QUOTE: “Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.” -- Bob Newhart
On Thursday, we did just what Bob Newhart suggested. We took a step back and had a few laughs (at least some of us did). Today, we make a final decision on which unemployed Super Bowl coach the Redskins should hire. A friendly reminder to all: We’re pretending to be owner Daniel Snyder as he makes this very important decision.
On a side note, do you remember going to the doctor’s office as a kid? You had to wait in his lame waiting room that never had any sport magazines – nothing that appealed to kids who were sports enthusiasts, at least not in my doctor’s office. Since I couldn’t find any pictures of my favorite sports heroes, I always gravitated to the Highlights magazine to work on the missing picture puzzle (I still do today). You know the one where they had a list of things you had to find somewhere in the picture, hidden behind a rock or alongside the page. Well, yesterday’s column was meant to poke fun at the Redskins’ situation, a la Bob Newhart above, but there was a ton of truth on the page -- you just had to find it. I guess you could say that was our attempt to make our first Highlights puzzle.
OK, back to the Redskins. Now, when hiring a head coach, you must have a “Come to Jesus” meeting with yourself. In the case of the ‘Skins, Snyder is Snyder. He’s not going to change how he operates -- for anyone. He didn’t pay all this money for an NFL team just to sit idly by on the sidelines as a spectator. He thinks he can run a team, he thinks he can build a team, he thinks he can general manage a team -- and that’s not going to change. Not now, not after breakfast, not tomorrow, not two weeks from now, not a month from now, not ever.
APThe 'Skins landed Jarmon, but it cost them a third-round pick in 2010.
A perfect example was Thursday’s supplemental draft. The ‘Skins once again mortgaged their future, using a 2010 pick for defensive lineman Jeremy Jarmon. I have nothing against Jarmon as a player; I’m more in the Wes Bunting camp, believing he can be a good player for the ‘Skins next year. He can play all three downs and will provide depth along the line. However, it’s the plan on how to build the team that bothers me most. As long as Snyder is the owner, he’s going to manage each player personnel situation as an independent item. He will never put to paper a business model of how he wants to build the ‘Skins for today, for tomorrow and for the next three years. This behavior always amazes me -- a man makes billions of dollars in one business, then comes into the NFL and forgets all the good business methods that allowed him to make his fortune. Insane, right?
We know that Snyder won’t change; we also know that most of the five coaches we evaluated for this series have strong beliefs about how they want to set up an organization. In fairness to Snyder, he will allow all five coaches to bring in any assistant coaches they want, paying each one above the going rate. The divide will occur over the structure of the front office. That will be the point of contention for any of the five. Some will be willing to deal with the explanation that Snyder may offer (Brian Billick, Jon “Love You Bro” Gruden, Mike Shanahan and maybe Mike Holmgren), others will take a “my way or the highway” approach (Bill Cowher).
This discourse over the front office is not new in Washington. It’s been a recurring theme since Snyder has been in the NFL. The only person he feels works best for him is Vinny Cerrato. Cerrato understands how the owner works and, more importantly, how he behaves. Cerrato was very close to Snyder’s father Gerald before he passed away, so Vinny is more like family than employee. Even though there were reports (not verified) that Snyder was angry at Cerrato for not making the deal to get Jay Cutler, their relationship will continue no matter who’s hired for the post.
APBill Cowher
How does all this end? When you break down the coaches as if you were Snyder, the first one off the list would be Billick. Not because he’s not a good coach but because he will not generate the “star” appeal that Snyder craves. Snyder loves stars and loves being around them, so the next coach he hires has to carry a little celebrity swagger.
As I mentioned this week, I really don’t think Cowher would take the job, no matter how many dollars Snyder throws his way. For Cowher to come back, a team would have to meet certain criteria. Cowher pays attention to the NFL; he knows that when he returns, he needs the right team. He’s watched other Super Bowl-winning coaches return in failed experiments -- George Seifert being the main example. Making the wrong move can hurt one’s legacy. (It took former Kansas City Chiefs coach Hank Stram many years to overcome the debacle in New Orleans, which many felt kept him out of the Hall of Fame until 2003. Stram had 130 wins in his NFL career, but the last memory that many had was his New Orleans stop, which almost killed his career.)
I feel like Ryan Seacrest on “American Idol” as he gets to the final three. Our remaining contenders are ex-49ers coaches who all have ties to Bill Walsh. Mike Shanahan, Jon “Love You Bro” Gruden and Mike Holmgren are the choices for The Daniel. Which one will he pick?
Gruden is doing ESPN Monday Night Football, and he will work with the front office set-up that
APJon Gruden
Snyder has installed. He might bitch off the record to anyone and everyone about the lack of talent in Washington, but he’ll coach the team hard. He would want to bring in his former GM, Bruce Allen, in some capacity, which shouldn’t be a problem with Snyder.
Holmgren is smooth enough to get along with anyone, including Snyder. He has a relationship with Vinny from their days in San Francisco, and because Snyder allows the assistant coaches to be heavily involved in personnel decisions, I can see Holmgren making this work well. Holmgren would need control of the 53-man roster, but once he secured that item, I believe he has the experience to make this work.
Shanahan has a ton of money coming from the Broncos, so he can be a little picky about what job he takes. Had the ‘Skins made the Cutler deal, this move would be a no-brainer, with or without Vinny in the front office. FYI, Mike and Vinny have a friendship from their 49ers days. Snyder has the money to pay Mike and the money to pay players, both important items on the Shanny checklist. In addition, Shanahan would want to hire his son, Kyle, who is an outstanding coach in Houston, as his offensive coordinator. If the control issues regarding personnel can be smoothed over, I can honestly see Shanahan and Snyder getting along.
I can see Snyder being able to sell himself to any of the three as his next head coach. He’s a great salesman, much like Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who might be looking at the same three coaches. Someone once told me that Jones is such a good salesman he could talk a cat off the top of a fish truck. The same could be said for Snyder.
Whom will “The Danny” pick? My bet is Shanahan. That move would send shock waves along the I-95 corridor as the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants would be impressed – and also very worried. Shanahan will be a different man when he returns. He’ll be energized, and he’ll succeed.
If Snyder makes this pick, “Hail to the Redskins” will be playing all the time. I can see the NFP’s Ray Gustini dancing right now...
Here's to not having to think about who the next Redskins coach will be. Hopefully, JZ will render all this moot by having a stellar season and helping Jason Campbell become one of the elite quarterbacks in the league we know he can be.
Enough of the churning, Dan Snyder. It's gotta stop. Patience is a virtue no matter which way you turn it. LET ME REPEAT, patience is a sign of maturity and we know that after ten years of owning the team you at least have some semblance of a wise and mature owner. Being jittery and restless on the other hand tells me, the fan, that you haven't learned a thing in your decade-long tenure.
But Mike, hiring Shanny doesn't eliminate the biggest problem the Skins have: getting talent. Beyond Haynesworth, that team doesn't scare me. Portis has many miles on his body and Cambell has yet to make "the leap" (there are reasons for that, yes)
Shanny destroyed the Broncos on the defensive side of the ball with poor drafting, which led to his ouster. Do you believe that he's learned from his mistakes?
Also, I do acknowledge that Shanny did bring in Tony Sheffler, Brandon Marshall and um, what was that QB's name again? But he needs to get talent on both sides of the ball and I wonder if he has the eye to be a good judge of DEFENSIVE talent.
Shanahan is going to Dallas next year. He has gushed about Jones and the QB situation (Romo vs. completely starting over) is much better, I don't think Cowher or Shanahan want to risk their legacy looking for the right guy at QB. Both will take jobs where that position is established.
I agree Cowher & Billick are out. NO WAY Cowher would want to even sniff getting near Snyder's Front Office mess & "playing monopoly" like GM wannabe style & cluelessness. He even has more of my respect being SMART in looking for the right team for him to ultimately SUCCEED. If Snyder is hell over bent in permanently being the acting GM there literally is NO HOPE for the Skins franchise. (Boy that's a tough one........Snyder vs the Yorks for my Niners. An inflexible owner who's clueless about football but wants to be the CEO of personnel decisions vs clueless owner #2 JOHN YORK who is NO TRUE SPORTS/FOOTBALL/LET ALONE NINERS FAN & will hand over control usually to the wrong guy & throws away the blueprint of success already set in place by the GREAT BILL WALSH. >>>> I'll take option #2A..the young jedi, son JED YORK! At least there's a "glimmer" of hope here......BUT WE NEED A FRANCHISE QB BADLY.)
Shanahan has the most star power of the remaining 3 & his LEGIT Offensive brilliance & AGGRESSIVENESS also sets him apart. And there I think there's a fairly wide gap. His aggressiveness beats Holmgren, Offensive knowledge & creativity thoroughly beats Gruden.
It would really blow if the Skins get Shanahan. With Mike in Denver we never had to deal with his team in the playoffs unless we saw him in the SB. I repeat I would absolutely love to have him back with the Niners. His Offense is better suited for us & would give us OUR IDENTITY BACK. BUT.............it's a long shot that happens unless Singletary really tanks & I don't wish that for the Samurai. (What throws me off bigtime though with the Yorks/present HC is us losing our Offensive Identity.) I don't see Shanahan taking 2 years off in a row. One is enough. Coaching in his blood & he'll be one of the hot commodities to go first. VS Holmgren....Holmgren's older age concerns me.
The top 2 on my list would be Shanny then Cowher. Holmgren next. I wouldn't even consider Billick nor Gruden. Both overrated. Gruden seems like a phony & not really caring about his players. That lack of true heart translates to your team not really playing all out for you.
Damn Atomic....that would blow even more bigtime!!!!
Sad but true. The Cowgirls QB situation sets them apart. Shanny would straighten out the mentally soft Romeo. Man it sucks saying this.
I agree with the choice of Mike Shanahan with Jon Gruden, next. I wonder if Mike Holmgren would take the job if Jim Zorn were fired because of their relationship in Seattle. Shanahan is an awesome coach who has that "star" quality Dan Snyder likes, as well has a record and experience as one of the best game coaches ever. Thanks for the series, Mike, I enjoyed it.
Hmmm... gotta say I'm a bit dubious that Shanny would take it. Without reading his mind, it seems fair to say that he's worked in situations with great, supportive, deferential owners (SF, Denver) and involved owners (Raiders), and after the Oakland experience it's hard to see why he'd want to relive that again.
Here's Snyder's history with head coaches. I don't want to repeat the obvious but some patterns emerge:
-Norv Turner, inherited from Jack Kent Cooke era. Turner took team to playoffs in 1999, fired in 2000 after starting 6-2 but sliding to 7-6, after losing game to NY Giants.
-Terry Robiskie, interim coach for last 3 games of 2000 season.
-Marty Schottenheimer, fired after one season which started with 5 straight losses but ended 8-8. Sixteen days after the Daniel fired him, San Diego hired him. This was The Daniel's first real hire of a HC, so it was amazing he fired Marty after only 1 season which wasn't even that awful.
-Spurrier, the Hottest coach in College, who openly talked about not letting his coaching responsibilities get in the way of his golf game; stayed two seasons, going 7-9 the first and 5-11 the second. Here in 2002, gone in 2003.
-Joe Gibbs redux. Legendary coach lured out of retirement in 2003 after 11 years out of league. Had been incredibly successful in his first run here but in an uncapped era, with a great GM in Bobby Beatherd and a very supportive owner in JCC, and had been out of the game for 11 years. Still, the most successful coach of the Snyder era. Interestingly, he got the title of President as well as head coach to cement his authority over player selection. Retired after 2007 season; clearly could have stayed as long as he wanted.
Zorn. Hired first as OC (would have been his first time as OC) before a HC was in place. Then after passing on Gregg Williams (whose defenses had carried the team), Jim Schwartz (who had DC roots as an Georgetown undergrad), and others, after Steve Spangnuolo, Josh McDaniels and Jim Mora took themselves out of consideration, and after Fassel blew up, promoted.
What does this mean?
With the exception of Gibbs, who got the greatest degree of authority of any HC in the Snyder era, serious coaches don't want this job. Snyder's lack of credibility is killing his salesmanship; Gibbs was wined and dined like no one, but he still only took the job after he got the President title and authority.
Charisma matters - not just getting along but being personally enthused by the candidate. The one thing Zorn has is charisma, and it's what elevated him in the interview process. Spurrier had it, Schottenheimer had it, and Gibbs... well, Gibbs is Gibbs.
Likes to make his own salesmanship an issue -- he was the guy who got Spurrier to leave Florida, he was the guy to convince Gibbs to come out of retirement, he was the guy to get Deion Sanders, etc. It's not just buzz -- it's showing that he can do things other owners can't. This might be why you shouldn't discount Cowher -- his lack of desire for the job only makes him more desirable. Ditto Dungy, who might find the profile of being HC in the Capitol City helpful to his other work.
So for me, if it's anyone on this list, it's Gruden. But if there's a hot OC or DC coming from a Super Bowl winner, don't discount him either.
Nah! After Norv screws up this season and/or playoffs, Shanny will go to the Chargers where there is a ready-made team (and QB) and he can stick it to both Al Davis and Pat Bowlen twice a year. Holmgren is too smart to work for The Danny and is not enough of a change for Snyder (Zorn is Holmgren Lite). If there is a new coach in Washington, It will be Gruden.
Gruden, to remind all, is employed on football broadcasts.
Shanny(the West Coast Wanny) has a very mixed legacy as a personnel person, his cap management is atrocious as well. Plus, the way he and Gruden handled Jake Plummer's twilight years borders black balling.
If Shanahan gets the nod, how does that affect the fact that Clinton Portis is the heart of their team at this time? The Bailey/Portis trade got great things for both teams but there may be fallout from the perspective of burning bridges.
That might be the main obstacle in moving forward, unless you keep Portis happy with more incentive.
The Shanahan run game will translate to big yards and keep the pass rushing East opponents limited in the damage they can do. Gruden's idea of a perfect play is "a foiur yard run on first down" and for all the talk of his passing expertise the man made his mark calling runs(Ricky Waters as an Eagle,etc.) so either coach could make an East impact in terms of meeting the physicality threshold. Gruden has already been in the East as an OC and Shanahan's best success before Denver was within the NFC.
To what is done now, Jarmon being a third round pick was expected. The market for players with some baggage is a second day pick(I don't consider that of a third rounder, even though it is technically so at the time). So, the market floor being second day pick, several league teams made that bid, the Skins are demand oriented for this player and went ahead of the market into round three.
Does the guy have the armspan to consistently match up with left tackles? He has great speed and feet, any kind of presence in the pass rush can make their team better. He might have trouble keeping blockers off him or losing them on runs to his side. Some consider him to be a position switch. Let's hope to hear well of him, the motor types usually make it through.
Gruden prefers free agents in the aquisition field, you would match a lot of Snyder's favorite methods there. It's one reason Grudog's teams got on track quickly but couldn't sustain impetus. That is a big a challenge to Gruden for his plotted return, more so than his desire to learn more about spread offense from college gurus during the coming year.
It's stupid to blame Shanahan for all of the Broncos' troubles as he forever will be esteemed highly by we Broncos fans for the great things he's done. Yes, he is a good call for the 'Skins should they go that direction but I'm sure Washington fans would prefer Jim Zorn to continue to excel and lead them on a deep playoff run. We'll see how this season goes. The NFL's almost here. YESSSSS!
Shanahan is going to Dallas next year. He has gushed about Jones and the QB situation (Romo vs. completely starting over) is much better, I don't think Cowher or Shanahan want to risk their legacy looking for the right guy at QB. Both will take jobs where that position is established.
Please stop drinking the Kool-Aid. Do You lay awake nights thinking this crap up? No one with a thimble full of brains or a bucket full of balls will go near Snyder. He's a goof ball of an eccentric jerk. He treats the football team like a toy or a hobby and it shows miserably. Although I personally have thought that Mr. Shanahan and his ten ton ego have always been a bit much you give me a hall of fame QB like he had and I could look brilliant too. No consistent QB and running backs not on the same par as the SB years and that spelled mediocre and worse. I see Shanny going to Dallas. They deserve each other!
Right on Woody!
Yeah the Chargers would also be an ideal fit for Shanahan. Very good ESTABLISHED young feisty QB. Sound familiar? He'll soon need to find LT's replacement but he still has a great change of pace homerun hitting scat back in Sproles. RB's are so much easier to find than franchise QB's. If Norv doesn't pull through for them this year I'd say that's it for Norv & his HC'ing days. He'll always be a highly regarded OC & deservedly so.
So if we can't have Shanahan, go to the AFC Chargers Mike!!! Then if I were Singletary I would go HARD after Turner. I believe Turner respects Singletary & they should develop a very good working relationship. You can't blame the guy for leaving for the cush San Diego HC opportunity at the time. Any assistant would have taken that job if it was offered to them. (Sorry but I'm just not sold on Jimmy Raye who I have significant doubts on but have no choice but to give him his chance this season. I hope he proves me wrong but in his lengthy OC record he's always been in the middle of the pack. Maybe a tag team with a great motivator in Singletary could turn them out to be a "dynamic" duo? I know it's wishful thinking.)
Just take care of the Offense over there Mike & leave the Defense to the GM already in place + your DC & he should take SD "over the hump" in no time. The big question is could Shanny get along with the big ego GM?? (AJ Smith I believe is his name.)
if snyder wants to win he must first place someone, a coo or president , between himself and the next coach and gm. only with this buffer will the situation in washington improve. snyder is smart enough to know this already but he has yet to show the stones to do it as have other owners who took a step back and won ( kraft, etc)
This whole series has been wonderful, a nice mixture of information, satire, and humor. Bottom line: hard to overcome bad leadership at the top. That's why the Steelers and Pats will continue to be near the top, and the Redskins not. Too bad for Ray.
I wouldn't discount Cowher. Wash is the closest team to his home in Raleigh, other than Carolina. Skins have an awesome defense, which is his focus, plus the team and fans are happiest with a smashmouth run game, a Cowher specialty, rather than a wussy WCO.
Biggest question is how will the new coach handle the Skins' 2010 QB, Mike Vick?
With all due respect Mike (if my wife sees this she will kill me) she absolutely loves you, but don't the Redskins already have a head coach. Your article(s) presume that the Redskins will fail this year and that someone other than Jim Zorn would be better to teach and help mature Jason Campbell. While the suppositions stated are not necessarily incorrect at the very least they are in bad taste. Given that Zorn is beginning his 2cd year and no one can predict the future I find the article idea of the article reprehensible.
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Jul 17, 2009
10:56 AM
It doesn't matter who coaches the Skins (or the Cowboys) as long as Danny (and Jerry) run it, they'll find a way to mess things up. The Eagles and Giants are grateful.