[joecrisp]

First, let's clear up what exactly the word "trust" means:

From Merriam-Webster's:

Main Entry: trust
Function: verb

transitive senses
1 a : to commit or place in one's care or keeping : ENTRUST b : to permit to stay or go or to do something without fear or misgiving
2 a : to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of : BELIEVE b : to place confidence in : rely on c : to hope or expect confidently
3 : to extend credit to

Now for the question: Do I "trust" Gibbs?
1a : Based purely on Gibbs's success in his first tenure as Redskins' coach (which I witnessed and which made me a Redskins fan to begin with), I was initially-- and enthusiastically-- willing "to commit my beloved Redskins to his care" this time around as well. However, the poor manner in which I feel he's handled the entire Brunell/Ramsey situation (from the very beginning of Brunell's acquisition process, to this latest QB switch), his ineffectiveness as both an offensive strategist and head coach last season, the poorly disguised and executed maneuvering to draft Jason Campbell, and other miscues have eroded much of my trust of Joe Gibbs in this regard.

1b : After experiencing the excruciating pain of watching Gibbs's offense last season, it's difficult for me to watch it this season "without fear or misgiving" that I could very well see more of the same this season. Sure, there have been some changes in the playbook, Jansen's back in the lineup (if not entirely healthy!), and many of the players have had another year to learn the offense. What concerns me is not so much the plays in the playbook or the players executing them, but Gibbs's conservativeness in orchestrating those components, and his inability to effectively counter today's aggressive defenses with a punishing offense.

Every time I watch the Redskins these days, I'm fearful of what will transpire, and most of that fear is a product of Gibbs's performance over the past 18 months.

2a : It's difficult for me "to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of" what Gibbs says or does these days [see "Ramsey, Patrick"].

2b : It's difficult for me "to place confidence in" Gibbs as a coach these days [see "2004 regular season record"; "2004 offensive statistics"; "Brunell, Mark"] or "rely on" him to do what's best for the team.

2c : Based on everything that's happened since Gibbs's return as head coach, I generally don't "hope or expect confidently" that Gibbs will lead the Redskins to victory on any given Sunday [see "2004 regular season record"].

3 : When Gibbs became head coach of the Washington Redskins for the second time, most Redskins fans-- including myself-- were willing "to extend credit to" Gibbs for his brilliant success with the team during the '80s and early '90s. However, even Gibbs himself has said that the past buys us nothing but fond memories. Since the recent past tells me "6-10", I'm not that fond of the idea of extending Gibbs any more credit.

Can I change my mind? Absolutely. But Gibbs is going to have to earn back every bit of credit that I might give him in the future.