Why Doesn't "Gibbs' Football" Work for the Redskins?

[skinsnut68]

I don't think that Gibbs has changed that much, or that the game of football has changed much since 1992. But the Redskins as an organization have changed a lot.

Now, I love Gibbs and think he belongs in the HoF. But he's inherited a very different team now than he did in 1981. Although the 81 Skins had gone through three so-so seasons under Jack Pardee, they were still not far removed from the George Allen era, and many of the players had carried over from the 70s. There was still that sense of team and organizational pride, the rivalries still meant something (remember Theismann hot-dogging in the end zone against the Cowboys at the end of that MNF game that ended 9-5 in 1978? That was under Pardee!)

The Skins that Gibbs got in 2004 were a very different team. A culture of losing has become entrenched with this club. While the players we have today definitely have a strong sense of individual pride, I don't get any feeling of pride in the team or the Redskins organization. Some of that has to do with free agency, a lot with the difference between Jack Kent Cooke and Snyder, but most most with the culture of losing that's been around since Petibon's terrible '93 season.

I'm not sure how much Gibbs will be able to change that. His players now definitely don't respect him ten percent of what they did in 1983 or 1991. I think Snyder's finally getting the clue, though, that one thing this team desperately needs is continuity. Sadly, though, I think the Skins are a lot like the Cardinals now. Pretty much whoever you put in there is gonna lose.