The honeymoon period appears to be over for both D.C.'s favorite son Joe Gibbs and Ralph Friedgen, the one-time savior for Terps football.
Gibbs may be the most maligned 4-3 coach in the NFL, following Sunday's 52-7 thumping by the New England Patriots. His return to the Skins' sideline in 2004 after a lengthy layoff has been less than stellar: a sub-.500 record and just one playoff appearance.
The Fridge's tenure at College Park similarly has gone sour since his arrival in 2001, when he guided the Terps to a surprising ACC title and Orange Bowl bid. Maryland currently lingers at 4-4, all but out of the ACC title race.
Let us know what you think. Is it time for change?
Comments (15)
Yes, derfinitely, for Joe Gibbs. He's too old, confused, and way past his prime.
Ralph? No. First, I want him to improve his recruiting and then see if he can then compete nationally. Two more years for Ralph.
Posted by bestmick | October 31, 2007 1:54 PM
Joe Is from the old scholl and shouldnever have left NASCAR. The game has passed him by.
Ralph has brought winning football back to Maryland.Don't let injuries and bad luck cause us to run off a loyal former Maryland player who knows how to win and will.
Posted by John Lajoye | October 31, 2007 1:58 PM
Joe Gibbs should have been left in Nascar. The Redskins ownership and management need to get on the first plane out of this town. It's a shame what they have done to a once proud franchise!! I am sick and tired of the excuses they make for looking like my nephews pop warner team. As far as the Fridge I think he should be given a little more rope. If they can improve on recruiting I think he can get Maryland winning again.
Posted by JOEL | October 31, 2007 3:04 PM
Friedgen definitiely should GO. His best , and quite nearly his only, good years came when he was playing with the previous coaches recruited players. The second beginning of the Friedgen fall began when the offensive and defensive coordinators he came in with originally left the program. After that and the graduation Vander whatever's players+, its been mediocre football all the way.
Posted by PW | October 31, 2007 3:18 PM
Gibbs has no great energy or enthusiasm for what he's doing, and apparently neither do his coaches and his team. Well, why should they? They are millionaires! There is no motivation. We need young, hungry coaches and players who eventually want to make big bucks (which is all anyone seems to care about) and will prove they are worth it by playing hard, coaching hard, and WINNING. When will multi-millionaire owners like Snyder and Steinbrenner wake up and realize these are TEAM sports, not one-on-one competitions?
Posted by Ben | October 31, 2007 4:50 PM
Leave Joe Gibbs alone. If he has the material he will win.
Posted by Robert E. Baker | October 31, 2007 6:05 PM
This is why I left D.C NO LOYALTY. Gibbs stays and gets better. As for Maryland, GO DAWGS.
Posted by Reid | October 31, 2007 7:31 PM
Nobody that posts here nor anybody who writes for this paper will ever know as much about coaching an NFL football team as Joe Gibbs does right now.
Posted by David | October 31, 2007 9:11 PM
Joe Gibbs should go! He is steal in the 80's with his game. His attention is on the NASCAR and not the game as it is played today.
Ralph Friedgen should be given three more years to prove himself. There are several things he can improve on.
Posted by Monday Morning Quarterback(JHL) | October 31, 2007 10:34 PM
YES its time for Joe to go.. it was a mistake to even come back.. he did it for the wrong reasons.. $$$$$$$$$$$ for his kids and grandkids.. His team are a bunch of losers.
Posted by Baseball guy | November 1, 2007 12:19 AM
(1) There are too many prima donnas playing football, who insist on doing things like bringing cell phones to meetings. Coaches need to tell players to cut that crap out.
(2) Since Snyder bought the Redskins, he has run them into the ground, turning them into the coaches/players of the week club. Leadership is sorely lacking from the owner on down. Gibbs is also trying to clean up the mess Steve "I-Still-Think-I'm-In-College" Spurier made. He left Gibbs and Bugel with an offensive line that couldn't block their way out of an outhouse and a running game that he woefully neglected because he forgot the Vince Lombardi adage, "Champions scorn delights, live laborious lives, and keep the ball on the ground."
Posted by Tim | November 1, 2007 8:56 AM
Fire the poor ol' dog Joe, he does not have a clue.
Posted by Steve | November 1, 2007 8:59 AM
It is time for Joe to go, he has several good players and does not use any them in a productive way. Brandon Llyod is underused, Clinton Portis is not a power runner. he makes High School excuses for professional athlets.
Posted by Ask Me Later | November 1, 2007 10:29 AM
The game has passed by Joe Gibbs and his assistants from the first regime. He's delegated too much authority to his lieutenants and no longer appears in control. The team needs to hire a real football man to be the GM and then hire a head coach like other teams. The Redskins have been going downhill since Snyder bought the team and he needs to turn it over to a GM to recraft the team. I love Joe Gibbs, but his best years are behind him and this team hasn't improved in 4 years.
Give Fridge a couple more years to see if his recruits pan out.
Posted by Richmond89 | November 1, 2007 12:24 PM
Heller - didn't you get banned from locker room by Lefty?
Posted by Jack | November 1, 2007 12:50 PM