After winning the Super Bowl in 1982 and making it back in 1983, the 1984 Washington Redskins sputtered for a little more than half the season before finding their footing. They won another NFC East title in thrilling fashion, but a playoff loss marked a temporary step back from the NFL elite under head coach Joe Gibbs.
The tension was high between the Washington Redskins quarterback and his head coach. It was said that the quarterback’s outside business interests were a sore subject with the coach, along with the fact that the coach needed a different type of quarterback to run his system. Washington Redskins history has seen this movie before—and both RG3 and Jay Gruden could take a cue from how Joe Gibbs and Joe Theisman handled a similar dynamic in 1981.
The tension was high between the Washington Redskins quarterback and his head coach. It was said that the quarterback’s outside business interests were a sore subject with the coach, along with the fact that the coach needed a different type of quarterback to run his system. Washington Redskins history has seen this movie before—and both RG3 and Jay Gruden could take a cue from how Joe Gibbs and Joe Theisman handled a similar dynamic in 1981.
A new era of Washington Redskins history started in 1981, when they hired the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers, Joe Gibbs, as their new head coach. Gibbs had overseen the most explosive attack in the NFL to put him on the map as head coach material. The 1981 Washington Redskins didn’t have the most auspicious of beginnings—to put it mildly—but they eventually generated the momentum that started the most glorious era in franchise history.
The loyal and passionate fan base of the Washington Redskins had endured frustration from 1977-79. All three seasons saw the Redskins be in position to make the playoffs on the final week of the season, only to come up short. The 1980 Washington Redskins solved the problem, but not in the way anyone wanted
Sonny Jurgensen was one of the great quarterbacks in NFL history, and has a plaque in Canton. His last ride came with the 1974 Washington Redskins. And at age 40, Sonny was often called on in relief of starter Billy Kilmer. “Jurgy” started some of the season’s significant games and he was critical in pushing the Redskins into the playoffs for the fourth straight year under head coach George Allen.
The fan base of Washington had been riding high since George Allen arrived in 1971, making the playoffs each of his first four years as Redskins head coach, and reaching the Super Bowl in 1972. The streak finally came to an end, as the 1975 Washington Redskins were the odd team out in a tough three-team race in the NFC East at a time when only four teams per conference qualified for the postseason
The 1973 Washington Redskins were coming off a Super Bowl trip, and had consecutive playoff seasons in their two years with George Allen as head coach. 1973 was a good year—they again made the playoffs in an era when only four teams per conference qualified—but inconsistency at bad times, the loss of the running game and a merry-go-round at quarterback prevented them from reaching the previous year’s heights.
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The arrival of George Allen in the nation’s capital had brought winning football for the first time since World War II, as Allen led the Redskins to the playoffs in 1971. But Allen had still never won a playoff game, either here or in an otherwise successful run with the Los Angeles Rams. The city of D.C. was thirsting for more. The coach and the fan base got more, when the 1972 Washington Redskins became the first team in franchise history to reach the Super Bowl.
George Allen was an established winner as a coach. Allen had been the defensive coordinator for George Halas and the Chicago Bears’ 1963 NFL champs. Allen got his opportunity to be a head coach for the Los Angeles Rams and from 1966-70 he went 40-13-1. But a power clash and playoff losses left him without a job. The Washington Redskins had a franchise on hard times and needed a coach
The Washington Redskins had gone to three Super Bowls in the 1980s and won two, but they only had one playoff victory over the last three years, and there were questions about whether quarterback Mark Rypien was the one who could lead them back. Over the long-term arc of his career, those questions proved fair enough, but in 1991, Rypien had a magical year and took his team along for the ride.