Joe Gibbs, the Hall of Fame coach who led the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl titles in the 1980s and early '90s, has reached a tentative contract agreement to return as head coach of the Washington Redskins, sources said today.I'm giddy. I'm drunk. Can this really be happening?
In stark contrast to his more laid-back predecessor, Gibbs is already assembling a winning team, according to ESPN:
Washington expected to announce Gibbs' hiring later Wednesday. Gibbs is expected to hire former Bills coach Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator and Joe Bugel as assistant head coach.
And, unlike the hapless 7-9 and 5-11 'Skins under the "ol' ballcoach",
[T]he Redskins made the playoffs during eight of Gibbs' 12 seasons. His record was 124-60 in the regular season and 16-5 in the playoffs, including Super Bowl victories after the 1982, 1987 and 1991 seasons.
Oh, did I mention that he's already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
ESPN's Tom Friend, also a Redskins fan, provides a little exposition on why 'Skins owner Dan Snyder, made this move:
Do you know who Dan Snyder is? He's a kid from Charles W. Woodward High School in Rockville, Md. who grew up during the Redskin golden years. He grew up at a time Edward Bennett Williams was hiring Vince Lombardi and then George Allen to save the franchise. You think Steve Spurrier was a big name? Hah! Lombardi, now that's a name. Allen, that's a name.Dan Snyder grew up in an era where, from 1971-92, the Redskins had exactly two losing seasons, a 6-10 in 1980 and a 7-9 in '88. Other than that, it was five Super Bowl appearances and three titles, all courtesy of Joe Gibbs. It was Sonny and Billy and Hanburger in the 70s, and it was Gibbs and Riggo and Joey T. and Monk in the 80s. It was Sunday night celebrations at Duke Zieberts, it was Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in the owner's box and it was RFK Stadium throbbing, throbbing.
Did little Dan Snyder get spoiled by it all? Of course he did. I went to a high school down the street from Snyder's, Wootton, and I got spoiled, too. From 1969-92, the team had three Hall of Fame head coaches. From 1971-85, they had just three celebrity quarterbacks -- Sonny Jurgensen, Bill Kilmer and Joe Theismann. And after that, you could've handed Gibbs anybody (even someone named Danny Wuerffel), and he'd have won with him. I mean, Gibbs won Super Bowls with Theismann, Doug Williams and Mark Rypien. He made the last two guys Super Bowl MVPs. It was football nirvana, and a young Dan Snyder even sat in the stands for the last game Gibbs ever coached, a playoff game in San Francisco in 1992. He sat in the stands and cheered. Lost his voice.
Aside: This humble writer attended George C. Marshall "Home of the Statesmen", in Falls Church, VA 1988-1992.
But this will be more than just one big nostalgic journey into disappointment. Friend continues:
Gibbs is also the master of adjustment. At halftime, he'd always come up with some new wrinkle, and he'll adjust to the new NFL, too. I found it amusing how people say that Spurrier came to the NFL to see if his Fun 'N Gun would work and then quit when he realized it wouldn't. What a loser! Gibbs came to the Redskins in 1981 with the same reputation as a gun-slinging coach, straight from the Air Coryell Chargers. But after an 0-5 start, he looked at his roster and adjusted, became a run-first offense behind Riggins. He didn't quit, he didn't run off to play golf. It took guts to do what change everything, but Joe Gibbs is no dummy.
But, wait, you say, where has this "hall-of-famer" been this whole time? Glad you asked. After the NFL pressure-cooker started to adversely affect his health, he went into NASCAR, winning the '93 Daytona Cup with driver Dal Jarret in his second year! According to WaPo:
After leaving football, Gibbs began working in stock-car racing, and he swiftly became one of the most respected owners in NASCAR, breaking through the good-old-boy network and proving himself as a shrewd businessmen who hired the best people and allowed them to do their jobs....
The approach brought immediate success. [Driver Bobby] Labonte won the sport's season-long championship -- the Winston Cup -- in 2000, a year after [Driver Tony] Stewart was named the series' top rookie. In 2002, Stewart won the championship, making Gibbs perhaps the most successful owner in the sport (emphasis mine).Ah yes. It's good to have a proven winner back where he belongs.
What does this mean for the League? Well, the NFC East just became the most difficult division to play in -- again -- and, as Friend points out, its rivalries just got that much more nasty:
I can't wait for Redskins-Cowboys again.
I can't wait for Joe Gibbs' rematch with Bill Parcells -- without Lawrence Taylor!
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