The Associated Press

ASHBURN, Va. - Move over, Bill Parcells. Joe Gibbs has a new toughest opponent: his own legacy.

Nothing was more evident Thursday when Gibbs was given an unprecedented hero's - no, a savior's - welcome as the returning coach of the Washington Redskins.

"I reached a point in my life where you love the thrill of trying to do something that's almost undoable," the Hall of Fame coach said. "Certainly this is probably as close to that as you can get."

Gibbs emerged from a five-limousine parade and was greeted by cheers and the blare of a horn playing "Hail to the Redskins" as he strode down a path lined with orange cones and barricades.

Back after 11 years, Gibbs said that if there was one thing that made him hesitate, it was the thought of returning to the place where he won the three Super Bowl trophies that shone so immaculately in front of his news conference podium.

"There is no net," Gibbs said with a panicked laugh. "I'm going to pray a lot. There's nothing down there. There's nothing going to catch us. That's maybe the biggest thrill of it - knowing how hard it is, but getting a chance to do something super-hard."

Gibbs explained his decision to return in a packed auditorium that included several of his former players, including Mark Moseley, Gary Clark and Joe Jacoby.

"I didn't wear my Super Bowl ring," said Gibbs, holding up his hand. "This is all new. The past don't buy much, other than relationships. I've got to prove myself all over again."

Just to drive home the point, Gibbs referred to the fact that his former Giants nemesis Parcells had the league's top-ranked defense this season with Dallas.

"We may not make a yard!" Gibbs said, raising his hands to his temples.

Gibbs' departure after the 1992 season was family-related - his sons were growing up without him. Now his sons have sons. Gibbs' son J.D. is president of the successful Joe Gibbs Racing NASCAR team, which can now run itself without its namesake. The other son, Coy, wanted to get back into coaching and will join Gibbs' new staff.

In other words, this was the perfect time for the 63-year-old coach to return, even though he had been at peace for years with his decision to retire.