There are times when Washington coach Joe Gibbs stands at the podium, trying to discuss the team’s lastest poor outing, that the Hall of Fame coach looks lost.
There is uncertainty amid the humility of Washington’s most beloved coach of the past quarter century. It’s like Gibbs knows he’s missing a piece of the former glory days, but just doesn’t know what it is.
Maybe, it’s not having a general manager.
Gibbs returned as the Redskins president and coach in 2004 of a team devoid of a true player personnel manager. Owner Dan Snyder convinced Gibbs that the Redskins front office could overcome the lack of a traditional GM.
That was Gibbs’ first mistake that still haunts the team. He should have gained a GM when possessing the most leverage of returning. Now it may be too late.
When Gibbs was winning three Super Bowls, GMs Bobby Beathard and Charley Casserly supplied a steady stream of talent. Sometimes they differed over players, but there was a good checks and balances system that worked very well.
But the Redskins haven’t used that yin and yang approach largely since Snyder fired Casserly in 1999. Coach Marty Schottenheimer gained overall control for one year, but refusal to yield personnel power led to his firing after an 8-8 season.
Snyder’s spending sprees are legendary. He must buy those $800 hammers and $200 toilet seats for the Pentagon. Snyder has hit on a few signings, including defensive tackle Daryl Gardener for one great year. Snyder then didn’t resign the Redskin of the Year and the troubled tackle signed with Denver, was involved in an IHOP parking lot fight and never did anything again. Snyder got that one right on both ends.
But largely, Snyder and his staff haven’t done that well in the draft or free agency. However, the Redskins won’t hire a true personnel boss who can complement Gibbs. And here’s the other side of that problem. In supporting Gibbs’ desires of players, Snyder gives the coach whatever he wants when it’s not always the smart move.
OK, I’m criticizing Snyder for not listening to others, then for listening to his coach. Sounds unfair, but the personnel boss needs to be independent of the coach and Snyder has fallen into the trap of giving into Gibbs too much. Sorry, it’s a tough room on grading here.
Gibbs is not a personnel man. His opinion is certainly to be respected, but in the end, many good GMs see something in players that a coach doesn’t. It’s a different talent.
Gibbs doesn’t care about draft picks. Shipping a third to Atlanta for running back T.J. Duckett was foolish given there were so many options. Gibbs should have known better, but since he doesn’t worry about draft selections, Gibbs didn’t care about overpaying.
Free agency has been more hits than misses because Snyder always seems to think other team’s players are better than his. Not resigning safety Ryan Clark for high-priced free agent Adam Archuleta was a poor offseason choice. Getting both receivers Brandon Lloyd and Antwaan Randle El in the offseason was a bad move. Pick one and spend money on another problem area instead of this heir-and-a-spare mentality. Snyder must shop at Costco because he sure buys in bulk.
Gibbs surrendered play-calling this season. Now he would be wise to get a GM. Something tells me Casserly, who’s working in televsion nowadays, might return given Snyder long ago admitted being wrong for firing the GM.
Let’s be honest — the team isn’t going to the playoffs. It would take a miracle run and last year’s late move was probably the only one they get. The Redskins are back to their old ways of one step forward, two steps backward. Unless they make institutional changes, this team will never consistently return to its glory days under Gibbs.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
