January 8-- Gibbs says good bye again

The shock and surprise of Joe Gibbs decision to resign as head coach and team President of the Washington Redskins was prevalent throughout the building.. The numerous players and coaches I talked to had no idea he was leaning toward leaving..

There won't be two hirings to replace Gibbs, at least it's not expected after owner Dan Snyder was clear that he feels the front office structure is something needs not to be fixed. "If it ain't broke, you don't fix it." So whoever the next coach will be, the Skins appear as if that person will cotninue to work with Snyder and Vinny Cerrato in all player acquisitions..

It turns out that the well reported successor clause in Gregg Williams contract does not exist. For a few years it was beleived that Williams had a seven figure payout owed to him should he not be named Joe Gibbs successor when Gibbs decided to leave.. Redskins sources told me that this clause indeed does not exist.. Williams however is considered one of the candidates to replace Gibbs..
Snyder would not label anyone as a candidate at this point saying he would begin the process of finding a new head coach soon.. He also expressed surprise at Gibbs's decision and said that he tried until the wee hours last night to talk him out of it.. Gibbs even joked that at one point he was asking for paul bearers to be part of his deal since Snyder wanted him "to work until he was 93." Gibbs refuted any notion that his decision would be based on money, he said he is not in need of money and that it was family that was calling for him to leave.. He said the decision was his, and that even some in his inner circle wanted him to go back for the fifth and final year of his origianl contract.. Gibbs did say he was regretful for not fufilling his initial promise..
Asked how he can replace Joe Gibbs, Snyder responded, "You can't replace Joe Gibbs."

Popular beief is the Skins will approach former Steelers coach Bill Cowher.. Snyder said he has not spoken to any candidate including Cowher saying the last time they even ran into each other was maybe 6 years ago on a handball court. I was told the search committee was not planning to go to North Carolina as of last night to meet with Cowher and Cowher has said through sources he remains uninterested in coaching anywhere in 2008..

Gibbs said he will keep an office as long as Snyder wants during the transition period but he does not plan to remain in the building once the new coach begins his work.. He "does not want to oversee anyone here." He did express hope for the roster and suggested that whoever takes over will be walking into a situation where he believes the team is primed to contend for a title..

Snyder called Gibbs "a friend for life" and admitted the franchise's stability is in a much better place then where it was 4 years ago when Gobbs replaced Steve Spurrier.. The owner contends he has learned a lot since Gibbs coming on board and Gibbs credited Snyder for "never giving any excuses for anything we asked for." He also said Snyder is the right person to make a decision as to who will be the next head coach and seemed to want to distance himself from whatever decision Snyder may ultimately make..

Yet another surreal day to say the least..

I suppose I should give some personal thoughts on the matter.. I will miss Gibbs. He truly proved to be the right leader for this team never more exempliied then his strength during the tragedy of Sean Taylor.. He made many mistakes during games, which honestly was hard to watch, but the team played hard for him, the ultimate barometer of the effectiveness of a head coach. The players galvanized for him, played for him and respected him.. His Hall of Fame bust was made because he was a motivator, a fair general, and someone who stood for dignity and respect.. In that regard, it was hard to take the same critical eye to his decisions based mainly on the fact that my own biases always leaned toward hoping in the end he would be right. That said, his on field production, 31-36, needed to be taken into context. That's only fair to his predecessors and his eventual successors.. While I will always believe that this coach will be held to a deserved higher standard, if the fanbase is to be fair in it's own expectations, then it is only fair to Gibbs to suggest the bar in terms of success was not met.
That bar was set very high, by Gibbs himself..
It has been an honor and privledge to get to know Joe and I wish him the very best in his future endeavors. I appreciate his time and patience for the shows I was personally a part of with him and with his numerous media duties of which I was involved in the group. Seeing his ability to remain stabile and strong through every and I mean every conceivable situation on and off a football field was a life lesson in management I will never forget.
I hope Joe finds happiness in his retirement from football and hope he indeed enjoyed his return to Washington, a breath of fresh air into the franchise that was sorely needed. I agree with Mr. Snyder that this franchise is in a much better place then it was four seasons ago when it was rudderless. Good luck Joe. Thanks for putting your good name on the line. In the end, your good name is secure.

OK men..