[Eight in the Box]

It is a sad day around here. As a 67-year-old diabetic who rarely sees his family during the season, Coach Gibbs left at the right time for him. He knows no other way to coach, but to devote 100% of himself to the effort. He rarely sees his family during the season, spending most nights in his office pouring over film and game plans, eating candy bars just to stay awake.

Even the second time around he made his mark. Though he did not win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks (none of which are in the Hall of Fame) this time around, he returned to a league that was nothing like the pre-free agency, pre-salary cap, NFL he left behind after his first coaching stint in Washington and motivated a new breed of players, coaches, and front office personnel to perform their jobs at higher levels than each thought possible. He took a team of overpaid, under-performing, past-their-prime egos and left us a core of young, talented, inexpensive guys to build our franchise around for seasons to come who will forever be better players and people for having played for Coach Joe Gibbs.

No one could have handled the events that transpired this season better than he did. Most franchises would have folded and been set back years, but Joe saw the organization through the trying times and took us to the playoffs. He left a mark on each person he encountered while coaching the burgundy & gold and those people are quick to acknowledge the positive effect that Coach Gibbs had on their careers and lives. Above all else, he leaves behind a serious contender, and that all we could ask for. We will miss you, Joe. Hail!