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Originally Posted by 70Chip
The great Richard Justice. I had forgotten that there was a time when the Washington Post actually has something to add to the conversation.
Joe Gibbs brilliance has always been in his ability to get the most out of his people. Is there any doubt that Clintion Portis, for all his eccentricities, would run in front of a bus for Coach Gibbs? You can tell that there is a great amount of mutual respect there. The fact that Gibbs also has a knack for offensive innovation and a tremendous understanding of the fundamentals of football (knocking the other team on it's ass) is a bonus.
Bill Parcells defended Gibbs on ESPN last night, although he picked the Eagles to win. He said that Gibbs inherited a really awful team and that it takes a while to turn that around. Parcells is a tremendous asset to that network. He should be on more.
One final point. The difference between 2007 and 1987 is not with Joe Gibbs. The difference is the NFL. In the pre-salary cap era, teams like the Redskins and 49ers could stockpile players in such a way as to make them far superior to the other teams. In that environment an off year is one in which you are a wild card playoff team and lose in the divisional round of the playoffs. In the modern NFL with it's parity, an off year is 5-11. The differnce between 11-5 and 5-11 is not nearly what it was twenty years ago. Most teams can expect to be on a roller coaster. Look at the Steelers. They are a team that is constantly held up as a model of a team that has mastered the salary cap, etc and yet they took a dive last year. The New Orleans Saints had everyone convinced they were the class of the NFC, right up until there first game this year. They look horrible. This is why it's so aggravating to see experts making pre-season forecasts that basically mirror last year's results. It never happens that way anymore. At least not in the NFC. Certainly the Colts and Patriots argue against these points. I think their consistency is based on having two quarterbacks who are head and shoulders above the rest. That's another distinction between now and the last twenty years. The quarterback is so critical. I think if Brady or Manning were to go down, those teams would be in the same boat with everyone else.
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Well said 70Chip. I smell a Pulitzer. This is precisely what I've said and felt since Gibbs 2.0. The NFL is vastly different than what it was when JG left back in the 90's and to expect him to come back and immediately turn things around would have been naive. However, in the "contemporary" NFL, you are given only so much leash to be successful and unfortunately the clock is ticking for even Joe Gibbs.