Gibbs says "Mark's the man"

"I would say if there's any person we could change on our football team that would help us, we would do it. ... I don't think I would hesitate to do it," Gibbs said. "But I also think that if somebody's earned that job and they're fighting their guts out doing everything they could and you look at it and say this guy's not the problem, that would be the wrong thing to do."

- Joe Gibbs

Joe Gibbs doesn't say one thing in public and then say another behind closed doors. There is no equivocation in the above statement.

Joe Gibbs isn't going to Pat Ramsey because Pat Ramsey just isn't ready to lead this football team, and Mark Brunell is not the problem. There are a host of reasons why the team isn't performing well on offense.

It wouldn't be wise to put Ramsey in there right now with the status of our transitionary offensive planning, our protection issues, and other issues on offense. It wouldn't be wise to put Ramsey in there with his current level of development as a quarterback. It would be too much to ask him to manage the offense effectively and also be an inspiring leader.

Furthermore it would send a message to the team that when the going gets tough, it's time to scapegoat someone - someone who is fighting his guts out and doing everything he can. That's not the Gibbs way, and that's not the Redskin way.

The best way to be happier is to change your expectations not your quarterback.

I'm hoping for a hamstring injury reoccurrence

Furthermore [putting Ramsey in] would send a message to the team that when the going gets tough, it's time to scapegoat someone - someone who is fighting his guts out and doing everything he can. That's not the Gibbs way, and that's not the Redskin way.

Excellent point.

Of all the justifications for continuing with Brunell, despite his obvious limitations, I think this is the most compelling. To switch to Ramsey when their are so many problems on offense right now is a relapse into the "Snyder Way", i.e. all it takes is one guy, one free agent, one hot draft pick, to turn this thing around.

While I don't think Brunell is cutting it, it does not appear that his teammates have given up on him. Until they do, neither should Gibbs nor the fans should.

Gibbs has made his choice, for good or ill, and will stick by it. This is something the players will probably respond to as it signifies a sea change from the majority of the Snyder years.

Joe Gibbs doesn't say one thing in public and then say another behind closed doors. There is no equivocation in the above statement.

I think his former players might beg to differ

I think his former players might beg to differ

Joe Gibbs does not present one face publicly and then contradict that privately. No one honest would beg to differ about that.

It's not to say that he doesn't say things privately that he doesn't publicly - of course that is the case and that is entirely appropriate.

Here we have a definite statement from Joe about the quarterback situation. There is no way that he then goes behind the scenes and then says anything that contradicts that.

Joe is as honorable and good hearted a man as I know and he is honest. I know you didn't mean to say otherwise, but that statement might have led people to be confused about that.

I can't say for sure. But I think Matty might have been referring to this from today's Washington Post:

Gibbs defended the play of reserve running back Ladell Betts this week, but Betts's inability to block Baltimore's Ed Reed on a safety blitz led to Reed stripping quarterback Mark Brunell of the ball and returning his fumble for a touchdown, reversing the course of the game. Joe Theismann, a former quarterback under Gibbs and an ESPN analyst who was broadcasting the Redskins-Ravens game, said he believes that Betts is getting a much different message in private. "I would not want to be Ladell Betts this week in practice," Theismann said during a phone interview. "I know Joe had some nice things to say about him [publicly], but you just can't miss a block like that."

"I would say if there's any person we could change on our football team that would help us, we would do it. ... I don't think I would hesitate to do it," Gibbs said. "But I also think that if somebody's earned that job and they're fighting their guts out doing everything they could and you look at it and say this guy's not the problem, that would be the wrong thing to do."

- Joe Gibbs

Joe Gibbs doesn't say one thing in public and then say another behind closed doors. There is no equivocation in the above statement.

Joe Gibbs isn't going to Pat Ramsey because Pat Ramsey just isn't ready to lead this football team, and Mark Brunell is not the problem. There are a host of reasons why the team isn't performing well on offense.

It wouldn't be wise to put Ramsey in there right now with the status of our transitionary offensive planning, our protection issues, and other issues on offense. It wouldn't be wise to put Ramsey in there with his current level of development as a quarterback. It would be too much to ask him to manage the offense effectively and also be an inspiring leader.

Furthermore it would send a message to the team that when the going gets tough, it's time to scapegoat someone - someone who is fighting his guts out and doing everything he can. That's not the Gibbs way, and that's not the Redskin way.

The best way to be happier is to change your expectations not your quarterback.


The one thing I would say about that is this, what did Brunell do in the pre-season to really earn this job? Other than 1 TD pass to McCant's against the scrub's of whoever we were playing, and that is pretty much it, he was no better than Ramsey, and Ramsey a lot of the time was up against the opposing team's starter's with some second string talent around him, that competition wasen't the best gauge for determining the QB, I will tell you what Brunell did better than Ramsey to earn this starting job, he signed a 43 mil. dollar contract, I believe Gibb's really stacked the odd's in Brunell's favor in the pre-season to avoid a QB controversy, and to ensure Brunell was his starter, which in itself, I don't have a big prob., if you know Brunell is a much better QB, but if he isn't, it can backfire, which I believe it has, I think Gibb's assumed that a veteran with a resigme like Brunell, would be a much better QB to run his offense, than a young kid like Ramsey, who's only experience is running a convoluted offensive scheme under SS.

And one last thing about that, IMO throwing the ball away half the time, especially when there is no real pressure, is not what I would call fighting your gut's out, I believe Gibb's is trying to be positive, and encouraging of Brunell, but those word's don't describe the QB I have been watching. I have had the opportuntiy to watch Ramsey all last year, I know when a QB is fighting his gut's out, and Ramsey was the poster boy for fighting your gut's out!

Joe Gibbs does not present one face publicly and then contradict that privately. No one honest would beg to differ about that.

It's not to say that he doesn't say things privately that he doesn't publicly - of course that is the case and that is entirely appropriate.

Here we have a definite statement from Joe about the quarterback situation. There is no way that he then goes behind the scenes and then says anything that contradicts that.

Joe is as honorable and good hearted a man as I know and he is honest. I know you didn't mean to say otherwise, but that statement might have led people to be confused about that.

I agree that Gibbs is an honest man, but after 23 years of dealing with them from leading teams in two different sports, he knows how to work the media. Yes, he is showing that Brunell has his full support, which he should, but we don't know how much he may be "challenging" him in practice. Plus, Mark has been in the league and he knows how it works. It is very hard to believe that his struggling is from a lack of commitment to work as hard as possible. He knows what Ramsey can do. I think Brunell with really look improved on Sunday, due to his drive to play better, combined with scheme adjustments to maximize all of the players' talents better.

My conspiracy theory is as follows:
Gibbs is sticking with Brunell because he knows the offense isn't clicking and doesn't want to inflict any more damage on Ramsey. Ramsey is the future QB and if he went in and struggled, everybody would be then calling for his head and where would that leave us?
Gibbs is going to stick with Brunell so he shows the TEAM that he sticks with his guys. When the offense is clicking and Ramsey gets in, he'll be in for a while.

"But I also think that if somebody's earned that job and they're fighting their guts out doing everything they could and you look at it and say this guy's not the problem, - Joe Gibbs

The best way to be happier is to change your expectations not your quarterback.
18/29 for 83 yards is not playing your guts out. Yea there have been drops by hs recevers. but there have been far more overthrown balls and one hops one short hitch routes. I am not sure if i Could lower my expectations that much if i was watching a little league game. Much less a Professional football team that has the highest payroll in the league.