Len Pastabelly on Gibbs' Retirement: "Just An Ordinary Joe"

Take the article for what it is and move on. There really is no need to dwell on backhanded compliments (which is how I read them) and "I told you so"s. Pastabelly gets paid to write his opinion about football, and while most people do not agree with his opinion, he's entitled to it. It obviously pays the bills because he's still writing for ESPN.

The only thing I don't fully agree with in his article is his lack of gumption in saying "Thankfully, for Gibbs, the Hall of Fame is a lifetime fraternity from which a member can't be expelled." This is completely asinine and unnecessary. Opinion or not, Gibbs' overall track record is quite good. 10 playoff appearances in 16 years (17-7 record, 71% winning percentage), 4 Super Bowl appearances, 3 Lombardi Trophies, 154-94 regular season record (62% winning percentage). Just because Gibbs was not able to live up to anyone's expectations in his 2nd tenure does not mean he still isn't a Hall of Fame coach.

Agree or disagree with records, players, management, etc., the one thing Joe was able to do was right the ship and get the franchise back it's swagger. A swagger that will continue under the next coach and into the future.

That comment rubbed me wrong too.

Even with the past 4 years, you can't deny that his overall resume is Hall worthy. In fact it's not even up for debate. And it's just stupid to try to argue otherwise.

It is kind of surprising we have a whole thread dedicated to his column, but not one on John Clayton's

It's unfair, since John Clayton is so even handed and much more interesting, but Lenny's article made my blood boil.

I dont recall saying I was glad to see him go in this thread. I said over his entire career he was a great coach but Gibbs 2.0 was a disappointment. There is no way anyone on this board would have thought that after 4 years Gibbs 2.0 would leave with a losing record. Its disappointing.

you didn't say it in this one but you did say it in a different thread but that's another story.... I just can't understand why anyone would think it's a disapointment? You make it seem like the Skins had winning records the few years before he came back and then he got here and ruined it. You have seen the skins records on the few years before he came back right? They had only one winning record in the previous 7 years before he came back. He had his team playing hard for him and if you would of had your wish i believe you would of had a lot worst of a season. I just can't understand why you would want another coach knowing that the team would play harder and have a lot more respect for the hall of fame coach you already had. It almost seems like wishing you had a crappier team by having a coach that wouldn't of been able to pull through the hard times that Gibbs had to go through. Sorry just can't understand.... 1 playoff berth in 12 years when he's gone or 2 in 4 years? I don't think you have to be a rocket scientist to figure out if you were better off with him or with out him....

I know people here feel Len has a personal thing against the skins, but honestly, what did he say in that article that is not true. He complimented Gibbs, but he also told the truth about Gibbs 2. He didn't win consistantly, which is why Snyder brought him back. He made mistakes, which all coaches do and all coaches get blasted by the media for. Nothing in this article is w2ay off base. Washington has been a bad place for coaches. lets face it, Snyder and the organization ask for it every year. They pay big money to players, and to coaches. And we are basically average. With the money we spend for STAR players and STAR coaches you and the media love to see those teams fail. Look at the Yankees, dont they get crap all season long when they are hovering around 500, and not making playoffs with the most expensive payroll in history and setting new marks for that every year. this is what being a Yankees fan is about (which I am not) they have to deal with it year in and year out. Same with the Redskins. We set marks for payroll(players and coaches) every year. media loves those kinds of stories. Dont you think if NE would have laid an egg with all their high prices FA this year, they would be the whipping boys for the media. I have said year after year after year to everyone out here, the way to shut up the pastabelly's of the media world is to win. and win every year. and win playoff games, division titles, superbowls.

Danny asks for this stuff by spending money, sometimes unwisely, and never getting a front office structure that in condusive to winning consistantly. all the execs around the league and experts have been harping on this since he bought the team. And until he wins a superbowl with the current structure, that will be part of the unrelenting bashing we receive every year.

Just an observation: Why do I get the impression that some people don't even both reading through threads before posting... and instead just read the initial post and respond.

Is it just me?

Am I crazy?

Sometimes it seems that people jump in to the conversation midstream and start asking the same questions that have pretty much already been addressed.

Danny asks for this stuff by spending money, sometimes unwisely, and never getting a front office structure that in condusive to winning consistantly. all the execs around the league and experts have been harping on this since he bought the team. And until he wins a superbowl with the current structure, that will be part of the unrelenting bashing we receive every year.

Owners of several other teams (e.g., Dallas' Jerry Jones) "interfere" with personnel decisions and they seem to be doing well. IMO, the idea that all our woes are attributable to front office mismanagement is erroneous. IMO, there are many, many reasons why this franchise has struggled in recent years. First and foremost, we have not had an experienced, franchise QB since ........ hmmm. This is a QB-driven league, we haven't had a franchise QB in quite some time. Second, we've had some awful coaching. If you don't like Gibbs, how do you feel about Norv and Spurrier? Third, injuries and death derailed what was likely a deep playoff run in 2007. The list goes on.

It's nice and all to attribute our struggles to one single source, or, better yet, one single person. While it's convenient to lay the blame for our woes at the feet of a single goat, I'm not buying.

Looking at the onfield performance, I can't disagree with that. Getting to the playoffs is fun, but let's be honest, four years ago we had visions of Super Bowls, and the Skins haven't been close to that level.

Looking at the bigger picture, Gibbs solidified the QB position for the next 8-10 years if Campbell's progression continues. Improve play on both lines and I see the Skins taking that next step.
Well as to date JC has not shown me enough to say he has solidified the QB position. In fact his progression was going the other way with some of the way we lost ball games. I have not thrown the towel in on JC but he had not shown me enough to say he is our answer at QB for another 8 to 10 years. If he has shown you enough to say that your standards for QB's may be a bit low.

Well as to date JC has not shown me enough to say he has solidified the QB position. In fact his progression was going the other way with some of the way we lost ball games. I have not thrown the towel in on JC but he had not shown me enough to say he is our answer at QB for another 8 to 10 years. If he has shown you enough to say that your standards for QB's may be a bit low.

No, he hasn't yet solidified his position. However, he has shown more promise in his 20 starts (which amounts to just 1.25 seasons) than any QB in the Snyder era has shown. There's certainly cause to be optimistic.

Owners of several other teams (e.g., Dallas' Jerry Jones) "interfere" with personnel decisions and they seem to be doing well. IMO, the idea that all our woes are attributable to front office mismanagement is erroneous. IMO, there are many, many reasons why this franchise has struggled in recent years. First and foremost, we have not had an experienced, franchise QB since ........ hmmm. This is a QB-driven league, we haven't had a franchise QB in quite some time. Second, we've had some awful coaching. If you don't like Gibbs, how do you feel about Norv and Spurrier? Third, injuries and death derailed what was likely a deep playoff run in 2007. The list goes on.

It's nice and all to attribute our struggles to one single source, or, better yet, one single person. While it's convenient to lay the blame for our woes at the feet of a single goat, I'm not buying.


In no way am I saying Snyder is the reason for all of our struggles. I was responding to the article and the bashing we receive through the media year in and year out. My point was we will continue to get bashed by our front office structure and tendencies for spending. I really dont know what has been the issue for this franchise not winning consistantly. to me, its all of the above. Front office moves, with coaches and personel. the swing of coaches in and out of the door (until Gibbs) The constant roster turnover, the differnce in philosophies in terms of the players we have with the philosophies of coaches, never really getting on the same page. And lastly, the players that were brought in on a whim. some of them were bad moves, some good.I think we are going in the right direction with the guys here, most importantly the attitudes of the current roster. They are a family, the work hard and care for everyone on this team. Character as joe says is #1, and we have that now. But when it comes to the critisism, it comes from the top, that is where everyone in the media starts, especially during the offseason after a disappointing finish.
I have defended snyder a ton when it comes to his passion for this franchise. I know of no other owner who puts everything he has into a team, and lives and dies when we win or lose. Snyder to me is a FAN first, then an owner and in some cases that hurts him, some it helps. You could see the hurt yesterday during that press conference, how sad and disappointed he was that Joe was leaving. That is the FAN side of Dan more than the owner. He genuinly loved Gibbs as a person, and a coach and as Pastabelly put it, his boyhood idol.
I hope this front office makes the right choice in finding a head coach, and he is currently in the building, getting support from Gibbs, and more importantly, the players. GW!!

I dont recall saying I was glad to see him go in this thread. I said over his entire career he was a great coach but Gibbs 2.0 was a disappointment. There is no way anyone on this board would have thought that after 4 years Gibbs 2.0 would leave with a losing record. Its disappointing.

Disappointment is a personal emotion and is completely dependent on the circumstances and your expectations.

Looking back, I am not the least bit disappointed in Gibbs 2.0. Could it have been better? Sure. Like someone else said though, we have improved substantially.