Call me crazy...
 

But I'm standing by Gibbs.

I think it's pretty safe to say the playoffs are a long shot at this point. 8-8 would be a nice finish and hey, isn't that what many of us expected back in the summer?

We're 7 games into Gibbs' second run. I know people are just overreacting out of frustration but people are saying he needs to be fired, the game has passed him by, etc. I admit things aren't pretty out there, but I'm telling ya he's going to get things turned around. Maybe not this year to everyone's liking but as frustrating as it is, we have to keep an eye on the long term.

I remember hearing the same things about Vermeil and his 'older' coaching staff when he came back. The game had passed him by, he couldn't relate to today's players, etc. He came back to the game after 14 years away and the Rams went 5-11 in his first season and 4-12 in his second. Year 3 they were 13-3 and Super Bowl Champs.

He had very similar results in Kansas City. The Chiefs went 6-10 in his first season, 8-8 the 2nd and 13-3 in his 3rd season. The message is it takes time to install and establish your system and philosophies, and to acquire and develop the players you need to be successful.

And then there's Gibbs himself. Yes he appears to be rusty in game and clock management. The game has changed since he left, but he will adapt and he will get things figured out with time.

I know things suck right now, but we're on the right track with Gibbs. He will get this figured out, we just have to remain patient and realize Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither are NFL Champions.

I concur Matty. He doesn't have all the pieces he needs to run his offense. It's going to take another draft before the Redskins even start to turn it around. Williams has done a fantastic job on the defense and wasn't it Gibbs that enticed Williams to come to the Redskins. I ain't giving up on Joe, I'm giving him some more time to work his magic. Also especially this week, we brought in 2 new offensive lineman, changed the TE. It's going to take time to get them used to the time.......PATIENCE folks PATIENCE

I dont think anyone is giving up on Joe, I certainly am not. I'm just growing overally frustrated with the Quarterback situation, and Gibbs is the one that controls it. I mean we are 2-5 now and clearly Brunell is playing horribly. If we are focused on laying the groundwork and establishing a team, why did we even trade for Brunell in the first place?

Its seems to me that if we didnt wnat to use Ramsey, we should have traded him when we had the chance. I dont know.... I'm so confused as to whats going on at this point. We have so many weapons, and Brunell $&*($#(@ I dont even know.

all these guys who wanna fire Gibbs (what a thought!), name ONE coach we were thinking after Spurrier that would have done a better job.

I would never ever ever ever ever ever give up on Joe Gibbs...

yeah i talked crap but you're right... at the same time i don't feel bad saying things about him... that's part of the game and he knows it. i'll still always stand by the skins, no matter who's the coach.

firing gibbs is just ludicrous. but,,,,,,, BUT, how can he still stand by brunell at this point?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

how? all of you brunell L and A's can go piss up a rope...... every single show i watched and article i read was basically said the same thing that most of us have been saying. he blows. firing 10 yards over the head of wide open receivers.... missing cooley, wide open in the end zone.... on and on and on

I am 100% percent behind Gibbs.. Anyone who is calling for his removal just needs to be slapped.. I am frustrated as we all are, but let's take step back off of the ledge. I think that at this point in the season we know that Brunell isn't the answer. We need to play Ramsey to see if he can get the job done. From the things I've read he hasn't looked very good in practice, but let's get him in the game to see what we have and how he runs Gibbs offense. If he sucks, then we need to address that in the offseason. I don't want to go into next year still unsure about the QB position. I think we need to improve our OL, a HUGE disappointment and get key people (Coles, Arrington, Bowen, Hall, Morton, Jansen) healthy before we start talking about getting rid of people or clowing the team up..

I still say if not for a play here and there our season could be above .500, so to say that Gibbs doesn't have it still is dumb.

Remember Eight And Eight!!!!!
 

First of all we did not have the number one rated defense in Gibb's first tenure. Personally I would bench BRUNELL, but I sell cars for a living. I understand Joe has HOLES ON THE OFFENSIVE LINE. God bless Ray Brown, but at 41 you'd think he could line up in the proper stance. Listen folks ain't nothing passed Gibbs by. No matter how much I want him to throw Ramsey in there my reality is not his truth. When we lose a game because James Thrash forgets to get in a three point stance, after we were trailing by 17 at halftime and should have been by at least 24. I AIN'T MAD AT CHA JOE OR OUR TEAM, BECAUSE HISTORY SAYS THINGS ARE PROGRESSING JUST AS THEY DID THE FIRST TIME AROUND. Fellow fans in DC, understand us fans stuck in Shreveport La are still holding on!!!

It was mostly wishful thinking of Gibbs coming back and dominating right away again, but with our young stars on both offense and defense, we are closer this year than we have been in a long while. After the team was had a bit more time under the offense Gibbs has brought in, we will have the most balanced team we've had since Gibbs left. This season is looking pretty down but in years past, during some of these games, the team pretty much would have caved but through all of the teams(mostly the offense) troubles, the players fight and claw to atleast be in each and every game. I'm still holding out hope that this season can still be somewhat repaired, but I'm always a hopeless optimist when it comes to the skins.

[QUOTE=skinsfanthru&thru]It was mostly wishful thinking of Gibbs coming back and dominating right away again, but with our young stars on both offense and defense, we are closer this year than we have been in a long while.

Let me preface this by saying what do I know, but I don't think it was wishful thinking to expect a playoff caliber performance from this squad this year. I look at a team that is rich in talent at nearly every position, especially on offense. Injuries have hamstrung us to a degree, but there's still no excuse for our offensive ineptitude.

If you had told me in preseason that we would be dominating teams on defense, yet losing because of our offense I would have thought that was insane.

I guess I am still in a state of shock regarding how wrong I was about this team.

I know it was wishful thinking on my part because even with the talent on the team, I failed to realize how much time learning the offense and building team chemistry on the offense would take. I know I wanted Gibbs to return us from the depths of the league right away cuz of how tough the past 10+ years have been. but I too would have thought our defense would be the part of the team keeping us in games and our offense would at times be like a group of highschoolers playing in the pros and thats why I think in the later part of this season and next(with a fully healed jansen) our offense will be in the top 12 in the league.

In Gibbs We Trust
 

Mattyk, I don't think that the question is having trust in Gibbs. I think what he said on his show the other day is what his philosophy is on quarterbacks. That is completely backing the "1# guy" up and exhausting all possibilities as to why the offense is not working and then as a last possible move change quarterbacks. It is as if he has a promise that he feels he can't break regardless. I really believe that in a sense (though this is not intentional on his part) that he feels obligated to (his choice of quarterback) try to make it work. As a byproduct of this philosophy he has (in my opinion) placed Brunell on a pedistal whereas everyone else on the team are held to different (higher) expectations. At this point, the team is really starting to suffer, and instead of weather the storm, moral might become an issue. I hope that is not true for the Redskins sake, but it really seems to be time to see if (and I certainly believe in him) Ramsey would add the necessary spark to this struggling offense. As Riggo also said, it is also time to put pride aside and own up to what has transpired so far in the quarterback position, whether it is deteioration of skills, a mental block etc. Let's try to get this team on the right track, it is not about expectations, it is about watching the effort that is transpiring on the field and the contributions being made by the team in general with the exception of a few weaknesses. One of which is blatantly obvious at this point.

Very sad season for me, as I was one with very high expectations. Makeing the playoffs for me wasn't the ? but how far we would go was, what I mean is with a gibbs team in the playoffs anything could happen, because of him being a great coach and to see this season going not well is heart breaking for me as I'm sure it is for all the fans of the Redskins. Qb, well I really don't want to go there since everything just about has been said, but who ever is to blame ( Brunell the most I think for offense) this team has not had an error free drive even if we scored. I mean look at the drop balls, false starts, ilegal movement, personal fouls. and of course turnovers, all of this almost happens in 1 drive, and every game which kills us and never gets us into a rythm/flow . Just my .02 worth

On another note the defense is playing very well and I would think can only get better when we get everyone back from IR. But for Williams I sure hope we don't loose him at the end of this season to another NFL team looking for a New coach. Seems like the same thing happend when we had Marvin Lewis, and of course he took the Bengals job ( I think williams is better then Lewis) But since Williams just lost his coaching job Less then a year ago and for this reason I hope teams won't go after him, or he will turn a Head coaching job down if he is offerd one.

Thanks

Skins1573

[QUOTE=skinsfan0201]Mattyk, I don't think that the question is having trust in Gibbs. I think what he said on his show the other day is what his philosophy is on quarterbacks. That is completely backing the "1# guy" up and exhausting all possibilities as to why the offense is not working and then as a last possible move change quarterbacks. It is as if he has a promise that he feels he can't break regardless. I really believe that in a sense (though this is not intentional on his part) that he feels obligated to (his choice of quarterback) try to make it work. As a byproduct of this philosophy he has (in my opinion) placed Brunell on a pedistal whereas everyone else on the team are held to different (higher) expectations. At this point, the team is really starting to suffer, and instead of weather the storm, moral might become an issue. I hope that is not true for the Redskins sake, but it really seems to be time to see if (and I certainly believe in him) Ramsey would add the necessary spark to this struggling offense. As Riggo also said, it is also time to put pride aside and own up to what has transpired so far in the quarterback position, whether it is deteioration of skills, a mental block etc. Let's try to get this team on the right track, it is not about expectations, it is about watching the effort that is transpiring on the field and the contributions being made by the team in general with the exception of a few weaknesses. One of which is blatantly obvious at this point.[/QUOTE]
So it's not about trusting Gibbs, but in the same post you're basically questioning his judgement in keeping Brunell in the lineup? Sounds like a lack of trust if you ask me.

This is just a general statement so don't take offense skinsfan0201, but since when did this board become full of NFL scouts and assistant coaches?

Somehow we know that Ramsey is the answer yet a Hall of Fame Coach with 3 Super Bowl rings can't see it?

I love Ramsey and I still think he's got a solid future in this league, but to me the writing is on the wall. If he was the answer to all our troubles I just find it really hard to believe we wouldn't see him in the starting lineup.

Maybe I'm being naive like some would say, maybe I'm blindly following Gibbs, maybe I'm gulping down the kool-aid, or whatever. All I know is with Gibbs' history I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

If he says Brunell is the starter, I'll say alright and root for Brunell. If next week Gibbs says Ramsey is the starter, I'll say ok and root for Ramsey. But what I'm not going to do is sit here and pretend I'm Coach Kyer and demand that Ramsey should be starting, Ramsey is the answer, Brunell has lost it, what is Gibbs thinking, Gibbs is stubborn, ignorant, the game has passed him by, etc.

I call that trusting the coach. I might not agree with it 100%, but I'll rally behind his decision.

I'll stick with him, of course. What else are we gonna do? I think we're not as bad as our record, and with a few decent additions and some more time, we'll be a pretty good team soon, by the end of this season, I figure. And then it's on to next year with the same staff and players in place for the first time in a long time. And then we'll see.

But you need a good QB to win in this league.

Again, Mattyk72 we are all human, including Hall of Fame coaches. He knows better than all of us put together of course, but sometimes even experts are not perfect (not implying that a fan would be though). I trust the man, especially considering the fact that I have worshipped him since I was five, but sometimes old habits die hard and it is my opinion (and not lack of trust) as well as numerous others at this point that our current quarterback's failure to get the job done is costing us games. I like Brunell as a human being and I wish him well in life and I hope whatever crazy thing seems to be possessing his ability to see the field clearly and to accurately deliver passes, even with a little pressure, will evaporate into thin air.
On the other hand, trying not to be too bias (though I know I am to a large extent) I think that Gibbs really did not see what Ramsey's true capabilities were because he was not there to see them in the flesh. I know that he has film of Ramsey, but that is not the same as being his coach and seeing how he handles situations. Hopefully the fact that he is young but has been in the league now for long enough to understand it will become more and more pronounced if Brunell continues to struggle. There are coaches in this league that also are of the opinion that Brunell might need to sit and give the kid a shot. No one is right or wrong at this point, it is just frustrating to see our 40 million dollar quarterback not earn his dough.

Gibbs has three championships, he's in the hall of fame, he has one of the best all time winning %'s. With credentials like that, you can be sure that this team is totally buying into what he's building. You add to that one of the best defensive coordinators in the league and you have the foundation for a championship football team. To all those who question or doubt Gibbs, you should consider the fact that he inherited a bad 5-11 team that was in disarray after Spurrier left. So to expect him to turn it around so quickly would be unfair to him (or any coach). Let's be patient afterall, he's done it before (building a championship team) and IMO he'll do it again before he retires for good.

[quote]Somehow we know that Ramsey is the answer yet a Hall of Fame Coach with 3 Super Bowl rings can't see it?[/quote]

woah... all that's been said is the brunell IS NOT the answer, and i think thats pretty accurate... you can also trust gibbs to turn things around, but question what looks like a suspect move... he hasn't really given an honest answer as to why brunell should remain the starter other than "until he starts giving up 21 points a game himself, he's good enough"...

there's no way any QB should be praised for turning in a sub 100 yard 1 int day... yet brunell was... twice i believe... if we're all so far removed from reality that we have to think that gibbs is completely infallible, that's pretty sad... cause if he was, we'd be 7-0 right now.

Its way way way way too early to give up on Gibbs. Once again he has to retool and bring in the players that fit his system. Part of the skins problem is that they are constantly changing coaches & systems. What is it, 5 HCs in the last 5 seasons or something ridiculous like that. This is Gibbs' relearning year, next year will be the year when something good better happen. Relax and let Gibbs get his feet on the ground again.

Gibbs is here for the long haul, so I'm sticking with him. Although, I don't know if Brunell is the answer for the long haul. It just seems like he has no velocity in his throws....he's got no arm. Now, I'm not saying that Ramsey IS the answer, but I would welcome the change.

I know some don't understand Gibbs' dedication to his QB's, but he's going to stand by whoever is starting through thick and thin.

The same will go for Ramsey once the change is made. I think once the change is made, it's going to be for good, as long as Ramsey doesn't bomb that is. That's why I think Gibbs is standing by Brunell so strongly. He's not going to flip-flop between the two. Right now Brunell is his guy. If the offense continues to struggle and the team is out of it, he'll to go Ramsey and Ramsey will be his guy, possibly for the long-term and we could very well see the last of Brunell's starting days.

He's going to be an expensive backup/mentor to Ramsey, but I believe Gibbs had this thought in the back of his mind when the move was made. Brunell's deal was basically a 3-4 year deal, and I'm sure Gibbs considered it was a strong possibility that Ramsey would overtake him at some point, maybe not this quickly though.

My prediction is Ramsey will be the starter week 1 next year without a doubt.