Clayton: Gibbs leaves Redskins a better team

The ying to pasta belly's yang:

The Redskins' coach -- who was entering the final year of his five-year, $37.5 million contract -- rejected a two-year extension from owner Daniel Snyder and resigned Tuesday. For Gibbs, it's not about the money. He resigned because the job has taken its toll and he wants to spend more time with his family, especially his 2-year-old grandson Taylor, who was diagnosed with leukemia last year (http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/columns/story?seriesId=2&columnist=newton_david&id=2741547).

Link: ESPN - Gibbs leaves Redskins a better team - NFL (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=3186258)

I read this earlier. Not to be a homer who is grateful for any positive skins' press but I do think that Clayton is probably the most reliable main stream source for NFL coverage. Good to see his opinion was positive.

BTW- Didn't Clayton make it to Canton recently? Guaranteed LP doesn't even get let inside as a paying visitor.

Yup, Clayton was inducted into the HOF last year. And yes Clayton is the best source for information

I continue to respect his opinion......and Jaws

Clayton and Mortensen are probably the best in the business. I respect both of their opinions. They keep it real.

It is a sad day around here. As a 67-year-old diabetic who rarely sees his family during the season, Coach Gibbs left at the right time for him. He knows no other way to coach, but to devote 100% of himself to the effort. He rarely sees his family during the season, spending most nights in his office pouring over film and game plans, eating candy bars just to stay awake.

Even the second time around he made his mark. Though he did not win three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks (none of which are in the Hall of Fame) this time around, he returned to a league that was nothing like the pre-free agency, pre-salary cap, NFL he left behind after his first coaching stint in Washington and motivated a new breed of players, coaches, and front office personnel to perform their jobs at higher levels than each thought possible. He took a team of overpaid, under-performing, past-their-prime egos and left us a core of young, talented, inexpensive guys to build our franchise around for seasons to come who will forever be better players and people for having played for Coach Joe Gibbs.

No one could have handled the events that transpired this season better than he did. Most franchises would have folded and been set back years, but Joe saw the organization through the trying times and took us to the playoffs. He left a mark on each person he encountered while coaching the burgundy & gold and those people are quick to acknowledge the positive effect that Coach Gibbs had on their careers and lives. Above all else, he leaves behind a serious contender, and that all we could ask for. We will miss you, Joe. Hail!

I thought people might want to compare our starters, pre and post Gibbs.

OFFENSE

LT = unchanged
LG = Dockery to Kendall
C = Moore to Rabach RG = unchanged
RT = unchanged
TE = Zeron Flemister to Chris Cooley
WR#1 = Coles to Moss
WR #2 = Gardner to ARE
RB = Trung Canidate to Clinton Portis
FB = Bryan Johnson to Mike Sellers

DEFENSE

LE = Wynn to Daniels
DT = Noble to Montgomery
DT = Dalton to Griffin
RE = Upshaw to Carter
OLB = Arrington to McIntosh
MLB = Trotter to Fletcher
OLB = Armstead to Washington
CB#1 = Bailey to Springs
CB #2 = Smoot to Smoot/Rogers
FS = Ohalete to Taylor*
SS = Bowen to Landry

In short, aside from the Bailey/Springs and Dockery/Kendall swaps, we are in much better position today than we were 4 years ago. Of the 22 starters Spurrier left Gibbs with, 11 are not even playing in the NFL (Ohalete, Bowen, Armstead, Arrington, Noble, Dalton, Upshaw, Moore, Flemister, Johnson, and Canidate). Of those 11 starters just 2 aren't playing in the NFL due to injury (Noble and Arrington) and just one quit due to age (Armstead). The other 8 players are, arguably, not playing in the NFL because no one wants them.