Gibbs going out on his own terms

by Ed Valentine on Jan 8, 2008 4:57 PM EST in New York Giants News

Just a little bit more reflection here on Joe Gibbs' announcement that he is resigning as coach and team president of the Washington Redskins.

I was a college student at the University of Maryland during part of Gibbs' first tenure with the Redskins, and I have always thought of him as a class act.

I could hate Jimmy Johnson. I can hate Bill Belichick. I can never have anything but respect for the way Gibbs has carried himself and gone about his business, especially this season with the way he rallied his team after the murder of Sean Taylor.

Gibbs went out on his own terms to help his family through a crisis of its own. His sense of family and priority adds to my respect for the Hall of Fame coach.

My buddy Rick Snider, who has been covering professional sports in the DC area since he and I were at Maryland together in the late '70s, echoed that sentiment.

"Good for Joe. He's following his heart instead of his head. Gibbs wanted to stay. His family wanted him to retire. The grandson has cancer. Joe's health isn't great and he's 67. Gibbs did everything he wanted -- to return the team to the playoffs. He never promised a Super Bowl. Now it's time to go while the getting is still good."

By the way, kudos to Rick for predicting Gibbs would leave the Redskins in a DC Examiner column written before the news broke.

Gibbs finishes his career with 171 victories, three Super Bowl titles and two playoff appearances in the last three seasons.

Enjoy your retirement, Joe. You have earned it.

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i would have had more respect for gibbs

if he had stayed retired. the year he came back is the year i first moved to dc. i was sick of hearing about him after about one week of listening to the radio. snyder has turned that franchise into a joke. although, with their long and storied history of racism (and still going strong!) i have no doubt the deserve every bit of misery that comes their way. gibbs was also great at winning strike shortened superbowls and coaching scabs.

i can see why you respected him ed, i just personally wished he would have stayed in nascar.

by DieEaglesDie on Jan 8, 2008 5:57 PM EST reply actions

Comeback

Gibbs didn't come back for personal gain. Largely, he came back because he loves the Redskins and hated what had happened to them. In many ways the game had passed him by, and deep down I think he knew it.

by Ed Valentine on Jan 8, 2008 6:42 PM EST up reply actions

that is a good point

i feel like he also did it to make all the citizens of greater washington annoy the hell out of me but im probably wrong.

by DieEaglesDie on Jan 8, 2008 6:53 PM EST up reply actions

Yes, the game has passed him by, but he left an

indelible mark on the sport by translating physics to football by recogonizing the advantage an offensive line averaging over 300 pounds at each position provided. "Everybody" knows it now, but before Gibbs no one had attempted it. three hundred plus offensive linemen were considered too unathletic by and large. There were a few, starting I believe with Sherman Plunket who protected (too often unsuccessfully) Joe Namath.

by george cronin on Jan 8, 2008 8:25 PM EST up reply actions

another thing Gibbs did that he deserves

credit for, being the first coach to commit truely develop and commit to playing a black quarterback in Doug Williams.

by DoctorK16 on Jan 8, 2008 10:28 PM EST reply actions

great point

many people probably dont even realize the big part he played in that.

gibbs is a great coach and seemed like an even better person.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Jan 9, 2008 7:42 AM EST up reply actions

Williams and Simms,

two good but not premier QBs both had SB perfomances that are perhaps the best ever turned in.

by george cronin on Jan 9, 2008 10:52 AM EST up reply actions

couldn't agree more

Gibbs is a class act all the way. I've tried to hate the Redskins, but ever since moving to DC 2 years ago I've just been really impressed with the kind of man Gibbs obviously is. If I were a player, he's the kind of coach I'd want to play for, and I'd bust my ass for him all the time.

Now, hopefully, the 'Skins will hire a d-bag coach like Spurrier, so I can start hating them the way I hate the 'Boys and the Eagles.

by cjmulrain on Jan 9, 2008 7:44 AM EST reply actions

Wishing Gibbs all the best

Great coach, and always seemed like a good man

Another thing about Gibbs, didn't he design the 2 TE offense, geared at stopping LT? I don't think anybody was doing that until Gibbs tried it

I could be wrong, been known to happen

Anyway, enjoy your retirement Joe

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Jan 9, 2008 8:08 AM EST reply actions

I believe

you are right about that. He was the first to game plan specifically for LT. He was, in his first tenure in Washington, a real forward-thinker who changed the way personnel is used on offense.

by Ed Valentine on Jan 9, 2008 9:45 AM EST up reply actions

Right, ET, a real innovator, yet you say

the game has passed him by. I agree. You said that in the off season you were going to poll the contributors to this site re an all time Giants team. Think of how hard that's going to be to compare guys from different eras. I can't imagine guys like Giff or Rote making it in the NFL these days, for example: too small, too slow, etc, although with different training methods (eg, weight training,) who knows? Nevertheless, when the time comes, I have some old timers in mind who could play today and should definitely be on any all time Giants team. When the time comes, their names shall be revealed!

by george cronin on Jan 9, 2008 11:03 AM EST up reply actions

A real innovator

During his first tenure. Yet, after 11 years away from the game he struggled to find his way. He still ended up doing a very good job, though. As for an all-time team if I go ahead with it I will be reaching out to some of you older guys to get some input on who should be included.

by Ed Valentine on Jan 9, 2008 11:24 AM EST up reply actions

Good Article

From Don Banks on Gibbs

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/01/08/Gibbs/index.html

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Jan 9, 2008 9:47 AM EST reply actions

Banks on Gibbs

"...he struggled with the penchant for current NFL players to put their own situations above the best interests of the team, and their lack of willingness to dedicate themselves year-round to his program." Sound like a problem TC might have?

by george cronin on Jan 9, 2008 11:20 AM EST reply actions