(Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
In fact, of all the coaches and teams I have mentioned, the Redskins have the least amount of Hall of Fame inductees out of all of them. They only have three players who were significant contributors to their Super Bowls that are currently in the hall. Two of them (Darryl Green and Art Monk) finally got in last year. Before that it was one (Riggo).
There is one final piece of evidence that I would like you to consider. The NFL has experienced two strike-shortened seasons in the Super Bowl era. Gibbs’ Redskins won both Super Bowls. You may say that due to the strikes Gibbs had it easier. I disagree.
The 1982 squad only played nine regular season games, but because of this the NFL extended the number of teams allowed in the playoffs. This forced the top seeded Redskins to play four postseason games. Normally a top seed only plays in three, including the Super Bowl.
The 1987 season featured replacement players for four games. Joe Gibbs managed to coach these players into a cohesive unit that ended up winning three out of four replacement games.
The 1987 Redskins were the only team not to have a single player cross the picket line before the strike was resolved. This means that in the latter weeks of the replacement season the Redskins faced more and more legitimate NFL players.
This was most evident during the last week of the strike. The Redskins faced a Dallas team that had 11 starters playing in the game, including Tony Dorsett. The Redskins defied the odds and won the game in what has to be considered one of the greatest upsets in modern sports history.
To sum it all up Joe Gibbs coached his teams to four Super Bowls during his tenure. He is the only coach in league history to have a different starting quarterback, a different starting running back, and a different leading receiver in each of his Super Bowl victories.
Gibbs is also the only coach to have won three Super Bowls and have his team not considered a dynasty. This is with good reason. The length of time between Super Bowls and the personnel changes in between them are all convincing evidence that the Redskins were no dynasty.
This is the point.
Joe Gibbs built three different championships with three different sets of players. What do these teams have in common?
The answer is Joe Gibbs.
No coach in the Super Bowl era has done more with less than Joe Gibbs.
No coach in the Super Bowl era has responded to adversity as well as Joe Gibbs.
That is why, to me, he is the best coach the NFL has seen since the AFL-NFL merger.
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