Reason for decline after '91 SB

[sydshobob]

All I remember is Rypien signed a big contract - my Cowboy-fan buddy predicted he'd never be the same because of it - and he wasn't. He sucked. Every short pass he threw was in the dirt. Every long one was overthrown.

I also remember suddenly Andre Collins couldn't tackle anyone. He'd be in great position, have someone locked-in, often behind the line of scrimmage, and just whiff on the tackle. It was nuts.

So there ya go, the demise of the Skins can be blamed on Rypien and Collins, per me.

[Heavy Jumbo]

The reason we declined after '91? Plain and simple....

We stopped winning games.

Seriously though, if Gibbs had retired immediately after the '92 season and Petitbone took over from there, we would have been MUCH better off.

[RiggoReincarnated]

I was so Upset with how we did Petitbone. I thought he deserved a much better opportunity to coach the team, even if his first season was horrible. (This morning I heard Carl Banks laughing about his season here. He called it "The season every Redskins Fan Forgets". It was Richie's solo year as a coach.)

Why did Petibon abruptly leave the NFL after that season? Why didn't he stay as defensive coordinator once Norv came? That would have helped the team.

What does Petibon do now?

[Thinking Skins]

I remember this so clearly because I was asking the same question RiggoReincarnated. But I remember on Ken Beatrice's show he said that he would never work for JKC again. Then when JKC died he changed it to say he would never work for the Redskins organization again. It was sad, especially since during those years we always had a real good offense and a crappy defense. If we coulda had Richie maybe we wouldn't have had the long playoff drouts we speak of today.

But last I heard he owned his resteraunt that's doing pretty well. but that was about 5 years ago, things may have changed.

[RiggoReincarnated]

I remember this so clearly because I was asking the same question RiggoReincarnated. But I remember on Ken Beatrice's show he said that he would never work for JKC again. Then when JKC died he changed it to say he would never work for the Redskins organization again. It was sad, especially since during those years we always had a real good offense and a crappy defense. If we coulda had Richie maybe we wouldn't have had the long playoff drouts we speak of today.

But last I heard he owned his resteraunt that's doing pretty well. but that was about 5 years ago, things may have changed.

Its a shame that he left on such bad terms with the Redskins. He should be on our ring of fame if he isn't already.

[mikeyf316]

I blame terrorism.

That, and the Cowboys.

[Jumbo]

Boonell's fault.

:laugh: :applause:

[FootballGuy2677]

Those are all good reasons but this is the main reason. No telling what could of happened if we kept this man.

Trent Green.

[HOF44]

The 1991 Redskins were the apex of the Joe Gibbs system. It was a team that was 10 years in the making. Why did it suddenly go downhill so fast?

1. The team was old. Most of the players were seasoned veterans at the latter stages of the prime of their careers. They were an experienced and cohesive unit, but most of them didn't have much left in the tank anyway after '91.

2. Free agency struck. There's no way you can keep a dominant group of veterans together any more. Under the old system, Gibbs and company would hoard players for 2-4 seasons before letting them start, hiding guys on IR, and generally giving them time to mature and learn the system before cutting them loose. That can't happen these days. The NFL has become more like the college game - you need a great coach, and you need to build for a 2-3 year window of opportunity - then reload and try again.

3. The coaching staff left. Obviously, when Gibbs left, so did his entire staff, and his entire system (well, within a year or so, anyway). Turner came in, and tried to re-build. He didn't get it done. Draft picks like Shuler and Westbrook didn't work out the way Aikman and Irvin had, and, honestly, they didn't have the offensive line or defensive firepower to support them anyway.

4. Jack Kent Cooke died, and left things a mess. Instead of merely leaving the team to his son, his will left it to the highest bidder, with the proceeds going to his charitable foundation. This left the team in limbo for years while the sale was completed. His son John wasn't much of an owner, and had no shot to buy the team, as the value of the franchise skyrocketed with the completion of The Big Jack and the tremendous influx of TV revenue, sparked by the Fox network overbidding to wrench control of the NFC broadcasts from CBS. JCK never forsaw this, and his son was shut out.

5. Dan Snyder had to learn the ropes. Let's face it - when Snyder came in, he screwed a lot of things up. He fired some people he shouldn't have, and he hired some people he shouldn't have. He got bad advice. He had to learn on the job, just like anyone else. After burning through free agents like Jeff George and Deion Sanders, and coaches like Steve Spurrier, Snyder finally settled down and got things right.

Now the franchise has some stability again, and that's the key to success. The management structure is now in place to create a cohesive, organized system of professional football, and we're finally starting to see results.

Nice post. Thanks :applause: