Gibbs to call it quits

Joe Gibbs has decided to step down as head coach and president of the Washington Redskins.

The Redskins said the 67-year-old Hall of Famer will hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon to make it official.

Gibbs has led the Redskins to a 30-34 mark -- 1-2 in the playoffs -- in four seasons after returning to the sidelines in 2004. The Redskins finished 9-7 this season, and dropped a 35-14 decision to Seattle in the first round of the NFC playoffs.

This season was one of the most tumultuous of Gibbs' 16-year coaching career. Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor was shot and killed in Miami in late November and when the Redskins returned to the field after mourning the loss of their teammate, suffered a heartbreaking 17-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Gibbs played a crucial role in that loss, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for trying to call consecutive timeouts to ice Bills kicker Rian Lindell with eight seconds left. The penalty turned Lindell's 51-yard attempt into a 36-yarder, and the loss dropped Washington to 5-7.

The Redskins rallied down the stretch, though, winning their last four games, led by career backup Todd Collins, who came on after Jason Campbell suffered a dislocated left kneecap in the first half of Washington's December 6 game against Chicago.

The magical ride ended in Seattle, though, and apparently was not enough to keep Gibbs' interest for one more season.

Gibbs' second stint as head coach of the Redskins was decidedly less successful than his first. He amassed a 124-60 mark during the regular season from 1981 to 1992, and a 16-5 record in the postseason as he led Washington to four Super Bowls -- three of them culminating in championships. He is one of four coaches in NFL history to win at least three Super Bowls, but the only one to do so with three different quarterbacks.

Gibbs will finish with an overall regular season record of 154-94, the winningest mark in Redskins history. His combined regular and postseason mark of 171-101 is good for 10th in NFL history.