skins next coach

[Ken Gargett]

yes, i do realise that this topic might have a small, niche readership interested, but i was curious what other skins' fans thought. and anyone else.

been trying to follow it as closely as i can out here. it does seem that for once, we are doing the searcch properly.

we are not going for some washed up has-been or some flash in the pan wannabee. i know a lot of people are talking art briles. i do not want to see a coach straight out of college. i'm a bit puzzled at the interest in jay gruden and wonder if some of that is because there is hope he could emulate his brother.

i'd like to see a really good assistant with promise, take the team and - dan willing and not interfering - stick with them long term.

i'd be very keen to see roman or bevell.

of course, the other issue is if you can get a head coaching job, why the hell would you want it to be this dysfunctional mob?

below is a list of candidates and fan votes from the post. irrelevant, of course, but gives an idea of what fans are thinking.

Ken Whisenhunt 23.46% (1,235 votes)

Jay Gruden 16.43% (865 votes)

Darrell Bevell 13.87% (730 votes)

Greg Roman 10.3% (542 votes)

James Franklin 8.21% (432 votes)

Jim Caldwell 7.24% (381 votes)

Sean McDermott 7.2% (379 votes)

Mike Zimmer 6.63% (349 votes)

Vic Fangio 2.56% (135 votes)

Rich Bisaccia 2.56% (135 votes)

Perry Fewell 2% (81 votes)

Total Votes: 5,264

[anacostiakat]

Well, I would like to see one of the nfl coordinators. Clearly they are not getting Cowher. Who would be my first choice if it was ever possible.

Personally I would prefer a dual approach. A defensive oriented head coach and a strong offsensive/qb coach for RGIII because from what I am reading he needs to mature quickly if he is going to be successful long term in the nfl.

But I would be just as satisfied if they end up with an offensive minded guy as head coach as long as they can put together a good coaching staff.

I still think they need a true GM. But that doesnt appear in the current plan. . . .

[mk05]

Nick Saban! Then again, with the press that would follow, Jerry should go on a bidding war for him.

[Hafner32]

I was in the car driving the entire day yesterday and every sportscaster on ESPN radio waid it was Whisenhut's job to lose. However, several mentioned that Gruden has an outside shot. Being that the Gruden family are "QB Gurus," there are several who mention that when John Gruden won his NFL title with Tampa, Jay played an intergral role with that team.

Whoever takes over that team will have a difficult job to do. Besides needing to win NOW in a disfunctional NFC East, you will inherit a bizarre team structure where a 2nd year quarterback seems to have unlimited power and say in how things are said and done even though he basically hasnt won a damn thing.

As a lifelong Eagle fan, I sat back and enjoyed the daily and weekly Redskins updates where Shanahan would say one thing, then 2 hours later, RG3 would say something else, and then later that day Dan Snyder would say "no comment." My only hope is that the circus continues and RG3 and that team does not realize their potential.

[brutusthebuckeye]

Browns=Redskins minus RG me/knee.....welcome to football Hell Ken!!!!

[dafrey23]

I'm no Redskins fan, but I'm not a hater either. From the outside looking in, I can't see this job as an attractive one to any top quality head coaching prospect. You've got a QB that's more interested in accumulating power than he is in playing his position. You've got a backup QB that has got to want the heck out of there. You've got an owner that's more interested in acquiring names than he is talent. You've got no good draft picks this year. You've got a bunch of old talent (Santana Moss, I'm looking at you). I can't see how anyone could be successful there in the first year. And we all know that you only get about 3 years to make it work nowadays. If I'm serious about being a head coach in the NFL I'd pass on this job and wait for it to come back around in 3 years because it will.

[SCgarman]

IF you are a Skins fan, Such as Ken expect an entirely different team next season. New coaching staff, some players retired, some traded. What if the new coaching staff, whomever they may be don't want Griffin III as their quarterback? Many unanswered questions with this team next year. Expect the next couple of seasons as "rebuilding". Thank Goodness I'm a GIANTS fan.

[Hafner32]

Browns=Redskins minus RG me/knee.....welcome to football Hell Ken!!!!

AWESOME...Could not of said it better myself!

[Skyfall]

Wade Phillips!

[Orion21]

Ken Whisenhunt is a very good coach. When he coached the Cardinals he was very good at developing offensive schemes to protect Kurt Warner. Kurt Warner is one of the best QB's in the last 20+ years, but he couldn't move worth crap!!!! With a good QB Ken could take a team like the Redskins to the next level. However, they will need to fix the O-Line and find a top tier WR. If RGIII heals properly and gets his speed back we could see a pretty exciting comeback. Good luck Ken G.

[OkieJoe]

Stoops would be the strong horse, but OU signed him to a 7 yr, 35m deal to hold him. I would say Gruden would be a good fit.

[khomeinist]

**** JAURON

[anacostiakat]

Don't forget that they will not have the salary cap penalty restrictions next year. And while they don't have a first round draft choice in 2014 they will the following year.

Hope springs eternal.

[Ken Gargett]

interesting stuff.

having had a bit of experience recently, from contacts behind the scenes, with a major newspaper organisation (no names, rupert) and the truly appalling manner in which they reported in relation to a local footy team and their goings-on - basically making stuff up because it suited the lead reporter and his mates, conducting imaginary witchhunts, defamation, deliberate dishonesty and worse, i have absolutely no faith in opinion pieces like that one sally jenkins did for the post. no idea if any truth or not but i now start from the premise that any reports like that are complete crap, until solid evidence to the contrary.

ditto shanahan starting rumours etc.

but from the outside, it did seem shanahan either knew he was gone or wanted out or both and a good way to achieve that was to dump on rg3. someone orchestrated a massive campaign against the kid and i did not see many reports of his coach leaping to his defence. may be it was just a good way to sell papers.

who knows if we'll ever know whether any truth in all this or not.

that said, who can blame a super talented young kid wanting what he can get. he might be immature or misguided or badly advised, but if he is half the kid he appears to be, he'll sort that quickly (if not, he'll be a nasty footnote in future stories).

remember that a bit over 12 months ago, this was a 22 year old kid that both obama and romney praised to the heavens in their speeches pre election. he was the ultimate role model. 12 months later he is hitler in a football helmet? please! if i was a coach, i'd be falling over to work with a kid like this.

working with dan might be a very different thing. but he seemed to learn to step back a bit for shanahan and hopefully will continue that.

yes, some older players but as one writer mentioned recently, most of the skins previous superbowls came with a heap of 'wily old veterans'. a good mix is useful, especially if you do have any players getting big heads.

the draft pick is a concern but it seems to me that what is far more important is having someone who can identify talent. have a look at the running backs from the 2012 draft. 6th rounder alfred morris has been a star. yet richardson went pick three in that draft and has been traded, benched, bagged. he was the supposed superstar with only luck and rg3 ahead of him. endless similar examples. brady? montana? not suggesting you can do that every time but you can get plenty of excellent players even if you don't have the top pick. hopefully the new coach or his assistants will have that ability.

free agency will be big - not in the usual 'synder-has-a-brain-explosion-and-buys-someone-like-mcnabb-or fat-albert' way but because huge holes to fill and they no longer have that pernicious salary cap penalty so lots of dosh. fletcher retiring, a few others, others will be moved on. they will have big money. if they spend wisely, they will have plenty of talent.

i'm sure no one expects instant success (okay, we all sort of hope but ....).

having been a fan since the late 80's, other than that brief early shining period of glory and a superbowl, i know exactly what it is like to be in skins football hell. but i do believe that if they can get a good young, promising coach, and leave him alone, there is great potential.

yes, optimist and delusional and all but i have to believe.

i guess the reason i like either roman or bevell is that they appear to be extremely competent, have worked with successful guys, both have worked with young star QB's (kap and wilson) so the move to rg3 should not be an issue, and there is upside.

as for wanting to leave the job alone and come back later, i can understand someone going elsewhere if given the option, but otherwise, head coaching jobs are not that common and there are a hell of a lot of people keen. sure, the skins offer problems (dan, a currently dysfunctional team, etc etc) but you are coming to a team in a crap division so the competition for a playoff spot currently easier here than anywhere else, sadly. you are getting a young QB who could turn out to be one of the greatest, the team will have as much if not more money available than almost any other team so you can immediately start making the team look the way you'd like.

also, expectations of a skins coach are now so low that if you fail, no one will blame you. they will assume dan or team issues or saturn offended jupiter.

succeed and you will be seen as one of the all time genius supercoaches.

fingers crossed!

[AlohaStyle]

My team is in the same boat looking for a coach... so it will be interesting to see where the dominos land. But be careful wishing for Bevell as I'm not sold on him. I'm sure he has grown as a coach, but when he was the OC with the Vikings, he was basically run out of town by the fans. From seeing him on a weekly basis there, no way I would want him as a head coach. Living in Seattle, I see him a lot now too. But Pete Carroll is a big influence on the offense so how much can Bevell be credited? But he was fresh from the college ranks with the Vikings and has probably grown as a coach and as a fan, can we truly judge a coach not being there in person seeing how they act on a daily basis?

I think this year is a little unusual in the coaching search as there isn't one or two main standouts like there usually is. Whisenhut and Lovie Smith are probably the main guys with experience and Gruden is probably the hottest coordinator name, but IMO there isn't an obvious choice for a coach like there normally is.

[Ken Gargett]

My team is in the same boat looking for a coach... so it will be interesting to see where the dominos land. But be careful wishing for Bevell as I'm not sold on him. I'm sure he has grown as a coach, but when he was the OC with the Vikings, he was basically run out of town by the fans. From seeing him on a weekly basis there, no way I would want him as a head coach. Living in Seattle, I see him a lot now too. But Pete Carroll is a big influence on the offense so how much can Bevell be credited? But he was fresh from the college ranks with the Vikings and has probably grown as a coach and as a fan, can we truly judge a coach not being there in person seeing how they act on a daily basis?

I think this year is a little unusual in the coaching search as there isn't one or two main standouts like there usually is. Whisenhut and Lovie Smith are probably the main guys with experience and Gruden is probably the hottest coordinator name, but IMO there isn't an obvious choice for a coach like there normally is.

ta for that. i guess that is one of the tough things - assessing how much the coordinator achieves or how much is the head coach. carroll doesn't seem like a bloke who'd keep a dud around but who knows. was not aware of that past history.

[brutusthebuckeye]

IF RGIII stays healthy for next 5-8 years I think he will be a damn good QB....

The Skins are just a better franchise than the Browns...

Ol Truck stop Jimmy Haslam(owns Pilot/Flying J Truck Stops) and the Browns...he picked 2 of the worst people for CEO and GM...the GM was in Cleveland with Belachicken in early 90's and was one of the guys who cut the beloved Bernie Kosar...so people hate him for that...Joe Banner(ceo) was in Philly and just looks like he doesn't kno what he's doing...

THEN u have the owner...Ol Jimmy from Tennessee who was ripping off customers with this gas rebate scam....fired a bunch of people..blah,blah,blah...

When the Feds and the IRS show up at ur door you got problems....

And then these stooges fire the head coach after one year...3 diffrent QBs..worthless picks in last years draft etc etc....now any decent coach will not even interview...the guy they fired was there 5th choice last year..

Long story short...Browns will be the laughing stock of NFL for another 15 years...

[SCgarman]

Don't forget that they will not have the salary cap penalty restrictions next year. And while they don't have a first round draft choice in 2014 they will the following year.

Hope springs eternal.

Salary cap means nothing. The Redskins continually spend more money on players and coaches than virtually any other team with mediocre results every year. Money alone cannot nor will ever buy Super Bowl Championships.

[Dozerhead]

Wade Phillips!

I know he wants to be a head coach again but I sure wouldn't want to wish that on him. Nothing against the Redskins, but that front office is an absolute mess and there seems to be a lot of drama at the QB spot. I don't know why any established coach would want to go there because I think Daniel Snyder would make their life miserable.

[OkieJoe]

Salary cap means nothing. The Redskins continually spend more money on players and coaches than virtually any other team with mediocre results every year. Money alone cannot nor will ever buy Super Bowl Championships.

I agree with this. Just take a look at Jerry Jones

[Ken Gargett]

I know he wants to be a head coach again but I sure wouldn't want to wish that on him. Nothing against the Redskins, but that front office is an absolute mess and there seems to be a lot of drama at the QB spot. I don't know why any established coach would want to go there because I think Daniel Snyder would make their life miserable.

i doubt that our friend skyfall was terribly sincere in that recommendation. more likely, a good way of ensuring he was not available to coach the cowgirl again.

i do understand the thought that 'why would you go to the skins?' but for reasons i detailed above, it will only be an issue for those very few coaches in demand by several organisations. and there are not too many "established coaches" looking and all the teams looking are doing so because they have issues. not as though any of these teams are looking because vince lombardi just stepped down after three decades of superbowls. all the teams looking are doing so because they sacked their coach. so all these teams have problems.

these guys want to be a head coach. they have egos that match and fair enough. they presumably believe they'll succeed. they just need an opportunity. i reckon very few will turn down a head coaching opportunity because they hope to get a better offer next year.

[Ken Gargett]

I agree with this. Just take a look at Jerry Jones

true, to an extent. you won't win one without money. but money won't guarantee it.

you just have to spend it wisely. and the two examples, synder and jones, have never been accused of that.

[PaulP]

Whisenhut is another recylced coach of average ability and a 45 and 51 career head coaching record. Surely the Skins can do better.

[Ken Gargett]

Whisenhut is another recylced coach of average ability and a 45 and 51 career head coaching record. Surely the Skins can do better.

my thoughts!

it is why i'd like to see and up-and-comer. they have gone the old coach route several times with no success. joe gibbs was out of left field when selected. they needed to give it a go. if queries over bevell then roman, i hope. but we'll never know till we try.

[Dozerhead]

i doubt that our friend skyfall was terribly sincere in that recommendation. more likely, a good way of ensuring he was not available to coach the cowgirl again.

i do understand the thought that 'why would you go to the skins?' but for reasons i detailed above, it will only be an issue for those very few coaches in demand by several organisations. and there are not too many "established coaches" looking and all the teams looking are doing so because they have issues. not as though any of these teams are looking because vince lombardi just stepped down after three decades of superbowls. all the teams looking are doing so because they sacked their coach. so all these teams have problems.

these guys want to be a head coach. they have egos that match and fair enough. they presumably believe they'll succeed. they just need an opportunity. i reckon very few will turn down a head coaching opportunity because they hope to get a better offer next year.

Yes, I got the sense that Skyfall was speaking tongue in cheek. I don't know why Cowboy fans (like most of my in-laws) dislike Wade so much. After all, he was the head coach when they won there only playoff game in the last 17 years!

But back to the Skins next head coach, I don't see why a Jon Gruden, Cowher or any other big name would go the Redskins because the organization is dysfunctional. Why would they want to deal with all the headache and drama? Granted, Gruden and Cowher probably aren't going anywhere because they are making big bucks without all the stress, but those are the 2 names always mentioned this time of year. I definitely could see strong coordinator or even a collegiate head coach being interested in the gig, especially guys that have never been a head coach in the NFL level and are hungry for that first opportunity. But, I used to think that way about the Cowboys for years but Jerry Jones was able to pull the Big Tuna out of retirement some years ago, so you never know.