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POSTED 9:21 a.m. EDT, July 22, 2007
MRS. GIBBS PUSHING HUBBY HARD TO PACK IT IN?
We continue to hear that the wife of Commanders coach Joe Gibbs is pushing him aggressively to make 2007 his final season in the National Football League.
Gibbs emerged from retirement in 2004, after 12 years out of the game, to return to the team that he led to three Super Bowl wins after the 1982, 1987, and 1991 seasons. The team has been to the playoffs once since his return, defeating the Buccaneers in the 2005 wild-card round before falling to the Seahawks.
We're also told that owner Daniel Snyder is poised to turn up the behind-the-scenes heat aimed at securing former Steelers coach Bill Cowher to succeed Gibbs, if/when it begins to become apparent that Gibbs will call it quits after the 2007 season.
Gibbs, who'll be 67 in November, suffers from diabetes. Two years ago, a stent was inserted to clear blockage in an artery near his heart. Also, a young grandson of Joe and Pat Gibbs was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year.
We reported several weeks ago that Cowher has been privately discussing possible arrangements with several teams, and we've heard from two sources that Cowher has been in touch with the Commanders. The next day, the team issued a statement disputing our report.
Though Gibbs, a Hall of Famer, should be allowed to coach the team as long as he wants to, a decision to discreetly scope out a potential successor reflects good business sense by Snyder. Why wait until the feeding frenzy for Cowher's services begins in January when the basic groundwork for an eventual deal can be laid now? And if it becomes clear that the coach and the team won't be able to agree as to a big issue like salary or control, it's better for the team to know about it sooner rather than later, so that the candidate can be removed from the radar screen.
MRS. GIBBS PUSHING HUBBY HARD TO PACK IT IN?
We continue to hear that the wife of Commanders coach Joe Gibbs is pushing him aggressively to make 2007 his final season in the National Football League.
Gibbs emerged from retirement in 2004, after 12 years out of the game, to return to the team that he led to three Super Bowl wins after the 1982, 1987, and 1991 seasons. The team has been to the playoffs once since his return, defeating the Buccaneers in the 2005 wild-card round before falling to the Seahawks.
We're also told that owner Daniel Snyder is poised to turn up the behind-the-scenes heat aimed at securing former Steelers coach Bill Cowher to succeed Gibbs, if/when it begins to become apparent that Gibbs will call it quits after the 2007 season.
Gibbs, who'll be 67 in November, suffers from diabetes. Two years ago, a stent was inserted to clear blockage in an artery near his heart. Also, a young grandson of Joe and Pat Gibbs was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year.
We reported several weeks ago that Cowher has been privately discussing possible arrangements with several teams, and we've heard from two sources that Cowher has been in touch with the Commanders. The next day, the team issued a statement disputing our report.
Though Gibbs, a Hall of Famer, should be allowed to coach the team as long as he wants to, a decision to discreetly scope out a potential successor reflects good business sense by Snyder. Why wait until the feeding frenzy for Cowher's services begins in January when the basic groundwork for an eventual deal can be laid now? And if it becomes clear that the coach and the team won't be able to agree as to a big issue like salary or control, it's better for the team to know about it sooner rather than later, so that the candidate can be removed from the radar screen.
