system next year, some good off-season acquisitions and a healthy roster, there's no reason the 2008 Redskins can't duplicate the success that the 2007 Cowboys had after Bill Parcells left. Jerry Jones saw the wisdom in not tearing down what Parcells had built. Hopefully Dan Snyder will do the same with Gibbs' teams. Just because the coach leaves, doesn't mean the roster needs an overhaul. This team is on the right track. Bill Cowher might be nice, but if he doesn't have the talent, it won't much matter.
And that's the main lesson from Gibbs 2.0: Coaching can only go so far. Without a great GM or front office, even the best coaches will struggle. That was the main problem with Gibbs' return. Injuries played a huge role in each of the four years (Jon Jansen x2, Randy Thomas x2, Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers, Santana Moss, Clinton Portis, Jason Campbell, Mark Brunell and Cornelius Griffin were only some of the starters who missed significant time over the past four seasons), but the lack of quality depth in each of the first three years were what really killed the team.
Some are saying that Gibbs the man is better than Gibbs the coach. I say they're equally great. But, doubtlessly, Gibbs the man and coach are far better than Gibbs the GM. In his first tenure, Gibbs had the great Bobby Bethard bringing in players. This time, Gibbs and a committee that included Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato were responsible for personnel. It didn't work. Parcells always grumbled about how the guy cooking the meal should be able to shop for the groceries. Unfortunately, cooking the meal isn't an all-consuming gig like coaching football is. Head coach of an NFL team and general manager of an NFL team are two separate jobs. Combining them would be like having the president serve as Senate Majority Leader, or the principal of a school doing double-time as a third-grade teacher. This is why I don't want Cowher within two states of Redskins Park. He's a great coach, but word is he'll only come to D.C. if he gets full control. That's not what the Redskins need. (And I have my doubts, despite all the reports, about whether Dan Snyder will actually cede that power to Cowher. Wasn't that the problem with Marty Schottenheimer?)
I think Gibbs knows this, which is why he was subtly lobbying for Williams during the press conference. He said about Snyder's impending search, "I kinda know how Dan feels about things. I think his feelings are a lot like everyone's around here." Seeing as how the players all want Williams, that seemed to be a nudge in his direction.
But today isn't about the next coach of the Redskins, it's about the last. While I'm sad to see Joe Gibbs go, part of me is relieved. Every Redskins loss over the past few years has been doubly painful because I always felt bad for Coach Joe. He worked so hard and wanted to win so badly that the dropped balls, blown coverages and botched field goals took on greater significance. They weren't just hurting the Redskins, they were hurting my sports hero.
I'll miss the folksy attitude and sincere manner. I'll miss the Monday sitdowns with George Michael and Sonny Jurgensen. I'll miss Don Breaux and Bubba Tyer and, most of all, Joe Bugel, the unsung hero of the Redskins who got the most out of every player that lined up on the offensive line. (Without Jansen and Thomas, that o-line had no business being as good as it was. It's a testament to Bugel's coaching ability that was never more evident than in Stephon Heyer, an undrafted rookie who was the catalyst to the 'Skins improved running game during the four-game playoff run.) I'll miss his integrity and class. But most of all, though, I'll miss knowing that every Sunday, the Redskins would be more prepared, more inspired and more ready to play than the team they were facing. Disagree all you want about anything else - clearly I'm an unabashed Gibbs homer through and through - but you can't deny that over the past four years, the Redskins went into every game ready to play. After 12 years of Norv Turner, Marty Schottenheimer and Steve Spurrier, that was a welcome sight, indeed. Gibbs might not have won a Super Bowl here, but he accomplished another goal: He brought pride back to the Redskins. The state of the franchise is good.
Near the end of his final press conference as head coach of the Washington Redskins, Joe Gibbs reflected on his time in the Nation's Capital. He spoke of the love fans showered upon him, even in the down times, of how this was the greatest franchise in sports and of how he will be a Washingtonian and a Redskin for life. "I was always treated better than I deserve here," Gibbs said. No you weren't, Joe. If anything, you deserved even better.