Joe Gibbs' 3 Super Bowls- a great achievment or an asterisk?

[Brian wolf]

The Redskins also did it in 1983/84, but faced one of the best pass rushing teams in NFL history, in the SB, losing to the Raiders.

That game against the 49ers for the NFC championship was a classic, despite missing four FGs. The Skins benefited from bad officiating at the end as well. It wouldnt have mattered even if the calls werent made, the Niners might have won, but wouldnt beat the Raiders without Dwight Clark. Gibbs and the Redskins might have kept Montana and the 49ers from losing that SB. I could never doubt Montana though ...

[Bob Gill]

For a so called classy coach, Gibbs at times ran up the score a lot.

45-0 vs DET, 56-17 vs Atlanta in 91, 51-7 in the 83 playoffs vs LA, 31-0/34-0/41-3 vs Joe Bugel’s Cardinals

If I had been in the shoes of those coaches, I wouldn’t have shaken his hand after some of these games where he basically tired to rub their faces in the ground like a bully.

1. Oh, please. The NFL is no place for sissies. If a player getting six figures per game doesn't like the bad guys on the other team scoring against him, he always has the option of stopping them now and then.

2. In that 45-0 game you mentioned, the Redskins were just running out the clock for the whole fourth quarter. With a minute or so left, their third-string running back broke away on a long run and was tackled on the 1- or 2-yard line -- at which point the Redskins just took a knee for two or three plays to end the game. I thought that was dumb; if it had been my team, I would've given the same reserve back a couple of cracks at a touchdown. But anyway, that hardly squares with your claim that Gibbs like to "rub their faces in the ground like a bully." For crying out loud!

[JWL]

if Gibbs was a jerk, at least he could take it when his team was being obliterated.

It was the first question reporters asked Joe Gibbs after Sunday's 52-7 loss to the New England Patriots.

"Coach, did you feel like the Patriots were running up the score in the fourth quarter?"

Gibbs quickly put an end to any potential public controversy with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

"No," he said. "I have no problem with anything they did. Nothing. No problems from me."

https://www.commanders.com/news/reactio ... ng-3459427

[Mark]

In the 1983 game vs. the Rams the Redskins lead 38-7 at half, added two FGs in the 3rd and then a D. Green int. ret for a TD in the 4th. At what point were they "running up the score"? Please tell me exactly when they were supposed to stop.

In the 1991 56-17 game the last TD was also an int. for a TD. The last offensive TD came with 10 minutes left.

1990 31-0 was 28-0 after 3 qtrs. The FG came with 6 30 left. Is that running up the score?

the 45-0 was already discussed.

1991 34-0 was also 28-0 after 3 qtrs with 2 FGs in the 4th. The last was with 6 30 left

1992 for the 41-3 game the last TD was by the backup QB with about 2 minutes left and Bugel was mad about that. A book I have mentioned that earlier in the year Reeves was mad in a 34-3 loss to Washington because the Redskins took a knee close to scoring at the end so sometimes you can't win.

Just because a game is a rout doesn't mean someone ran up the score. I'm surprised the 41-14 win over the Steelers in 1991 wasn't mentioned. In that game a pass by Rutledge that was designed to pick up a first down turned into a TD and Gibbs apologized to Noll who graciously accepted the apology due to no offense intended.

This whole "running up the score" narrative is a perfect example of what I complained about in a previous post --- people making up things or declaring schedules as easy that one can look up and see were not easy just because they do not like a team or player.

[Sonny9]

IMO Gibbs is a historically overrated coach who benefitted basically from his offensive line, easy schedules, and fortunate circumstances

Three completely different times? Interesting.

1982: 9 game season, got to play the worst QB to ever make a Super Bowl in David Woodley
1987- 3 weeks of scabs, avoided 49ers/Saints in playoffs, got to host mediocre Minnesota team in NFC CG
1991- easy schedule, Giants aged out, 49ers shot themselves in the foot all season, Eagles without Randall were a defense without an offense

Gibbs’ 3 Super Bowl are honestly not impressive as it is made out to be.

Why is '91 an easy schedule? They played 6 games against playoff teams and 2 against the 10-6 Eagles. Half their schedule was against teams 10-6 or better.
plus they crushed the competition in the playoffs

[SeahawkFever]

Three completely different times? Interesting.

1982: 9 game season, got to play the worst QB to ever make a Super Bowl in David Woodley
1987- 3 weeks of scabs, avoided 49ers/Saints in playoffs, got to host mediocre Minnesota team in NFC CG
1991- easy schedule, Giants aged out, 49ers shot themselves in the foot all season, Eagles without Randall were a defense without an offense

Gibbs’ 3 Super Bowl are honestly not impressive as it is made out to be.

Why is '91 an easy schedule? They played 6 games against playoff teams and 2 against the 10-6 Eagles. Half their schedule was against teams 10-6 or better.
plus they crushed the competition in the playoffs

From what I can tell (and others can correct me if I’m interpreting it wrong), people are arguing not necessarily that the schedule wasn’t challenging for the year they were in (which if you go by the records of the opponents it wasn’t one of the easiest), but rather that it was a “down” or “transition” year for the NFC.

They beat some solid teams, but the other teams in the conference in the late 80’s and early 90’s were in transition at the same time and that opened up a window for them to get a title, and they often will cite that in the years before and after they lost in the divisional round to the 49ers.

They were in the right spot of history to do what they did, but credit the 91 Skins for thoroughly dominating their season.

They were 14-2 with both losses by a combined five points, and my score% stat finds them to be the sixth best team since 1941; and they had the highest score% of any Super Bowl champion who had to play at least 16 games in a season.

They also have the highest margin statistically between themselves and second place of anyone since the merger.

[Ten Minute Ticker]

I split the baby on some of this.

The 1991 team was a well-oiled machine and was never really challenged. Not Washington’s fault that they stood well above the rest.

The 1982, and especially, the 1987 teams do deserve a bit of an asterisk. No way to truly compare either one of those seasons to any others historically. I suppose Gibbs gets credit for navigating the weirdness of those seasons, but it’s hard to take accomplishments from those seasons seriously. Those seasons are akin to World War II era sports or other strike or pandemic afflicted seasons in all sports.

At least the ‘82 team backed it up with a dominant-until-the-end ‘83 season. I wouldn’t go so far to say the ‘87 team was a one-year wonder, they were good the year before, but it doesn’t help the legacy of the ‘87 team that they didn’t make the playoffs again until 1990.

[Brian wolf]

Yep, with Schroeder gone, the team had to see what Williams could do in a full season and he flopped in 1988. Gibbs replaced him with Rypien, who was closer to Schroeder but got better by 1990. The Redskins had their chances to beat the 49ers in that 1990/91 divisional game but Montana put on a show. The Redskins knew they had to get better on defense, which showed during 1991. Stumbled bad defending their championship.