If Not Gibbs, Who Can Win In D.C.?

TDJets72027 · Nov 25, 2007

A presidential election is less than 12 months away, but the hottest water-cooler topic around the nation's capital these days has less to do with the next occupant of the White House than it does with who will be ensconced in the head coach's office next year at Redskins Park.

Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs still has a contract to be there. Gibbs, who has three Super Bowl titles on his rsum from 1981-92, is in the fourth year of a five-year, $30 million deal he signed with team owner Daniel Snyder in 2004. At the time of his thoroughly unexpected return, the town went wild over the prospect of finally putting the team in the seemingly capable hands of the winningest and arguably most popular coach in franchise history.

But these days, the local airwaves and fan websites are filled with often vicious vitriol directed toward a team, and most often its coach, with only one playoff season to show and an overall record of 26-32 since Gibbs' return, including 5-5 this season after losing the past two games to NFC East rivals Philadelphia and Dallas.

Two of the Redskins' victories came in overtime against the woeful Jets and Dolphins, and they barely got past the lowly Cardinals when a last-second, game-winning Arizona field-goal attempt came up just short. Oh, and did we mention that 52-7 mega-embarassment inflicted by the unforgiving New England Patriots, the worst loss of Gibbs' career and the fourth-worst loss in franchise history?

The Redskins continue to flail despite the presence of 20 assistant coaches on the staff, including a pair of coordinators, Al Saunders on offense and Gregg Williams on defense, pulling down $2 million a year each. Snyder also has never spared any expense in bringing in free agents, many of whom are more than happy to take his money and go right in the tank. Names such as Deion Sanders, Adam Archuletta and the latest spectacular flop, receiver Brandon Lloyd, immediately come to mind, costing the team more than $30 million just in signing bonuses alone, and contributing about 50 cents worth of quality playing time. There have been many others, as well.

The Gibbs II Era also has been marked on game days by problems with clock management, confusion on the sideline and strange strategic decisions. Last week against the Cowboys, Terrell Owens caught four touchdown passes, including three bombs down the middle of the field with nary a defender in sight. Fool me once, shame on you, but fool me three more times, and shame on a coaching staff that never could figure out how to stop it.

In his first go-around, Gibbs was known as arguably the finest offensive play-caller of his generation, as well as a coach whose teams made brilliant halftime adjustments on both sides of the ball. But since the middle of the 2006 season, Gibbs has relinquished the play-calling to Saunders, and halftime adjustments on offense, particularly with the Redskins in the lead at intermission, seem to consist mostly of going into a conservative shell over the last 30 minutes.

This time around, Gibbs also has shown a big-time stubborn streak when it comes to personnel decisions. He is listed as team president and head coach, and the Redskins do not have a general manager. Vinny Cerrato, viewed around the league as a generally mediocre judge of talent, runs the personnel department and has no authority, a far different circumstance than Gibbs had in his first stop with the team.

In the 1980s, Bobby Beathard, also the man who helped provide the talent for Don Shula's undefeated 1972 team, was Washington's general manager. In fact, he hand-picked Gibbs, then a mostly obscure offensive coordinator in San Diego, to coach the Redskins in 1981. Just as significantly, Beathard also selected most of the players who helped fuel all those Super Bowl teams.

Gibbs, never known for his player-personnel skills, nevertheless insists he doesn't need a general manager, perhaps his greatest failure since he returned. And Snyder, who hero-worshipped his coach as a boy growing up in the Washington suburbs, has never had the moxie to tell him otherwise.

In a rare television interview earlier this season, Snyder also made a fool of himself when he said that Gibbs' successful NASCAR racing team never had a GM, and look how well that organization has functioned.

Never mind it's obviously apples and oranges, or Fords and Ferraris, so to speak.

Gibbs, 67, keeps insisting publicly that he fully intends to be around for his fifth season in 2008. But if this team again does not make the playoffs, or the Redskins collapse over the final seven weeks (a distinct possibility considering the remaining tough schedule), no one would be surprised if he just walked away.

And who knows? If the team ends at 6-10 or 7-9 and out of the postseason again, Snyder, as mercurial a team owner as there is in the NFL, might even be tempted to look around for his fifth coach since he purchased the team in 1999. But who is he gonna call this time? If this Hall of Fame coach couldn't get it done under Snyder's long reign of error, who can?
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http://www.miamiherald.com/615/story/319972.html

TJ · Nov 25, 2007

Gibbs doesn't have it anymore, and Snyder just doesn't get it. As long as Snyder is in charge, the Redskins won't do anything.

Therefore, I hope Snyder sticks around forever :icon_cheesygrin:

Omen · Nov 25, 2007

umm maybe they will go with williams

skinsfan1 · Nov 25, 2007

god I hope not

Omen · Nov 26, 2007

then who if you can pick the next HC who would it be

TJ · Nov 26, 2007

Bill Cowher is the only big-name Coach left out there. I'm pretty sure that Snyder will give him 4 trillion dollars or something

PSID412USM · Nov 26, 2007

We be stick with Gibbs Synder won't fire him and I don't think he will quit sadly.

Omen · Nov 26, 2007

ouch thats bad

PSID412USM · Nov 26, 2007

Could be worse we could have Norv Turner.

HailttRedskins · Nov 26, 2007

It's always Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs, why the heck can't it be Saunders?

As far as I am concerned, the second he got here, we went down hill.

And don't give me that bullcrap, Gibbs calls the plays bullcrap, when he sits there and has to talk back and forth about which play to run with Saunders for 30 seconds, it's kind of hard to get things going.

Get rid of Saunders, and get back to winning.

skinsfan1 · Nov 26, 2007

I'd like to saunders in charge.

HailttRedskins · Nov 26, 2007

skinsfan1 said: ↑

I'd like to saunders in charge.
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I'd rather see Jason, whenever he does the quick offense they go on a roll.

skinsfan1 · Nov 26, 2007

with saunders calling the plays

Omen · Nov 27, 2007

its gibbs bc the ultimate decision is his he is the captian not the first mate so its his fault

HailttRedskins · Nov 27, 2007

Omen said: ↑

its gibbs bc the ultimate decision is his he is the captian not the first mate so its his fault
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true, it does come down to him, however, when they sit there and talk about what play to run, it gives him less time to think about it, besides the 2006 injuries, look how bad the play calling was compared to 2005.

There's only one thing, SAUNDERS.

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If Not Gibbs, Who Can Win In D.C.?

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