When Joe Gibbs said he would no longer be calling plays, he really meant it.

Gibbs hired Al Saunders to run the offence and call the plays this season for the Washington Redskins. But the Hall of Fame head coach made some remarks early this week that seemed to indicate he might have input on play selection when the offence gets deep into the opponent's territory.

Not true, Gibbs and Saunders say.

``I've called every play since the beginning of the season,'' Saunders said. ``Some I wish I could have had back to change.''

Gibbs clarified his remarks by saying he is more proactive in the red zone in advising Saunders on what the team might do on fourth down, which in turn might influence what Saunders will call on third down.

``When it comes to going for it on fourth down or kicking a field goal, anything like that, certainly that's my call,'' Gibbs said. ``Al's the one calling the plays.''

Saunders said Gibbs wouldn't have time to veto a play even if the coach wanted to.

``When that ball's set, I've got 10 seconds to call the play,'' Saunders said. ``I call the play, it goes to our quarterback coach, who relays it into the quarterback, who tells the players.''

Saunders, who calls the plays from the upstairs booth, said he and Gibbs do get a chance to have give-and-take about overall strategy during timeouts.

``We always have discussions between the series,'' Saunders said. ``It's always a discussion about what we should go to, or what looks good, or what we're feeling.''