So, Joe Gibbs is returning to coach the Skins after an 11 year hiatus. A lot has changed in football in that time, most strikingly the free agent market. Gibbs will not be able to keep the Hogs around for eight years, the way he did during his first run. On the flip side, Gibbs' success has always been rooted in his system (see NPR post) and I don't think Gibbs is going to have a hard time adjusting. He's a dedicated, hardworking and brilliant coach, qualities that will spell success no matter what era you're coaching in.
And now, for something completely different.
Joe Gibbs' final season was the 1992-93 season, which ended with a playoff loss in San Francisco. But what else was going on during those heady days of the early 90s? Put on your parachute pants and your Starter jacket, and come with me on this journey into the recent past.
America falls in love with a couple of delightful little scamps known as Kris Kross, whose song "Jump" is one of the biggest hits of the year. Although their music is popular, they are perhaps more widely known for starting a short-lived trend of wearing oversized jeans and jerseys backwards. Anyone willing to take odds as to whether or not I took this fad out for a spin?
In the world of television, Johnny Carson takes his final golf swing as host of The Tonight Show. His final epsiode includes a teary-eyed Carson being serenaded by Bette Midler, who later gives a lengthy lecture on the inventor of women's undergarments.
Other TV shows ending their run in 1992: Golden Girls, The Cosby Show, and Night Court. Shows that began in 92: Mad About You, The Real World, and The Larry Sanders Show.
Giving adolescent boys everywhere their first wet dream, Sharon Stone shows us her "Jerry Mathers" in the movie Basic Instinct, which co-stars aging wunderhunk Michael Douglas. (By the by, Catherine Zeta-Jones was a perky 23 in 1992). Clint Eastwood wins Best Director for Unforgiven,, which also wins Best Picture. This, however, does little for young boys masturbatory fantasies
Keeping with that delightful little activity, Kathy Ireland graces her second cover of Sports Illustrated's annual Swimsuit Issue. It's also the first swimsuit issue I ever get in the mail, as part of my first Sports Illustrated subscription. After making the rounds, the issue causes a great deal of fanfare at the YMCA after-school program I attend.
Turning now to the world of sports, sales spike for Gatorade's Citrus Cooler flavor (rumor is it's Michael Jordan's favorite) as Jordan propels the Bulls to their second NBA championship. Troy Aikman leads the Cowboys to their first Lombardi trophy of the 90s (they would go on to win 2 more in the decade), and the Blue Jays top the Braves in the World Series. (Now, I'm not sure about this, but this may have also been the Series where Deion Sanders, angered by some comments Tim McCarver had made about him in the telecast, dumped a bucket of water on McCarver's head in the locker room.)
And finally, Bill Clinton is elected President in November of 1992. Later, Clinton will singlehandedly usher in an era of unprecedented economic growth, largely through rising profits at D.C.-area Dominos Pizza, and the reams of material he creates for talk-show hosts, stand-up comics, and Larry King.
Well, that was the year that was. Personally, I was a 13 year old boy, obsessed with sports, preoccupied by sex with an emerging interest in politics.
I guess things aren't as different as I thought they were.
Tony
When Steve Spurrier was announced as the next 
With only 7 NFL games left, these are somber days. And yet I am the bearer of good news. Dry those tears, and put that sawed-off shotgun back in its easily accessible, unlocked drawer. For the 
The Brahma Bull, 