Post by MizzouTiger on Jan 27, 2008 14:36:11 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/sports/story/462534.html
NFL news: Washington fires two assistant coaches
Star News Services
WASHINGTON | Washington fired assistant coaches Gregg Williams and Al Saunders on Saturday and announced that a head coach would likely not be in place for at least another week.
Williams’ dismissal removes one of the early favorites to succeed Joe Gibbs, who resigned Jan. 8. Williams, who is from Excelsior Springs and was a head coach at Belton High School, had been in charge of the Washington defense for four seasons under Gibbs and was popular among fans. But Williams’ confrontational style and poor record as head coach with the Buffalo Bills — from 2001-03 he was 17-31 — didn’t help his chances for the top job.
Saunders, who was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2001-05, ran Washington’s offense for the past two seasons. Saunders, like Williams, was considered a possible successor to Gibbs when he arrived in 2006, but he was never able to generate the type of consistent, high-yardage attack he had in Kansas City.
Washington promoted Greg Blache to lead the team’s defense and also formally announced the hiring of Jim Zorn, who agreed to a three-year deal Friday to lead the offense.
“The process of selecting a new head coach continues, although no hire is planned until after the Super Bowl so as not to distract from the championship game as well as to keep open all our options,” owner Dan Snyder said in a statement, his first public comments on the coaching search.
Williams met four times with Snyder to discuss the position, but it quickly became clear that the owner was more focused on other candidates, including former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel and current Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Williams and Snyder met Saturday morning to part ways.
A person familiar with the process told The Associated Press that Washington has granted St. Louis permission to interview Williams and Saunders for coordinator positions.
The person said the Rams had to seek permission because the team hasn’t terminated the coaches’ contracts. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the subject.
The person also said that Saunders was never a candidate for Washington’s head coaching job.
•BROWNS OFFER CONTRACTS: Cleveland has made contract offers to quarterback Derek Anderson and running back Jamal Lewis, key players the team hopes to keep off the free-agent market. Details of the contracts’ value and length were not available.
NFL news: Washington fires two assistant coaches
Star News Services
WASHINGTON | Washington fired assistant coaches Gregg Williams and Al Saunders on Saturday and announced that a head coach would likely not be in place for at least another week.
Williams’ dismissal removes one of the early favorites to succeed Joe Gibbs, who resigned Jan. 8. Williams, who is from Excelsior Springs and was a head coach at Belton High School, had been in charge of the Washington defense for four seasons under Gibbs and was popular among fans. But Williams’ confrontational style and poor record as head coach with the Buffalo Bills — from 2001-03 he was 17-31 — didn’t help his chances for the top job.
Saunders, who was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2001-05, ran Washington’s offense for the past two seasons. Saunders, like Williams, was considered a possible successor to Gibbs when he arrived in 2006, but he was never able to generate the type of consistent, high-yardage attack he had in Kansas City.
Washington promoted Greg Blache to lead the team’s defense and also formally announced the hiring of Jim Zorn, who agreed to a three-year deal Friday to lead the offense.
“The process of selecting a new head coach continues, although no hire is planned until after the Super Bowl so as not to distract from the championship game as well as to keep open all our options,” owner Dan Snyder said in a statement, his first public comments on the coaching search.
Williams met four times with Snyder to discuss the position, but it quickly became clear that the owner was more focused on other candidates, including former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel and current Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Williams and Snyder met Saturday morning to part ways.
A person familiar with the process told The Associated Press that Washington has granted St. Louis permission to interview Williams and Saunders for coordinator positions.
The person said the Rams had to seek permission because the team hasn’t terminated the coaches’ contracts. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the subject.
The person also said that Saunders was never a candidate for Washington’s head coaching job.
•BROWNS OFFER CONTRACTS: Cleveland has made contract offers to quarterback Derek Anderson and running back Jamal Lewis, key players the team hopes to keep off the free-agent market. Details of the contracts’ value and length were not available.