NFL: The Redskins Get Their Man

Marty Schottenheimer was hired as the new head coach of the Washington Redskins on Wednesday.

Several weeks ago he stated on the air, in his job as an ESPN pro football analyst, that he could never work for a "hands-on owner" like Daniel M. Snyder. Apparently $10 million over four years will change a man¹s mind quickly. It was only revealed Wednesday morning that the team would interview him for the job.

Apparently, Snyder's interest in Steve Spurrier ended late on Tuesday night, when his Florida Gators were done getting whipped by the Hurricanes.

It was a smart hire for the Redskins, really a no-brainer. None of the other candidates out there--except for Bill Parcells, but he really wasn't available--combined a big name with a successful record as a head coach at the pro level. Schottenheimer is a heck of a coach. He is the 12th-winningest coach in NFL history, compiling 145 wins between 1984 and 1999 with the Browns and Chiefs. Those are Joe Gibbs-type numbers.

He seems like a genuinely nice guy. I met his wife and daughter at a game in Kansas City in 1997, and they were hospitable and kind, sharing their spread of food and drinks with me and everyone in their box, no matter if they knew them or not. I get the feeling that the leaf doesn't fall far from the tree in this family.

He's a motivator and a disciplinarian. He talks like a football coach. One D.C. sports radio personality said going from Norv Turner to Schottenheimer was like "going from Barney Fife to John Wayne."

Schottenheimer's style of football is perfect for the Redskins and for playing in the NFC East: He likes to establish the running game and pound the football. Whether it was Kevin Mack or Christian Okoye, his teams always favored the run. They were prepared, too, as they were always among the least penalized teams in the league.

Does he have a flaw? Yes, where Norv Turner failed in big games, Schottenheimer has failed in playoff games, with a 5-11 record. His Browns did come tantalizingly close to the Super Bowl--only John Elway¹s famous "Drive" and Earnest Byner's infamous "Fumble" kept them sitting at home on the last weekend in January.

If he's smart, and I think he is, Schottenheimer will keep a skeleton crew from the coaching staff and bring in his own people. Keep Ray Rhodes as defensive coordinator and Terry Robiskie as wide receivers coach. He should also retain Russ Grimm, who has evolved from one of the best players into one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL. The rest of the team's coaches can go and no one will blink an eye. The good news is that Marty¹s brother Kurt, who coaches for the Chiefs, is one of the best special teams coaches in the league. Let's hope he can get out of his contract and the two can be reunited.

Schottenheimer is also the director of football operations now. He will have Vinny Cerrato and team mascot Pepper Rodgers on his staff, and they have some personnel moves to make. It looks like he's stuck with Jeff George, but maybe he can trade him to a QB-desperate team and work some salary-cap magic to keep Brad Johnson. He's the man to run a West-Coast offense, if that is indeed what Schottenheimer installs.

As the word spread around the city, Washington's football-loving fans had mixed emotions about the hiring: on a Washingtonpost.com survey, 5,366 people were in favor of it, with 4,074 against. Very soon, Schottenheimer will win all those people over.