Joe Gibbs to Retire

[DisgruntledLionFan#54,927]

per ESPN.

[Jimcs50]

WASHINGTON -- Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs retired as coach and team president of the Washington Redskins on Tuesday. The team said he would stay on as a special advisor to owner Daniel Snyder.


The Redskins have scheduled a 3 p.m. ET news conference.

A team official told The Associated Press that the Redskins would begin a search for a new coach immediately. Among the certain candidates are two former head coaches on Gibbs' staff, Gregg Williams and Al Saunders.

Gibbs went 31-36, including 1-2 in the playoffs, after emerging from NFL retirement and his NASCAR career to sign a five-year, $27.5 million contract in 2004. He had always maintained that he intended to fulfill the contract, but the 67-year-old coach wavered from that stance Monday when asked if he would return for the final year of his deal.

Gibbs' resignation brings an apparent end to a Hall of Fame career in which he twice raised the Redskins from mediocrity into a playoff team, although he failed in his goal of bringing the team back to the Super Bowl during his second stint in Washington. Gibbs won three NFL les during his first tenure from 1981-92; the second time around he took the team to the postseason in two of his four seasons

[johnsmith]

It's a shame that Snyder can even ruin the return of a hall of fame coach and cause his return to the game end with a sputter.

I wonder if the Redskins have a draft pick this year?

[Jimcs50]

Bill Cowher?

Greg Williams?

[Jimcs50]

2 months ago, I was fantasizing about Gibbs retiring and Snyder hiring Jason Garrett away from Dallas.

That would be so sweet.

[Hook Dem]

2 months ago, I was fantasizing about Gibbs retiring and Snyder hiring Jason Garrett away from Dallas.

That would be so sweet.

They tried that once already when they hired Norv Turner! Remember?

[slayermin]

Thanks for the memories, Joe.

What about Pete Carroll? Mike and Mike were talking about him possibly replacing Joe this morning.

[johngateswhiteley]

Thanks for the memories, Joe.

What about Pete Carroll? Mike and Mike were talking about him possibly replacing Joe this morning.

NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO NONONNONONONONONONONONONONNONONONONONONNONONONONON ONONONONONONONONONNONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO NONONO!

[T Park]

If I was Washington I would look at Singletary from San Fran.

IMO the best available candidate.

[samikeyp]

I wouldn't be surprised if Snyder throws a ton of cash at Cowher.

Sad to see this happen. Gibbs is a class act and, IMO, is the biggest reason they made the playoffs this year.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

[degenerate_gambler]

Thanks for the memories, Joe.

What about Pete Carroll? Mike and Mike were talking about him possibly replacing Joe this morning.

Pete Carroll's got it made in Los Angeles. No way he gives that up.

[Kermit]

Pete Carroll's got it made in Los Angeles. No way he gives that up.

The NFL has already chewed him up and spit him out. Stick to college Pete.

[BeerIsGood!]

Adios, Joe. Have fun returning to watching people drive in a giant circle really fast.

[Duff McCartney]

I think they promote Greg Williams to HC. They are spending a load of money on coaches that aren't doing jack.

[MannyIsGod]

I see no reason it shouldn't be Al Saunders or Greg Williams. Bill Cower has a great name but really you have 2 very capable candidates in house who already make a lot of money. If Snyder cares about money at all he'll promote one of those 2.

Joe, you did a good job but in many ways the actual game had passed you on. He's had trouble with game management his entire duration and I'm not sure why. I think he's taken a bit too long unleashing Jason Campbell and I believe his run scheme didn't do Portis justice.

What they'll mis is his presence and the way he can galvanize his teams shown by the 2 playoff runs. Hopefully he's left that type of impression on the team and thats something others can carry on.

[K-State Spur]

It's a shame that Snyder can even ruin the return of a hall of fame coach and cause his return to the game end with a sputter.

I wonder if the Redskins have a draft pick this year?

how? Snyder gave him complete autonomy.

it took a year to undo the damage that Spurrier had done, then the Skins made the playoffs 2 of the next 3.

[K-State Spur]

Williams would be alright (because you could likely keep Saunders at OC, maintaining some continuity).

If you promote Saunders, you may lose Williams.

[K-State Spur]

While he's not a great owner, I don't really see why the Danny gets labeled as a heavy handed owner.

He made plenty of mistakes early on, but most of that was backing Vinny Cerrato over his coaches. It's not like Snyder was doing his own scouting.

Schottenheimer, Spurrier, and especially Gibbs were allowed to run the team the way they saw fit.

He may get hit because he goes through coaches, but Turner was crap, Schottenheimer had a player rebellion on his hands (and even then he could have stayed if he just relinquished GM duties - which he was horrible at), and Spurrier's goal was to get every QB on the roster killed.

Snyder definitely needs to hire a GM and throw Vinny as far away from the franchise as possible, but I haven't seen anything out of him since his first 2 years that would indicate that he is too involved.

[ShoogarBear]

This is not good. Snyder said in response to hiring a GM: "if it's not broke, don't fix it". Translation: we're back to him and Vinny Cerrato ruining, um, running the personnel decisions.

Gibbs was the one guy who could keep the reigns on Snyder and having things running under the semblence of professional management. Cowher may be able to do the same. But if they promote Williams (who reportedly doesn't get along with Danny) or Saunders, then things will probably be back to wining and dining free agents past their prime.

As for Gibbs, while I think he did a very credible job, it was clear that the game had advanced enough to the point where he was no longer head and shoulders above everyone else like before. Doubtless things would have improved if he stayed on, but at this stage who could blame him for thinking that he didn't want to keep going through this. Reporters (and ex-players) here did the usual babble about how the players have changed and don't respond to old-fashioned coaching, and maybe they have, but they've been saying that since the 60s.

Thanks for bringing the professionalism and class back after the Spurrier debacle, Joe.

[K-State Spur]

.
Gibbs was the one guy who could keep the reigns on Snyder and having things running under the semblence of professional management. Cowher may be able to do the same.

You know, the media says that, but he pretty much let Spurrier & Marty do what they wanted.

[Spawn]

While he's not a great owner, I don't really see why the Danny gets labeled as a heavy handed owner.

He made plenty of mistakes early on, but most of that was backing Vinny Cerrato over his coaches. It's not like Snyder was doing his own scouting.

Schottenheimer, Spurrier, and especially Gibbs were allowed to run the team the way they saw fit.

He may get hit because he goes through coaches, but Turner was crap, Schottenheimer had a player rebellion on his hands (and even then he could have stayed if he just relinquished GM duties - which he was horrible at), and Spurrier's goal was to get every QB on the roster killed.

Snyder definitely needs to hire a GM and throw Vinny as far away from the franchise as possible, but I haven't seen anything out of him since his first 2 years that would indicate that he is too involved.

The Cowboys have more to worry about since they have lost their top scout man and it appears that Jerry the faux GM is going to once again have the full controls of the team.

[timvp]

Joe Gibbs is good for the NFL.

The right hire would be Williams. With that personnel, if the Redskins are going to win anything in the coming years it's going to be with their defense. If Saunders is promoted, Williams probably leaves and the team is being coached by a poor man's version of Mike Martz.

I think Cowher is a highly overrated coach but he'd fit in Washington as long as they kept their coordinators. Cowher doesn't have much X and O in him but he can manage a game well.

[K-State Spur]

I don't think Cowher works with the coordinators in place - because both would probably feel that they deserved that shot and got passed over.

I would think that Saunders would yield to Williams since Williams has been there longer and has been considered the coach-in-waiting since his second year.

It would be hard to see Williams being happy staying the DC with anybody else in charge.

[slayermin]

Atlanta going after Carroll. I wonder if Danny Boy does the same.

Skip Bayless seems to think that if the Cowboys lose this weekend, Wade Phillips gets canned and Jason Garrett gets promoted to head coach.

If Cowboys win, he thinks the Redskins should go after Garrett as their heach coach.