(wapo) Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is resigning, team sources confirmed this morning, ending an emotionally trying year with a decision that took players and coaching staff by surprise. Gibbs will stay with the Redskins organization in some capacity, perhaps as a consultant to team owner Dan Snyder, team officials said. No decision has been made on a replacement for Gibbs, who spent a total of 16 years with the organization in two stints. A process will be put in place, team sources said, to choose one. Gibbs' retirement -- his second from a team he built into a national powerhouse in the 1980s -- surprised his staff when he informed them at a meeting this morning. Gibbs, 67, had often spoken of his desire to spend more time with family, particularly after a grandson was diagnosed a year ago with leukemia. The November murder of star safety Sean Taylor took a further toll. "Coach has said time and time again how important his family is to him and I think this year really took a toll on him and the whole staff. I am just glad we got to finish with a playoff run at the end," said quarterback Mark Brunell, the first player Gibbs sought to acquire after his return to coaching. "He is one of the best to ever coach and I am proud to have played for him. I always thought he was a good coach and a better person." Gibbs, who was inducted into the football Hall of Fame after guiding the team to three Super Bowl victories in his first 12-year term as coach, enjoyed far less success since emerging from retirement four years ago to a five-year, .5 million contract. Compared to a 124-60 regular season record between 1981 and 1992 -- and, with playoffs included, the NFL's third best winning percentage -- the team has been 31-36 under Gibbs this time around. Two of his three losing seasons as an NFL head coach have come since 2004.

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