Gibbs Leaves With His Reputation and Humanity Intact

"The family situation had changed," Joe Gibbs said about leaving with a year left on his contract. "It was time to be with them." (By Jonathan Newton -- The Washington Post)
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Done. Fully aware he had just completed one of his best coaching jobs in his 16 years and two tours with the Redskins. Pulling a distraught team together after the slaying of Sean Taylor, the embarrassment at his "double timeout" mistake in the loss to Buffalo followed by the team's resurgence with its four-game winning streak to the playoffs.

How do you top that?

You don't. So you leave when most fans, players and the owner still want you to stay. Contrast the warm feelings toward Gibbs this past week to the anger and venom some fans and media types, particularly the few sharks working in sports-talk radio, heaped on him during the first 12 weeks of the season.

The final numbers in Gibbs's box score do not tell the full story: 171-101 over 16 years and three victories in four Super Bowl appearances.

The second time around he was 31-36 -- with two playoff appearances. More significant was the competitiveness, togetherness, pride and leadership Gibbs returned to the organization the past four years.

"I loved being coach of the Washington Redskins," Gibbs said.

That was all he needed to say.

Coaching It Up

Sports moves on, though, with Redskins ticket renewals in the mail, suites needing to be sold, merchandise moved and draft analysis compiled. But mostly, a coach needs to be hired and nothing gets the owner's blood pumping like hiring a coach.

Will Snyder recruit former Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, currently on the CBS set? Cowher says he doesn't want to coach in 2008, but if Tom Cruise is signable, isn't anything possible for Snyder?

Or will Gregg Williams, the players' choice, get the nod? Or long shot Al Saunders? And onetime Hog Russ Grimm has earned respect as an assistant in Pittsburgh and Arizona and may have at one time years ago been in Snyder's card collection.

What about USC's Pete Carroll, another "ball coach" in waiting? Or a second fling with Marty Schottenheimer; jet plane meetings could occur with Tennessee's Jim Schwartz and Seattle's Jim (I liked Mora I better than II) Mora. Brian Billick is a limo ride away and San Francisco's Mike Singletary, Minnesota's Leslie Frazier and Indy's Jim Caldwell might be on the owner's yellow pad. Who knows?

Capitals, Wizards . . . Baseball?

¿ The week Gibbs leaves Washington, another coach in town, the Capitals' Bruce Boudreau, can revel in his team's success (12-6-4) since he took over for Glen Hanlon.