While he may be one of NASCAR’s more successful team owners these days, Joe Gibbs’ heart and soul isn’t far from his days as one of the most prolific head coaches in the NFL.
Gibbs took the Washington Redskins to four Super Bowls during his coaching tenure, winning three of them. As one of the most successful team owners in NASCAR, he also has three Sprint Cup championships.
And while he’s gearing up for the start of the 2014 NASCAR season in a few weeks, Gibbs — according to SportingNews.com — is picking Peyton Manning’s Broncos to win Sunday’s Super Bowl — if the weather cooperates.
“My Super Bowl pick would be Denver, as long as there is not a big wind,” Gibbs told SN with a laugh. “If there’s a big wind, I’m switching my deal. I’m going to go to the window and try and get my money back.”
In a more serious tone, Gibbs, who compiled a 171-101 record (63 percent winning percentage) in 16 seasons as an NFL head coach, is particularly keen on the Broncos’ offense and how Manning has brought the team this far.
“Their scheme is probably one of the best schemes ever in offensive football, because you’ve got a guy (Manning) who is that experienced, that accurate and that knowledgeable, and he’s actually calling everything from the line,” Gibbs said. “When we call it from sidelines, you’re just guessing.”
While he stops short of calling Manning the best quarterback he’s ever seen, Gibbs still marvels at Manning’s ability.
“Most teams obviously have audibles because you are trying to put it back in the quarterback’s hands because you’re not sure what the (defense is) going to play,” Gibbs said. “But when you see him (Manning) go to the line of scrimmage and all of a sudden you see him quick-snap that thing, and then you’ve got to get into whatever (defense) you are playing … And then he goes to the line of scrimmage and he backs out of there and now he is looking at what you’re doing and he’s making a call based off that, that scheme is obviously hard to stop.”
