Washington Football Team Honors Sean Taylor & Joe Gibbs
With their regular season opener now 12 days away, the Washington Football Team enters regular season mode while still being in crisis mode trying to clean up the carnage from the last 21 years.
There's not much that goes smoothly and right, but news on Tuesday morning appears to be just that.
Sean Taylor, one of the most beloved figures in the franchise's controversial history will have a main entry road leading to FedExField named after his legacy.
The team did not specify which road but "Sean Taylor Road" will be in place for September 13th, even though fans are not allowed to attend games at FedExField this year.
Also, the official address of the team headquarters will be changed from 21300 Redskin Park Drive to 21300 Coach Gibbs Drive, while remaining the Inova Sports Performance Center.
Via a press release, the team said "along with the changing of all in-stadium signage at FedExField, these physical updates are the first of many planned as part of the organization’s large-scale rebrand, ushering in a new era for football in Washington while honoring the contributions of many who helped build the storied franchise."
Again, it's impossible to argue with this decision and dismiss the impact of both Gibbs and Taylor. They have universal respect, admiration and affection among all fans.
“As we look forward and build a modern identity that everyone can be proud of, it’s imperative that we revere tremendous individuals who have had a positive influence on the franchise and our fan base. There are no two people more deserving than Sean Taylor and Joe Gibbs,” said Washington Football Team Owner Dan Snyder.
“The renaming of these streets along with all of the changes being made to our stadium are just part of our long-term goal of improving every element of the Washington Football Team, both off and on the field," Snyder also said.
“It is an amazing honor to have the organization’s mailing address carry my name. My time with the team was marked by the strength and courage of our players and assistant coaches, both of whom deserve so much of the credit for the franchise winning three Super Bowl titles. Each of those winning seasons started with the preparation and dedication of practices and workouts at our training facility in the off-season," Gibbs said via the team statement.
"I had total support from Dan during my four years and I want to thank Dan and Tanya for their friendship to Pat and me. The organization has made several positive steps recently to include the additions of Jason Wright as president and Julie Donaldson as senior vice president of media and content that will strengthen the team and support of Coach Rivera. Ron has already gained the respect from the players and all of us Washington fans.”
Gibbs has an interesting position here. He hasn't condemned in any way the abhorrent behavior that Snyder and the organization has been accused of. He also doesn't have to. The last part of his acceptance statement does reference the controversy and all of the changes but doesn't look at the past, only at the future.
Chris Russell is the Publisher of this site, a part of SI.com. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Washington Football Team" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621