Before I go any further, let me just say there are not many people who have ever been involved in the NFL that I've had more respect for that Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. His body of of work during a Hall of Fame career from 1981-92 is among the most impressive in pro football history.
That said, it is difficult to fathom what Gibbs did earlier this afternoon in the final seconds of the Redskins game against the Bills. Playing for the first time since the shooting death of Redskins safety Sean Taylor, the Redskins were ahead 16-14 when Bills kicker Rian Lindell lined up for a 51-yard attempt.
A split second before Lindell kicked it, Gibbs had called timeout. The ball sailed through the uprights, but the timeout meant that Lindell had to kick it again. But as he attempted that kick, Gibbs called timeout again. Calling a second timeout in that situation is against the rules, and the Redskins were penalized 15 yards. Lindell then nailed a 36-yarder to win it for Buffalo.
Gibbs took the blame for the loss, and the players publicly rallied around the coach, saying they could have and should have made more plays to beat the Bills. But when you're a head coach and you don't know one of the fundamental rules of the game and it costs you in that situation, it is time to seriously reassess what is going on.
One other moment that took Gibbs by surprise: When the Redskins defense came onto the field for the first time, they used only 10 men as a tribute to Taylor. It was a wonderful moment and a fine touch to honor their fallen player. But Gibbs never knew that the Redskins were going to do that, because defensive Gregg Williams never told him. It was only after the game that Williams explained the situation.
Gibbs will clearly beat himself up over this day for a long time. But it goes deeper than that. He has to begin thinking about whether he should continue to do this. He has not been the same head coach in his second go-round with the Redskins, and there are no indications the 5-7 Redskins are about to turn things around.
Comments (10)
The 10-man tribute was extraordinary.
The rest, I don't know. I can't imagine how hard it is to retain your focus especially on national TV at the end of a week like this. You may be right, but I'd give him a break and reserve judgement for a couple more games.
It occurred to me that he may have been diverting the fault for the loss away from the team and onto himself. He had no way of knowing whether or not Lindell would make that second kick, but he did, and if Gibbs hadn't called the second time out, the team would have blamed themselves. Players rallying around the coach is a good thing. Or maybe my Sam Adams Winter Lager is making me a little too sentimental.
NKR, it's completely asanine to think that Gibbs would call that 2nd timeout so he would be blamed for the loss rather than his players.
It was a 51 YARD FIELD GOAL, not a chip shot.
Gibbs is out of it. If Washington brings him back next year, then they (Daniel Snyder) are out of it (he is anyway).
The 10 man tribute was cool, but shouldn't the head coach know about that? Washington is lucky that Buffalo only got a 20 yard run out of it. Would it have been completely wrong for Buffalo to throw deep in the area of the field with no safety? I mean, they ARE still trying to win the game ...
Random thoughts, random thoughts ...
Gibbs has to go. He just doesn't seem as sharp as a head coach should be any more.
As for the 10 man defensive salute: Maybe Williams didn't tell Gibbbs because he knew he would veto the idea? At least he should have as it was a bad move. Yes, it may have been a nice thought but usually "gestures" don't impact the game in this way. Gibbs could have seen the 10 men and wasted a timeout on the very first play. The Bills could have scored a TD because of it. Yeah, that would make Taylor happy right? - a long TD pass because he wasn't on the field is no way to pay tribute to the man.
Let the safety wear Taylor's jersey for one play. Or put it down on the field in his spot on that play and make the refs remove it thereby getting it on camera and all of the replays. But why put the team in jeopardy even if for one play?
Dear Lee, I did say that Sam Adams might be doing the talking... And I'm just a woman, what would I know.
Lee:
Not that NKR needs any defending here, but she's entitled to her opinion. And I'll tell you that it wasn't easy leveling this criticism at Gibbs at a time like this, but I felt it had to be said. I think he would have done the same thing had it just been an ordinary regular season game with no extenuating circumstances like the death of one of his players. But it's still a delicate issue.
That said, the folks in Washington are hammering Gibbs for the decision, as well as the fact he didn't know about Williams' move to start the game with 10 defenders on the field as a tribute to Sean Taylor.
btw, NKR, I hope Lee's comments don't dissuade you from future posting while enjoying a Sam Adams. Nothing wrong with enjoying a quality beer and jotting down a few random thoughts.
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