Washington Franchise

We Continue the Dynasty Quest! The journey to discuss the greatest teams in Pro Football History and see if they live up to the moniker of being called a "Dynasty" moves on to the Nation's Capitol as historian, Author, and Washington area Journalist Mike Richman helps us find out more about the Joe Gibbs Era Redskins.

Head Coach Joe Gibbs and General Manager Bobby Beathard put together some remarkable teams int he 1980s and 1990s for the Washington Redskins.

Four Super Bowl appearances, and three Lombardi Trophies in eleven seasons shows just how respurceful they were. But were they good enough to meet the criteria of being a dynasty? Listen to Mike Richman's  case that he presents inthe podcast above.

The Washington Redskins under Joe Gibbs were one of the most successful teams in NFL history. During his 12-year tenure as head coach from 1981 to 1992, Gibbs led the Redskins to four NFC East titles, eight playoff appearances, and three Super Bowl championships.

Gibbs' first Super Bowl victory came in 1982, when the Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins 27-17 in Super Bowl XVII. The following season, the Redskins repeated as NFC champions,  but were defeatied by the Los Angeles Raiders 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII.

Super Bowl XXII saw the Redskins defeat the Denver Broncos in convincing fashion with a 42-10 win,  in 1988.

In 1991, Gibbs led the Redskins to their third Super Bowl title, defeating the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI. Gibbs is the only NFL coach to have won three Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks: Joe Theismann (XVII), Doug Williams (XXII), and Mark Rypien (XXVI).

In addition to his Super Bowl success, Gibbs also won two NFL Coach of the Year awards (1982 and 1983). He compiled a regular season record of 124-60 with the Redskins, and his .683 winning percentage is the third-best in NFL history.

Gibbs' Redskins teams were known for their balanced offense, led by Hall of Fame running back John Riggins and Pro Bowl wide receiver Art Monk. The defense was also stingy, led by Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green and Pro Bowl linebacker Monte Coleman.

Gibbs' success with the Redskins made him one of the most respected coaches in NFL history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.

Key players under Joe Gibbs:

Joe Theismann (quarterback)
Doug Williams (quarterback)
Mark Rypien (quarterback)
John Riggins (running back)
Art Monk (wide receiver)
Darrell Green (cornerback)
Monte Coleman (linebacker)

Here are three of the titles Mr. Richman has out on Washington Redskin history with another being released as we write this. You find out more including purchase at the Mike Richman Journalist Website, as well as Mike's other work including articles.

The criteria for being called a dynasty have been set after we polled experts, historians, authors, and you, our well-educated readers and listeners. The responses were tabulated and averaged, and here are what components need to be met to be considered a Pro Football Dynasty.

1. Be a winning and contending team for at least six consecutive seasons in their respective league(s).
2. That franchise must also have had to claim three championships of the equivalence of the league title.
3. A winning percentage of at least .660 during the considered span of years.
4. No other dynasty was in reign during the span. There is not much room at the top, and if we have multiple considerations the team that fared better claims the era.
5. A Dominance Level score of .620 or better. Dominance Level = (Championship wins + (championship losses x 0.5) + (playoff appearances* x 0.25))  ÷ years
6. An average Point Differential per game of Seven points. That is that they averaged at least a TD and a PAT more than their oppnents on average for the total amount of games played. Total PD/Total games
7. They must be ranked in the top 20% of the league(s) they played in over the span

What Makes An NFL Dynasty?

Fellow Podcaster and historian Os Davis answers my prompt of what it takes to be called a Professional Football Dynasty.

More Information

---

This is an interesting test of our Dynasty Pillars. Washington definitely won some games and Super Bowls under Joe Gibbs but unfortunately they have a couple of things that prevent them from being considered a dynasty.

The first is that they were slightly overshadowed by another NFC team duringt the 1980s decade, the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners won four Championships during that same eleven year period. 

The Redskins also had a lsing season in the midst of that run. With that said the Dominance Level score is slightly below the .620 needed to reach Dynasty status. Missing at least 2 of the seven pieces of criteria DQs Washington from Dysnasty Status.

However, The Redskins of Joe Gibbs are one of the best darn era of teams your will find in NFL history.

Special thanks to Mike Richman for sharing the images of his book covers above and his time and knowledge to educate us about the Washington team during the Gibbs era. Stay tuned for Mike to make another appearance in the coming months about his George Allen Book that is out.

The banner image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons from All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA of the Washington Redskins vs. Chicago Bears - Monday Night Football - 9/23/19 – All-Pro Reels / Joe Glorioso