page_title: Joe Gibbs
section_title: Second stint with Redskins (2004–2007)
hierarchical_section_title: Joe Gibbs / Second stint with Redskins (2004–2007)
caption_attribution_description: English: Head Coach Joe Gibbs, who coached the Redskins from 1981-1992 and then again from 2004-2007
context_page_description: Joe Jackson Gibbs is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins in the National Football League. During his first stint in the NFL, he led the Redskins to eight playoff appearances, four NFC Championship titles, and three Super Bowl titles over 12 seasons. Gibbs is the only head coach to have won Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks.
  After retiring at the end of the 1992 season, he switched focus to NASCAR, forming the team Joe Gibbs Racing, which has since won five NASCAR Cup Series championships. In 2004, Gibbs came out of retirement to rejoin the Redskins as head coach, staying with them until 2007 when he again retired following the season's end. Gibbs was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996, as well as being named to the NFL 100 All-Time Team. Gibbs was also inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020, making him the only person inducted into both sports' halls of fame.
context_section_description: Throughout his retirement, many NFL owners approached Gibbs hoping to lure him out of retirement, but to no avail. Some owners even offered to move his entire NASCAR racing team to their team's city if he came back. The only team he seriously considered coming back for was the Carolina Panthers when they first joined the NFL as an expansion in 1995. However, he did not believe he would be able to manage his time between his race team and coaching. In 1999, he was part of a group that was trying to buy the Redskins but ultimately failed. In 2002, Gibbs and a small group of investors bought five percent of the Atlanta Falcons from owner Arthur Blank for $27 million. It wasn't until late 2003 when Gibbs really started to catch the football fever again. Blank and his general manager, Rich McKay moved quickly to interview him for the Falcons' vacant head coaching position due to the firing of Dan Reeves. However, when Gibbs found out that Steve Spurrier resigned as the Redskins' head coach, they realized that even though Gibbs was one of the team's minority owners, his loyalty still lies with the Redskins.
  It is well documented that Daniel Snyder had been turned down by Gibbs several times before. On December 31, 2003, Snyder's private plane (Redskin One) was spotted at an airport outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. After spending 11 years in retirement from the NFL, Snyder successfully lured Gibbs out of retirement. Gibbs' change of heart was quite a surprise to the football and NASCAR worlds. During his January 7 press conference, a visibly emotional Snyder welcomed him back. Gibbs then stated that even though he enjoyed NASCAR immensely, he had missed coaching in the NFL. And although he had fielded offers in the past, he could only see himself coaching for the Redskins. Gibbs left his racing team in the hands of his eldest son, J.D., while his other son, Coy, joined him as an assistant with the Redskins.
  Because of his credibility, Gibbs was able to assemble one of the largest and most experienced coaching staffs in the NFL. Many coaches from his previous tenure with the team returned with Gibbs as well, including offensive line coach/assistant head coach Joe Bugel, offensive coordinator Don Breaux, quarterbacks coach Jack Burns, and tight ends coach Rennie Simmons. Gibbs was able to lure former Buffalo Bills head coach Gregg Williams to join the Redskins to run the defense and hired one of his former running backs, Earnest Byner, to serve as running backs coach. Overall, many of his assistant and position coaches were either former head coaches and/or held top assistant coaching positions with other NFL teams. 
  In 2004, Gibbs had what was, up to that point, the worst season of his career with a 6-10 finish. However, the team did finish the season on a high note with a 21-18 victory over playoff-bound Minnesota. The defense also finished the season ranked third in yards allowed. Hoping to improve on the previous season's dismal passing attack, Gibbs added former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave as his quarterbacks coach.  Having coached new Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell when they both were in Jacksonville, they easily formed a rapport. Musgrave's input allowed the Redskins add a few new wrinkles to their playbook. For the first time under Gibbs, the Redskins offense utilized the shotgun formation. In the Wild Card playoff game, Gibbs led his team to a 17–10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to whom the Redskins suffered a 36–35 defeat earlier in the year. In the next round of the playoffs, however, the Redskins could not replicate their early-season victory over the Super Bowl-bound Seattle Seahawks, and lost to the eventual NFC Champion by the score of 20–10.
  During the 2006 offseason, Gibbs hired Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator Al Saunders to be associate head coach. Saunders came from a similar background as Gibbs, as both learned under Don Coryell. Saunders experienced great success at the helm of the Chiefs' offense with a team that lead the NFL in total yards and scoring 
caption: Gibbs as Redskins' head coach
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