Victory Lap - Part Three

We'll miss you, the 2008 season is coming either way

The Curly R concludes a three part series on the sudden departure and celebration of the greatest Redskins coach of them all, Joe Gibbs. His sudden departure was unexpected by everyone, especially the team itself. The Redskins kick off the 2008 offseason already behind the competition curve.

Part One: Didn't See That Coming
Part Two: Resigned, Not Re-signed
Part Three: What Now?

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Joe Gibbs is gone, retired and it caught fans, media and the team by surprise. But the Redskins are perhaps the best team equipped to deal with a sudden need to spend money if maybe not a sudden need for quality decision making. Owner Dan Snyder is attracted to big name talent to a fault, he jettisoned Norval Turner in 2000 while the team was still in playoff contention then gave total control to Marty Schottenheimer in 2001. Steve Spurrier showed Dan Snyder enough leg to get Marty fired in 2002 then by the end of the 2003 season Steve was so disgusted with himself and the Redskins that he walked away from 15 million dollars rather than wait to be fired.

When Joe Gibbs came back it was like coming home again.

And so he was 30-34, so what, except for a few times when I was truly done with this team I remained loyal to Joe Gibbs, he gave me a reason to forget about Dan Snyder and his ruin of the Redskins, I would rather have Joe Gibbs and hope every Sunday in the fall than Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel any time.

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Now what? Now where do the Redskins go? Well to start they need a coach. It's January, the month when new coaches are in bloom. The problem is that most any decision the team makes on a head coach will not be destined to improve the team's longterm chances of winning a Super Bowl.

Why? For the same reasons it has not worked so far in seven seasons under Dan Snyder. Seven seasons, five coaches, two playoff appearances, one playoff win, a regular season record of 58-70, 45%. Seven seasons of Dan Snyder as the de facto general manager of the team. Only one coach, Marty Schottenheimer, save possibly Joe Gibbs though I have my doubts, has had the control he needed. Marty opened the season 0-5, this was back when Dan Snyder talked to the media, he said don't look at me you wanted me to give up some control, even an 8-3 finish could not save Marty and his three year plan that only got one year.

Twice, here in 2002 and here this week, I have read that Dan fired Marty to quote regain control unquote of the Redskins from Marty, like Marty was some sort of mad dictator bent on world destruction. That is not the way I recall it. Marty had a three year plan and year one was get rid of the dead weight, install the new system and start bringing in players that could mentor the players the team would bring in years two and three to make a serious playoff run. Bruce Smith publicly fought Marty over his tough practice habits, Marty did not deign to fight back in the media and therefore was portrayed as tone deaf all season. Add to this rumors floated by the same anti Marty bloc of players that fullback Donnell Bennett and receiver Kevin Lockett, both former Marty players in Kansas City, were locker room snitches for Marty.

Dan Snyder fired Marty Schottenheimer because Dan was pissed that Marty had fired mewling Snyder sycophant Vinny Cerrato almost as first order of business in January 2001 then Steve Spurrier entered the equation at the end of 2001, something Steve refused to do the year before after Norval Turner was fired. The best thing Dan could have done in January 2002 was leave Marty in control of the Redskins. But I digress. More on Marty in a moment.

Joe Gibbs allegedly had final say on everything, for my part I suspect that was not entirely the case, one for example would be Adam Archuleta, the defensive acquisitions of 2006 were supposedly picked by Gregg Williams and therefore approved by Joe but by opening day 2006 Adam would have been on the bench for the Vikings' first play from scrimmage if Pierson Prioleau had not torn his knee up on the kickoff one play before. Either Gregg and Joe have a flawed player selection process or the owner drove that pick or Adam was such a huckster that he pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. I suspect one had to do with two and a little of three.

If the team is going to improve, or in the parlance of this loss of Joe Gibbs, continue, its success there have to be some changes, Dan Snyder will have to make some decisions that go against his character. Len Shapiro was the first to touch on this, then Sally Jenkins. Then Thursday Michael Wilbon went in with both barrels:

[h]ow has that Celebrity Coach thing worked out so far for [Dan Snyder and the] Redskins? Let's see: no trips to the Super Bowl, no trips to the conference championship game. The Giants have been to the Super Bowl this decade. The Eagles have been to the Super Bowl this decade. The Cowboys, as the No. 1 seed in the NFC in these playoffs, are favored to go to the Super Bowl this year. That's all of the NFC East . . . except the Redskins. Apparently the Celebrity Coach model ain't what it's cracked up to be...

...The Redskins need a football person running the football operation...

Do I suspect the Redskins will break with a recent path that has produced a lot of interest and drama but not much in the way of postseason success?

Nope . . . not at all.

But that is not likely to happen. Dan Snyder will go through his 'process,' look around for the best football mind and catch a glimpse of himself in a mirror. Once again he will confuse wealth with brains.

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So that all said what is going to happen now? Dan Snyder says the team will take its time, that there is a 'process.' Players on both sides of the ball have already come out in support of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for the job. Beyond that, the rest of the staff is understandably concerned.

The search has begun, albeit slowly. Who are the first cut media candidates? Everyone's darling is Bill Cowher, the Chin. He left Pittsburgh with a mild case of burnout and a major need to get paid, he is busy enjoying himself and is going to milk the hell out of his record for as long as he can before he gets paid. The cereal box wisdom on Bill is that 7, 8, 10 million dollars a year and some measure of control over football operations would get him to come back a year early from his time off.

Gregg Williams, the defensive coordinator. He has head coaching experience and allegedly has a one million dollar payment from Dan Snyder if Gregg does not become the head coach.

Russ Grimm, former Hog and Redskins offensive lineman, he is a former Redskins assistant and former Bill Cowher assistant. He is currently in Arizona and has never been a head coach.

Other names out there include Pete Carroll (lol), Brian Billick (dbl lol), Todd Bowles (who?), Jim Schwartz (why him, Gregg Williams trained him) and Marty Schottenheimer (trpl lol). The Washington Post lists Bill Cowher, Gregg Williams, Russ Grimm then other. The Washington Times lists Gregg Williams, Bill Cowher, Russ Grimm, Pete Carroll, Todd Bowles.

Things are about to change in Ashburn.


The Curly R's coverage of the Redskins coaching vacancy will continue with evaluations of specific candidates.



Editor's note: I switched from this image of Joe Gibbs after seeing this one in this Bob Cohn Washington Times column, photo for Washington Times by Michael Connor.