10 Team health
9 Improving home record
8 LaRon Landry
7 The schedule
6 Division QB's
5 Comeback from bad season/chip on shoulder
4 League sleeping on Portis/Moss
3 London Fletcher
2 Continuity
And now, finally, #1.
The most obvious.
Joe Gibbs (and Saunders and Williams)
This is the true test of Redskins faithful. I know, we've seen 2 losing seasons out of 3. But did you lose faith in Joe Gibbs?
When Joe Gibbs's name was brought up prior to his second tenure, the memories would bring immediate smiles and wistful gazes to the faces of countless fans. When we got him back, he could have run for mayor of DC and not lost a single vote. Joe Gibbs is like family to my family, and I'm sure you could say the same for yours if you're reading this.
When we hired Joe Gibbs again, there wasn't a person in Redskins nation who said it wasn't a great idea. Maybe it wouldn't work, but our team would never lack discipline under Coach Gibbs. Our team would respect their coach; no more Ballcoaches. A grind-it-out team that ran the ball, didn't put up with whiners (ask LaVar Arrington or even Champ Bailey who held out) and a team with character (see 2005 playoff run).
This is the guy who won 3 Super Bowls with our team, making it vault from a good franchise to a storied franchise. A first-ballot Hall of Famer, who won the Super Bowl with guys who enjoyed only temporary success at QB. He drafted well, coached well, and made the Redskins one of the most enviable franchises in pro sports.
Did you really stop believing?
His career record is 162-93, including a 17-6 record in the playoffs. The man wins games.
A year ago, Joe Gibbs could have hired Paris Hilton to suit up for the Redskins and our fans would have bought it. Now, after a season of raised expectations, many have jumped ship... at least outside of DC. But Redskins fans quietly believe. I at least don't mind the lack of coverage on ESPN, etc, never mentioning that the only Hall of Fame Coach in the NFL is ours. We're a year removed from one of the best defenses in the NFL, and a productive offense in spite of having few weapons and no Al Saunders.
If anyone out there honestly believes that suddenly Al Saunders and Gregg Williams are ineffective coaches after one year of subpar play, they have poor memories. In 2005, Gregg Williams was called one of the foremost defensive minds in the NFL and Al Saunders and Mike Martz were the top offensive gurus in the sport.
So, do you really believe that Gibbs, Williams, and Saunders -- 3 of the best coaches in football -- won't win this year? In an NFC where mediocre makes the playoffs?
If you didn't, you wouldn't have read my posts so far.
So do you believe in Joe Gibbs? I do. He, and his staff, is the reason that the Redskins will win the NFC East again.
Hail to the Redskins. Here's to 1-0 tomorrow.
