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It really wasn't a tough decision for Joe Bugel.

When Joe Gibbs decided to return to coach the Washington Redskins this past offseason, one of the first calls he made was to Bugel, his former offensive assistant.

"It took me a total of three seconds to tell Joe I was coming back," Bugel said. "It took my wife two seconds, so she beat me to it."

So now the man who engineered one of the NFL's greatest offensive lines is back with another challenge. Bugel developed the front unit known as the "Hogs" in the 1980s, and they helped the Redskins win a pair of Super Bowls.

"Joe's a natural fit for us," Gibbs said. "As far as offensive line coaches go, he's one of the best."

Bugel's already bestowed a new nickname on this season's tough-as-nails unit. He says he looked at Redskins right tackle Jon Jansen during one of the team's first minicamps, and decided Jansen looked like a dirt bag. And just like that, the "Dirtbags" had arrived.

"We like the name," Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels said, "because it means we're going to be dirty and rough upfront. We're all excited about playing for Coach Bugel."

Bugel's challenge became more difficult when Jansen was lost for the season after he ruptured his Achilles' tendon in the Redskins' first preseason game this year.

Still, Bugel is energized and confident that this line can be a powerful force in the NFL.

"The players have rejuvenated me," Bugel said. "When I watched them on the tape, I said this group has the potential to be a real, real good offensive line. They haven't disappointed."

Bugel has lauded the play of Samuels and second-year guard Derrick Dockery. Last season, the big-name line struggled, as Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey was incessantly pounded behind the line of scrimmage.

Bugel came back to the Redskins as an adviser for a few weeks last season to try and cure the O-line's ills.

"When you get away from it and see the team slipping a little bit, you feel it," Bugel said. "I'm glad Joe called. This is the only place I wanted to come back to. There's no other place like it."

The Redskins coaches say it's been just like old times. They're up until the wee hours of the morning, telling the same jokes as they did 20 years ago, just adding new punch lines.

"Walking down the walkway here and seeing all the fans, we realized we're back," Bugel said. "This is a very special place. There's a great tradition here, and we want to bring it back."

To reach ADAM HIMMELSBACH: 540/374-5442 ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com