Gibbs to Resign as HC/President

[dgack]

Originally Posted by GMScud

I thought his grandson was doing much better? Everything I saw said his leukemia was in the remission stage and the treatments are much easier than last year. And was Gibbs' health suffering? I mean I know he has diabetes, but he's dealt with that for years...

While this may be true (I don't know), I would think the death of Sean is a pretty stark reminder of the frailty of life to a man like Joe, and a reminder that you need to think about what's truly important in your life.

For everyone who's upset that Joe didn't finish the contract, or any of that stuff, ask yourself this question -- "What if Joe came back next season and keeled over from a heart attack and died?" Wouldn't we all pretty much feel like selfish bastards and wish he'd retired, the same way we'd wish for pretty much any outcome for Sean other than the one we got?

Having just lost my grandfather, a lifelong Redskins fan, and a man who was among the strongest and most positive people I've ever met, a man who also had an extraordinary amount of faith and was one of the most successful people I knew -- certainly a man who was always a "winner" -- I can say I understand why Joe would want to walk away now. My grandfather and Coach Joe probably would have gotten along very, very well. And if my grandfather were alive today I know he'd tell me to focus on all the good things Joe accomplished while he was here, not on his decision to retire (again).

Finally I just want to say that Joe is a true leader, and what that entails doesn't always show up on the stat sheet, but it does show up on the hearts and minds of the people he worked with, who will be forever changed as a result of being associated with him. A huge part of leadership is the task of building up other leaders and then passing the torch.

In his true brilliance of leadership, Joe has made Snyder a better owner, Williams and Saunders better coaches (to say nothing of all their assistants), and many players on the team better players and men. Most importantly, he has returned the confidence of the fans, and restored just a portion of the lost luster of this organization, enough to give people hope for the next 20 years.

And, if you think about it, the phrase "he doesn't have anything else to prove" is really key here. Joe didn't have anything else to prove when he came back four years ago. In fact, you could say he did it to give back to the organization that he loves so much. He did it at the cost of a lot of personal sacrifice: health, time with his family, and frankly an awful lot of second-guessing, mean-spirited commentary from analysts and fans, and at the expense of a coaching record that had been Legendary and now looks "only" Really, Really Good by comparison.

Our only regret should be that the timing couldn't have been better, but honestly, there's never a great time for things like this. We'll soon see if the right decisions have been made on selecting Joe's successor, but I would be shocked if continuity and camraderie in the locker room aren't made the highest priority.