Well this is a bit of a shock. I, like everyone it seems, kind of assumed that Coach Gibbs would be back next year. He had one year left on his original contract, which he’d always maintained he planned on fulfilling, and there had been recent rumors of him being offered a 2-year contract extension. So much for that, in a press conference today at 3pm he’s going to announce he’s resigning as coach and as team president. There are various reports that Coach Gibbs will stay on in some sort of role with the team as a consultant to Dan Synder.
Its unclear where things go from here. Gregg Williams is the obvious choice to replace Coach Gibbs and according to Jason La Canfora he has the support of current players:
The strong sentiment from the players and people here I spoke to today is that Gregg Williams should get the job, and that’s coming from offensive and defensive players alike.
One former Redskin, who speaks daily to many of his former teammates, said: “It has to be Gregg, there’s no doubt about it. If they go from outside guys will be pissed. Unless they want to tear up the team and go with a different group of guys, it has to be Gregg.”
Spoke to some people close to Russ Grimm, a former Redskin and longtime esteemed NFL assistant, who said his current team, Arizona, had not been contacted by the Redskins. Of course, we are very early in the process so things could change. Bill Cowher, former Super Bowl coach with Pittsburgh, will be a name everyone talks about as well.
Jason Reid just spent some time alone with starting WR Antwaan Randle El, who played on Cowher’s championship team in Pittsburgh. Randle El voiced strong support for Gregg Williams: “I want the best coach for the job and Gregg is certainly at the top of the list, no doubt. I would love to see him get it just ’cause we’ve gotten going with the crew that we have here. I would love to see Gregg keep it and let’s keep our offensive coordinator. Let’s keep all that intact.”
The other name naturely being floated around is Bill Cower. He’d want total control and a lot of money, but he is a proven winner. I guess if I had to pick I’d give Williams a shot. He’s earned it with the way his defense has played while he’s been here and the players like him. Be interesting to see what happens with Al Saunders and whether or not a GM gets added to the mix.
Also, I suffered through listening to a bit of “Mike & Mike” on my way to work and they kept mentioning Pete Carroll. Please Baby Jesus don’t hire a college coach Mr. Synder. Steve Spurrior, Bobby Petrino; don’t do that to us.
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