Why doesn't anyone give Gibbs credit?

[truskin4life]

I am so sick of everyone throwing Gibbs under the bus. Everyone thinks he was so terrible and held everyone back. He took us to two playoffs! Does anyone remember the years of embarrasment before Gibbs? What people dont realize is that our team wouldnt be what it is now without Gibbs. He put this franchise where it is today. I do think the west coast offense is the best thing for our team. We have little fast recievers and Jason ran the west coast well in college. Just because we are winning, does not mean Joe Gibbs hurt this football team! He brought all the character morals that our team was needing. Just my :2cents:

[BigMike619]

not this fan. i give gibbs all the credit in the world for turning this organization around. i love gibbs (for football, **** him for nascar) and would never let anyone else take the credit for making this team respectable.

having said that i believe that zorn is doing one hell of a job and the comparisions need to stop. he isnt gibbs nor do i think he wants to be gibbs.

[RFKFedEx]

Great journalists don't use the term "everyone".

[SkinsHokieFan]

Gibbs turned this whole program around. The only people who won't give him credit are haters or those who are bitter that he wasn't quite the messiah that he was promised to be

Without Joe Gibbs, this team is not performing the way it is today

[RAAZ227]

I support Gibbs big time. He built this team to where we are today.

[Cliffmark1]

Watching the Cards game, I came to think that Joe Gibbs built one great team.

[Grimm]

Gibbs should get most of the credit for changing the attitude of the organization as well as the team. I think he showed Mr. Snyder what it takes to build a solid foundation for an organization and that it takes time to win, not just money.

[Stugein]

As far as I'm concerned, Gibbs "righted the ship". He put us back on a course for success. Took the team back from annual mediocrity and turned it back into something to watch. Gibbs II was a success imo.

[skinsfan93]

I love Gibbs probably just as much as anyone. He certainly changed the culture, environment, and attitude to the entire organization. For the most part, he brought in great players minus a few busts (no team has all winners) and has set up this team to succeed for years to come.

While Joe had some success leading us to the playoffs 2 out of the last 3 years, I think he may have handicapped us so that we could not proceed further than the 1st round of the playoffs.

Zorn may not do much better this year but I can see how we are progressing maybe just a bit quicker than with Gibbs at the helm.

[[S.S.F. | Nero]]

This thread slightly parallels the thread I just started "Are We Finishers?"

I think Gibbs picked GREAT players to be on his team.

I also think Gibbs' "grind it out" style quickly became old and stale in the players' eyes.

Gibbs did a wonderful job building a team. The schemes and mentality were a bit off though.

[HereComesTheDiesel44]

I agree. Im not taking anything away from Zorn. He's doing a very good job managing this team and I hope that one day he will be on the same level as Gibbs. People hate on Gibbs because......hell, I dont know why. People forget rather quickly what it was like with Norv, Schotty, and Spurrier at the helm. Gibbs was already a hero in this town and he did not owe us or the Redskins a single thing. Yet he still decided to come back, put his reputation on the line, and bring us out of the NFL laughing stock. This franchise was in dissaray before he came back and he took us to the playoffs twice and got us a playoff win during his four year tenure. All of our stars now he helped bring in: Portis, Moss, Springs, Carter, Fletcher, Rabech, etc. Look at his draft picks: Sean Taylor, Cooley, Campbell, McIntosh, Rogers, Landry, etc. He built this team, and taught Snyder how to build a contender rather than buy a contender. Since he came here in 04, other than the Pats game last year, we have been in almost every single game. Not to mention the three Super Bowls in the past.

Show this man the respect he deserves!

[ChiefPowhatan17]

Yes, Gibbs brought back "REDSKINS FOOTBALL". He made us competitive and a factor again.

[Capt Rich Fla]

Great journalists don't use the term "everyone".

I have to ask......What do they use?

[Dick Edds]

agreed, wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. Greatest NFL coach of all time IMO!

[pjfootballer]

I thought his 2nd tenure was a success in just righting the ship. Getting the team going back in the right direction. His 32-36 record speaks for itself, but more important is the players, the mentality and the pride was brought back. His only negative in my eyes was the inability to put teams away like we used to. He was hesitant. I like the aggressiveness of Zorn. That's what it takes in today's NFL. Zorn is constructing the offense and defense around the talents of the players instead of the players having to change to the offense and defense. It's refreshing. Loved Gibbs I, Liked Gibbs II and hope to love the Zorn era.

[DCMONEY]

Man I'll be the 1st to say I respect Gibbs 1.0 but Gibbs 2.0 wasn't up to parr to me. With Gibbs 1.0, he had Bobby Beathard. Beathard was the GM of 3 different teams that reached the Superbowl. He's the one who doesn't get enough credit to me. Snyder handed full control to Gibbs to select his own players. I think that the Skins and Gibbs over compensated in a lot of ways that I don't feel like listing. The thing is the Skins were very average at best to me. This is the 1st year that the chose to use the draft to build. Hopefully they'll keep taking that route and sprinkle a veteran or 2 in the mix.

Another thing is that Gibbs 1.0 built teams inside out. Gibbs 2.0 didn't. I laugh when I read where people say Gibbs returnbed the Skins to Redskins football. Redskins football I remembered isn't what its been the last 10 years. I'm sorry. Funny thing is I really think if Snyder would've let Marty Schottenheimer continue the SKins woudl've turned around. The Skins had the 2nd lowest payroll under Marty.

[Fieldy]

Gibbs did a great job in building this team. This year, we see what we could have been had Gibbs let go of the reigns a little bit and let this team play. Granted, with Saunders and his 900 page playbook it may not have happened.

Also, he gave us the winning attitude and moral upstanding that is a big part of the reason we're winning. I haven't heard anyone saying that Zorn did all this by himself, but he did hold back the offense and was NOT able to close out games (as Nero says).

Gibbs gets credit, but we needed a good zorning to finish the job.

[Die Hard]

Funny, I remember when Zorn took over this team and it was announced that the offense would transfer over to a WCO.... that the personnel was ill-suited for that offensive scheme. That the offense lacked the larger receivers... and the offensive line personnel wasn't suited for it either. And heck, Portis was never noted for his receiving abilities --probably why our offense still doesn't feature it.

And now, you want to give credit to Gibbs for building this team and the success it has enjoyed?

Sure, right after you give Spurrier credit for the Skins making the playoffs 2 out of the last 4 years.

You can appreciate Joe for what he done for this franchise.... without having to stretch reason to do so.

[GC8 Bunta]

Gibb turned this team around, no doubt about that.

He built a good foundation of character guys. he made this team competitive again.

However, his schemes were a little out-dated. He made questionable hirings in Al Saunders etc. etc.

Gibbs built a team, and got them to win under tough circumstances.

now zorn takes this same team and takes them to the next level.

[Skins2Win33]

Gibbs did a great job second time around IMO. It was Saunders who screwed everything up here, not Gibbs. Look at what's going on in St. Louis and tell me he's not the fault for the offense being crappy. Gibbs is a hero in my eyes, and always will be. I hope Zorn turns out to be half as good as Gibbs was as a coach and we have ourselves a true winner in DC again.

[Fischer fan]

Gibbs will ALWAYS be remembered as our greatest Redskin coach.

It's no coincidence that the team is doing well now. If we win the SB this year or not, Gibbs had a major impact in turning this team around.

BTW, my favorite coach will always be George Allen, but Gibbs was the best.:eaglesuck

[skins4me58203]

It's time to move on. Gibbs did turn the ship around, but he never got it in gear. Zorn has brought life and excitment back to Washington, Not Gibbs.

[elkabong82]

Don't think the OP should say EVERYONE, as plenty of us, myself included, realize that Gibbs laid the foundation for the team we have today. Gibbs turned the team around, and now Zorn is taking them to the next level. I don't like it when people seemingly have to criticize Gibbs when they are praising or discussing Zorn though. It typically isn't necessary, and usually the blame is misplaced anyway given that none of us truely knew which coach was responsible for which decision.

Anyways, it's all in the past, and if somebody can't realize what Gibbs really did for the franchise then they're not worth your time cuz likely they are one of the reactionary trolls who created a "Skins are done" type thread after the Giants game, said JC was done, or whatever other idiotic ultimatum about a player that only reveals self-ignorance, not true football prowess.

[Vicious]

Don't give me all this Gibbs knew what was going on with game calling in the second part of his career with the Redskins, he didn't. They even took away his red flag privileges. We were sad and scrubby before he came. This is a players league. The person that should get the credit are as follows.

- The person that brought in Jim Zorn.

- The person that drafted Sean Taylor.

- The person that drafted Jason Campbell.

- The person that brought in London Fletcher.

- The person that drafted Chris Cooley in the third round.

Many of these people I stated are Gibbs and you should give credit where credit is due. These are not in any order. This is a players league. Whoever picked these players picked damn well. You have to know how to use them and they were not maximized for their talents. Jim Zorn has even signaled this a few times. For instance how we used Santana Moss in the past compared to how we use him now.

[elkabong82]

Don't give me all this Gibbs knew what was going on with game calling in the second part of his career with the Redskins, he didn't. They even took away his red flag privileges. We were sad and scrubby before he came. This is a players league. The person that should get the credit are as follows.

- The person that brought in Jim Zorn.

- The person that drafted Sean Taylor.

- The person that drafted Jason Campbell.

- The person that brought in London Fletcher.

- The person that drafted Chris Cooley in the third round.

Many of these people I stated are Gibbs and you should give credit where credit is due. These are not in any order. This is a players league. Whoever picked these players picked damn well. You have to know how to use them and they were not maximized for their talents. Jim Zorn has even signaled this a few times. For instance how we used Santana Moss in the past compared to how we use him now.

If Gibbs didn't know what he was doing on gamecalling, then how did we wind up with the 13th overall offense in 2005, before Saunders got here? How'd we make the playoffs? Santana Moss' best year ever was under Gibbs offense. Seeing as Gibbs essentially had full control of the team, you mind telling me exactly who it was that took his red-flag privileges away?\

You make some good points about credit going to players we've drafted and coaches we've brought in, but you ruin it with the nonsense I responded to above.