Respected Gibbs follows his heart, leaves a winner
If Joe Gibbs were a politician someone in Washington might charge that he cut and run. Please. Gibbs did what was right and necessary, leaving the Redskins after restoring credibility to the franchise.
It was right because he accomplished what he was hired to accomplish: He put Washington back on the NFL map.
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| Joe Gibbs follows simple logic: family first. (AP) |
Heck, they had three winning seasons in the 11 years between his first and second tenures.
But it was necessary because Joe Gibbs was honest with himself and, frankly, didn't know if was up to the demands of the job anymore. It's one thing to go through the grind of an NFL season at 40, as he did when he first joined the Redskins. But Gibbs is 67 and has grandchildren -- including a grandson who, at the age of 2, was diagnosed a year ago with leukemia.
"My family situation being what it is," he said, without being specific, "I didn't feel like I could make the kind of commitment it should be. I felt like they need me. I think it's time for me to have a chance to be with them."
So he decided to quit, and good for him.
Look, Gibbs returned to the Redskins in 2004 because the team called him. But it's his family calling now, and that's not exactly a photo finish. Gibbs explained as much to owner Daniel Snyder when they met late Monday, with Gibbs conceding mixed emotions about working another year.
"This job, and the only way I know how to do it, you're going after it night and day," he said. "It's something you're thinking about all the time. As you go through that during the season it takes every minute. And in the offseason every time you sit down you're thinking of something. I knew that if I do this, obviously, there's no turning back."
Yes, Gibbs would have been paid millions for his services. Yes, Snyder would have been willing to talk about an extension. But, no, Gibbs could not do the job as he had done it in the past, and that wasn't clear until he met with his family Sunday.
That Gibbs went to North Carolina at all should have been a tip-off something was awry. Normally, he ends seasons by meeting first with coaches and players, but this time he rushed to see his family -- a sign, perhaps, that this was sitting with him for some time. "I've always said the most important thing we leave on this earth are our kids, our grandkids and the influence you have on others," said Gibbs.
So his kids and his grandkids get him, and the Washington Redskins do not. At least not as a head coach. But that's OK because Gibbs' influence on the Redskins should not be lost. For the second time in three decades he put a wayward franchise back together.
So he was 31-36 including a 1-2 playoff record. So his game management wasn't what it once was. So he won one playoff game. That's not the point. What is the point is that Gibbs made the Redskins whole again.
