Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

I just heard this on sportstalk 980 here in the DC area that Coach Gibbs just held a press conference to say that the reports of Coles wanting to get traded/released are untrue.

Thats all I know for now guys.......

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

:doh:

man, what a soap opera this is turning into!

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Nunyo Demasio of the Washington Post is on the John Thompson show right now. And from what is sounds like, Coles is definitely not coming back next season. Right now they're just trying to figure out how they are going to handle it. Whether it will be a trade or release.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

ah the anticipation...

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

There's too much smoke for this fire to not be true...

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]There's too much smoke for this fire to not be true...[/QUOTE]


Thats exactly what Doc Walker is saying. To me it sounds like Gibbs didn't want this report to come out so soon, so now he's denying it.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Wow. WTF? Can't wait to see how this one turns out. And we thought things would be quieter this offseason... :doh:

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

[QUOTE=JWsleep]Wow. WTF? Can't wait to see how this one turns out. And we thought things would be quieter this offseason... :doh:[/QUOTE]

Seriously, I was looking forward to an offseason with no drama, guess we'll have to wait for next year!

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Who knows! It's all a smokescreen - I think it's true. Unless Coles comes out and says he has no intention of leaving, I'm expecting him to depart.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

well its better to follow this stuff than the nhl.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

I confused, but it can be just a rumor because it seems sometimes the media love to make things happen by reporting on it enough, that it becomes reality. Case in point the moss trade.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

[QUOTE=diehardskin2982]I confused, but it can be just a rumor because it seems sometimes the media love to make things happen by reporting on it enough, that it becomes reality. Case in point the moss trade.[/QUOTE]

And about Gibbs' failing health and that he was going to be gone after one season...etc...

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

exactly skinsguy, if it is true I think I'm more madd at the fact that Gibbs would be willing to let someone go rather than throw the ball downfield to a deep threat! that scary!

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

i just saw gibbs speaking on ComCast SportsNet and he said that he and coles have had discussions about the offense but that the reports of coles being released were untrue. i don't really know what to believe.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Well, until Coles is released, I'll believe Joe Gibbs.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

there is also a article on Redskins.com about it. gibbs is denying the rumor.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Welcome to the Monday soap opera. So much for looking for better timing between QB and receivers next season. Drama, Drama...............

But wait, don't forget, Shawn Taylor was unhappy with his contract last year (after the agent-go-round). He has been waiting for the 1 year minimum to go by so that he could begin a re-negotiation.

And then there are the draft pick hold outs to look forward to....
:stop:

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

if they release him,they'll have to take a huge cap hit next year wo'nt they?i can see them
maybe trading him,not flat out cutting him.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

I have a feeling this is Gibbs and the rest of the Redskins' FO acting like Coles is a big part of their plans to drive his value up and maybe push for a trade.

But every minute I get more and more confused by all this

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

[QUOTE=BIGREDSKINFAN63]if they release him,they'll have to take a huge cap hit next year wo'nt they?i can see them
maybe trading him,not flat out cutting him.[/QUOTE]

According to the rumors, Coles has negotiated his contract where he would reduce the salary cap hit the Skins would be taking by letting him go. I'm excited to see what happens from all this.....if the rumor is true, then we're going to be looking for two WR's possibly or either looking at starting Jacobs!

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

As I recall, the prevailing wisdom here on The Warpath was that this would be the offseason of continuity. No changes to coaching staff and minimal changes to the squad...

When I "suggested" that Danny Boy could not possibly allow a Feburary/March to go by without him becoming the centerpiece of a story, I was told that Danny Boy had learned his lessons and had turned things over to Joe Gibbs and all would be well. Hello?

If Gibbs is in charge of football decisions, please tell me what Danny Boy was doing at dinner talking to Coles' agent? Or is the keeping/bouncing of Coles something other than a football decision? What was Danny Boy doing at the Senior Bowl - or was it the Hula Bowl? Right, it was just vacation time and not anything to do with scouting college players for the draft. He doesn't do that anymore...

The Skins PR machine is at work dropping hints about how Coles was "disgruntled" and how he wanted more passes thrown his way - making him sound selfish. This is the standard operating procedure for the Redskins when they are in the process of getting rid of a player who has a following in the area. It is exactly what they did to Brian Mitchell and Champ Bailey.

Riddle me this. The team is on the prowl for "true Redskins" who play hard and play hurt and leave it all on the field. We want good citizens and reliable folks who do what they need to do in order for the team to win. That's what we're asked to beleive.

Now in this offseason, there is the possibility that Smoot AND Coles will be gone. And how many other "true Redskins" can we point to from last year's squad?

Here's what I believe - - but certainly do not know to be factual so let me admit that up front:

Gibbs is NOT running the football operation except that he MAY have the ability to tell Snyder something like "if you do that, I quit and I'll go back to NASCAR and you can explain to all those fans why you know more about the NFL than I do." But he only gets to do that on major things, not everything.

And as usual, Danny Boy needs his publicity fix about this time of year so it's time to fuel up Redskins One and go out and sign somebody flashy so the news conference will be well attended.

If I'm right - notice I said IF - , the single best thing that can happen to this franchise is for sonebody to hi-jack Redskins One with Danny Boy aboard and land him on some desert island in the middle of the ocean with a pup tent and a lifetime supply of fishing line and fish hooks...

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

My thought is that the Redskins have had their decision making process interrupted by leaks and the resultant intrusion from the media. Given Gibbs' comments, it seems to me that the Redskins have decided not to release Coles, and will go forward with him in their plans until someone gives them an offer for Coles that they consider acceptable.

If they don't get a trade offer, and they are not able to sign any free agent(s), and have concerns about depth at receiver going into the year, they will stay with Coles. That is the plan probably until they get a good offer for him. However, I think this story below has its facts pretty much in order:

Source: Coles Tells Gibbs He Wants Out
Feb 21, 3:03 PM (ET) Email this Story

By JOSEPH WHITE
First Rod Gardner, now Laveranues Coles. The Washington Redskins could lose both their top receivers after an unsatisfying season in coach Joe Gibbs' offense.

[B]Coles has met with Gibbs twice to state his desire to leave the Redskins, including a forthright conversation the day after the season ended, an official within the league told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday. The Redskins, in turn, have told Coles they want him to have surgery on the chronic toe injury that has plagued him the last two seasons, a procedure that Coles has been reluctant to undergo, the source said. [/B]

The Redskins last month granted Gardner's request to seek a trade. Coles and Gardner accounted for a combined 141 catches and 1,600 yards for the Redskins last season, but both were disenchanted with a conservative offense that produced few big plays downfield and ranked 30th overall.

Coles had 90 catches for 950 yards for a career-low 10.6 yards a catch and only one touchdown in the Redskins' 6-10 season. The year before, under pass-oriented coach Steve Spurrier, Coles had 82 receptions for 1,204 yards and six touchdowns.

Coles will find it difficult to get an outright release from the Redskins unless he is willing to give back some of the $13 million signing bonus he received when he signed a seven-year, $35 million contract as a free agent from the New York Jets two years ago. The Redskins could instead grant Coles permission to seek a trade, as they have with Gardner.

[B]Coles' meetings with Gibbs were first reported by The Washington Post. After the first one, which came a day after the season-ending victory over Minnesota, Coles stormed past reporters in the parking lot and told them to call his agent for any news about him.

While Coles has been unhappy with the offense, the Redskins have been concerned about Coles' right big toe, which has a stress fracture and became arthritic. Coles opted for rest instead of surgery after the 2003 season, but the injury continued to bother him in 2004. Gibbs has said the decision whether to have surgery is up to Coles, but the team wants him to have the procedure if he is to stay with the team, the source said. [/B]

Coles' agent, Roosevelt Barnes, didn't return calls Monday. A Redskins spokesman said Gibbs was in meetings wasn't immediately available for comment.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

SC - I can't put this one on Snyder. Snyder gave Coles the big contract, and I don't know why he would be against keeping him. I know he hasn't exactly performed up to said contract, but he's been pretty damn solid. If this is on anyone it falls squarely on Gibbs and Coles.

As far as Snyder recruiting - you don't think he has some say with these kids? Grease them up a little bit? Throw some money around - may have their agent work for him a bit better than many owners. Nothing wrong with that, he has the tie breaking vote, so if he really wants something he winks twice at Vinny and it's his. However, I feel he respects Gibbs opinion and is willing to defer to him come draft time.

I doubt ditching Coles is simply a plea for offseason attention.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Here's my take on the situation:

Danny met with Cole's agent in hopes of reducing the contract of LC (such as Patrick Ramsey and probably some other Skins.) Coles didn't like the idea, so he's pretty much saying, "Forget it, I won't out!!" Danny is probably saying, "We'll let you out if you do this for us...."....Cole probablys says..."Fine, whatever man!"

I could be completely off...but I wouldn't doubt it.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

skinsguy - that's the great thing about speculation. You never know exactly what happens so any story can be possible. Yours was a bit tame, spice it up! ;)

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

[QUOTE=Daseal]skinsguy - that's the great thing about speculation. You never know exactly what happens so any story can be possible. Yours was a bit tame, spice it up! ;)[/QUOTE]

Hahaha...okay! To continue on....word has it that Coles punched Daniel Synder in the face....took Synder's wallet from him and threw it to Rod Gardner.....Gardner dropped it! :biggthump

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

[QUOTE=skinsguy]Hahaha...okay! To continue on....word has it that Coles punched Daniel Synder in the face....took Synder's wallet from him and threw it to Rod Gardner.....Gardner dropped it! :biggthump[/QUOTE]

This is what really happened....I was there!

Coles, his agent, Gibbs and Snyder were sitting at a restaurant waiting area discussing contracts. Out of no where two old women come into the restaurant and are seated immediately. Not knowing who these women were Coles says "Ain't that a bitch, Jewish fat ladies get everything they want don't they" with a Bush like chuckle. Snyder turns around and says I sure hope so, one of them is my mom. Snyder then attempts to sucker punch Coles but fails miserably. Coles grabs him by the neck and as he was about to pummel him Snyder says "I'll release you if you release me."

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Haha gardner dropped it...i love it!

I actually kind of buy what Gibbs is selling here. At first, I think they were willing to try to accomodate Coles. But after seeing the ramifications of it, and that it would hurt the team severely to drop him, perhaps they've re-thought. If you recall, Patrick Ramsey was very disgruntled with the team last year around this team, almost to the point of demanding a trade, if I remember correctly. Now he is restructuring his contract to help out the team. Maybe if they really sat down with Coles, made him feel like he was valuable and listened to what he had to say, we could get back to business and next year he will be the major team player! Huge optimism, yes, but I just love LC and I don't want him to go!

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Gibbs handles the football operations, but Snyder still handles the financial portions including contract negotiations. If Snyder is out for dinner with an agent, I don't have a problem with that, you can't expect Gibbs to be out wining and dining agents. That's not what he's here for.

Personally I don't buy the consipiracy theory that Snyder is just trying to make headlines to get face time. In fact I think it's ridiculous.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Looks and seems more and more the Skins are super wary of his toe and see releasing him with him dropping his SB as a way to get out of jail free. Obviously rest didn't do squat for it last year. With one more year of wear and tear I am guessing they've banked on him being as average as he was last year. He is worth nothing if his toe doesn't improve. He is a decent two receiver maybe.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

SC- get a grip on reality man..Synder owns the damn team and if he wnats to involve himself in negotiations then by all rights he should. It is HIS MONEY they're paying the players. If we're talking about Synder having a sit down with Coles and his agent alone then it's totally different but when your #1 WR who you gave a team record SB to and gave up a #1 draft pick wants out I think maybe he might want to show some f*&^ing interest and should be in on a meeting with his Pres of Football and coach with the player and agent. I know I would.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

[QUOTE=FRPLG]SC- get a grip on reality man..Synder owns the damn team and if he wnats to involve himself in negotiations then by all rights he should. It is HIS MONEY they're paying the players. If we're talking about Synder having a sit down with Coles and his agent alone then it's totally different but when your #1 WR who you gave a team record SB to and gave up a #1 draft pick wants out I think maybe he might want to show some f*&^ing interest and should be in on a meeting with his Pres of Football and coach with the player and agent. I know I would.[/QUOTE]

Word!...Preach on!

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

You cant let it be known that you are going to cut someone and then ask for trade offers. No one is going to give up a first round pick if they can just try and sign him.

The advantage to trading for Coles for the other team is that we absorb the bonus, which makes his salary very reasonable for the other team. But if the other team has to sign in free agency there is no guarantee that you get him, and you will have to pay a lot more.

But if we trade him we take a 9 million dollar cap hit...

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

We could rework his contract to a 1 year medium deal and trade him away. That way the new team deals with salary negotiations next year!

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

the problem isnt makign a new deal, its that fact that our current deal owes him a 13 million dollar bonus. If we make a new deal we still owe that money. We would have get him to pay back his signing bonus, then trade him and let the other team deal with it. I dont see this happening, but i say if he wants to be gone then he has to help us get compensation otherwise let him sit on the bench. How many deep balls is he going to get on the sidelines, we dotn have to cut him

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

I never thought of Coles as "Average" as some here have stated! He has a "Stress" fracture, and it has turned Arthritic! I have Arthitis (I think, but hey, I'm old!) and it ain't fun!

A couple of facts!
a. Coles laid it all out on the field!
b. Coles had 90 catches, (NOT AVERAGE!)
c. Coles refused surgery, as would I! No one wants a Dr. practicing on them!
d. Coles played much better after Cortisone shots during the last couple of games!

Does any of this make him Not a Redskin type of player? NO! He is a very positive Redskin, just injured, and hurt that he cannot forgo surgery. Now, the Redskins are trying to "Spin" this to their advantage.

Granted, the "O" last year was not great! And was not designed to take advantage of some of Coles spead! It was not designed to go downfield, but it has a lot of room for improvement.

I go with the line I read earlier: HOF Coach Gibbs - 3 Rings. Coles - 0!

I hope Coles is here for the 4th, 5th, and 6th ring for HOF Coach Gibbs!

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

a. He did lay it out on the field, no doubt.
b. He averaged about 10YPC - below average.
c. Coles would have one of the best doctors in the country performing surgery on him, not a student.
d. Cortizone shots fuck you up. No way around it, one or two and you're okay. After that it just starts killing nerve endings and really can mess you up. It's NOT a long term solution.

HOF Coach Gibbs - 31st pass offense in the leage. Coles - Unhappy.

The link that hard for you to see?

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Folks:

I know that Danny Boy owns the team and it's his money and he can do whatever the hell he wants to do with the team and his money. I've been posting for the last couple of years that he is the motive force behind what goes on with the team but it's other folks here who say that he's learned from the past and he's mellowed and he's turned the football part of the operation over to his boyhood hero - - Joe Gibbs.

Would that it were so!

He is still making football decisions - maybe not all of them but he is still making a bunch of them. Of course he "can" do that and of course he has "a right" to do that. But by now, an objective observer has to recognize that Danny Boy is wrong far more often than he is right when he makes football decisions. That same objective observer would also have to recognize that he is right far more often than he is wrong when he makes business decsions.

So, since I root for a football team and not some corporate entity that files taxes with the IRS, I don't particularly care about how much money the franchise is worth and how much profit Danny Boy makes. I don't begrudge him one single dime, but I care about what happens on Sundays in the Fall and the Winter on NFL fields. I carea bout that about a thousand times more than I care about the skins having the biggest seating capacity in the league or the longest season ticket waiting list. I care about that about a million times more than the early-March news conferences where Danny Boy pats himself on the back for his latest brilliant personnel move - 90% of which turn out to be worth about a pinch of pigeon poop. I care about winning and losing. And the irrefutable fact about Danny Boy's record since he started making football moves here is this:

He loses more than he wins.

As long as Danny Boy is making the calls, what happens during actual NFL games involving the Redskins will not be pretty much of the time. One of these years, he'll stumble into a mix of events that will turn out a winner - maybe even a championship team - but it will only be by accident.

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

Here's my speculation about the whole situation (this may well duplicate someone else's post, but I've lost track):

End of last season: Gibbs says to his players, "if you want out, tell me, and we'll try to accomodate you." Coles is unhappy, says so, and negotiations begin--in good faith-- between Coles and the FO (INCLUDING Gibbs). Combine the hurt toe, the unhappiness, and the lack of a good passing game, and it's not insane, if they can manage the cap.

The only way a move works for the skins is if they can minimize the cap hit. That requires the Coles payback, in some form or other. Best case scenario: Coles pays back 5mil on the bonus, another team trades a reasonably valuable commodity, and compensates Coles with a new bonus. This has to be done BEFORE March 2 to make the cap hit fall in the right place for the skins. Releasing Coles is the worst-case for the skins, as far as I can tell: huge cap hit and no compensation. Thus, it must be a trade, and soon, with the weird Coles payback, which may violate union and/or league rules.

Still, all this is in motion: Coles's agent begins feeling out possible deals, as do the skins. Gibbs keeps talking to Coles, because a deal is VERY unlikely, and Coles is therefore going to be back next year, and the two sides will have to make the best of it. Still, Gibbs has kept his word to do what he can to move disgruntled players.

Then someone leaks the a version of the situation to the Post, but one stressing that Coles will be released. This effectively kills the prospect of a deal, I bet. Who would trade for a player that's about to be released? Anyway, who whould pay the big bonus money to a player with an attitude, declining production, and a hurt toe? Needless to say, Coles's agent is pissed. His client's trade value has been decreased.

The skins, at least in the person of Joe Gibbs, are pissed as well. It certainly looks like someone inside the skins organization has scuttled the possibility of a deal. So Gibbs goes on air to deny that Coles will be released. That's pretty much the only thing he said clearly in the press conference. And Gibbs seems unable/unwilling to lie. When he doesn't want to answer a question, he gives that hemming and hawing non-response thing. All he said is "NO RELEASE." I take it that's true: the only reasonable deal for the skins is a trade, and this also serve to prop up Coles's trade value.

Bottom line: unless some Portis-like trade deal comes up (Jets?), we're stuck with Coles. I figure we'll know by March 2nd. Then I hope Coles has surgery, gets his head together, and wakes up to the fact that things will in all probability be way better around here as far as long passing is concerned. I'm sure Gibbs is making sure that Coles doesn't feel unwanted, and that he's really a desired player, if things go that way. Again, Gibbs said as much. But if Coles wants out, Gibbs will try to accomodate him, because in the final analysis, he's a player's coach.

As for Danny, I'm not really sure why any of this is his fault, except signing Coles in the first place (which seemed a good move to me at the time). This is an exampe of Gibbs trying to keep his word, not of Danny-boy's meddling, IMHO.

(Sorry for the long post! It's February!)

Re: Breaking news: Gibbs denying reports of Coles
 

If dealing with agents and negotiating contracts is a football decision so be it.

Snyder has always been heavily involved with the financial aspects of the team, and that includes wining and dining agents/players, and dealing with all the aspects of the contracts. We should be glad that he's in charge of those aspects, because even though this team has been a perennial loser he always manages to bring in talented players, and his creative cap management has kept us out of this supposed "cap hell" we keep hearing about year after year.

SC, should we expect Gibbs to take over those functions as well?? Correct me if I'm wrong but Gibbs was brought in to coach a football team, he's got his hands full with that side, in fact I'd like to know if there are any NFL coaches that handle ALL of a team's football operations. I highly doubt there is a one man show out there that handles everything.

You seem to be hinting that Snyder is somehow behind the Coles situation and his motive his to draw attention to himself. That would be pretty damn egotistical, almost to the point of insanity. I find it hard to believe an ultra-successful businessman like Snyder has these sort of self-destructive intentions. A star player like Coles puts people in the seats, his jersey sales generate revenue, and why in the hell would he want to sabotage that? For ego? For personal publicity?

Maybe you could elaborate a bit more on your point, because right now it sounds pretty damn outrageous.