Former coach Gibbs says he's not returning to struggling Redskins

Published: Oct 25, 2009 at 08:14 AM

MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said Sunday that he has no plans to return to the struggling team.

Gibbs laughed when asked at Martinsville Speedway about rumors and Internet reports that he could rejoin the Redskins as an adviser or even the general manager.

"That's what it is. Talk," said Gibbs, who owns three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams. "Right here's where I'm GMing."

Gibbs, a 1996 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, disagreed with the idea that the Redskins' coaching job is one of the toughest in the NFL under owner Dan Snyder.

"When I was there last go-round, we had somebody that was a passionate owner, cared about things and supported me in every way," said Gibbs, who went 30-34 in his second stint in Washington (2004-07). "I think any NFL team, it's tough when you're not winning, and those things are easy to get off. All you've got to do is look around this year and Tennessee and some of the other teams are struggling that were real good last year."

The Titans were an NFL-best 13-3 last season, but now they are 0-6, including a 59-0 loss to the New England Patriots last Sunday. The start has some Titans fans calling for a coaching change, even though Jeff Fisher came into the season as one of the league's most respected coaches.

"It's easy to get 'em off and I think it takes a while to get them straightened out," Gibbs said of NFL teams' fortunes. "Hopefully we get it going there (in Washington)."

Redskins fans, too, are calling for changes. The team relieved coach Jim Zorn of his play-calling duties last week after a 14-6 loss to the winless Kansas City Chiefs. This week, general manager Vinny Cerrato said there are no plans to replace Zorn this year.

"The fans are passionate and they want a winner, but I think that's part of pro sports," Gibbs said of fans' impatience.

The Redskins are 2-4 entering their Monday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles, despite having set an NFL record by playing six teams all seeking their first victory of the season.

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