Bill Cowher may be the popular choice among fantasy leaguers as Joe Gibbs’ eventual successor, but Russ Grimm should have been in line to take over the Washington Redskins instead of possibly following Cowher in Pittsburgh.
And it’s reason No. 6,762 to hate Marty Schottenheimer.
A former Hog who should be in the Hall of Fame as one of six Redskins to win three Super Bowls, Grimm followed with a successful stint as tight ends and offensive line coach in Washington. Ask offensive tackles Jon Jansen and Chris Samuels who their best position coach has been and they’ll say Grimm.
When Schottenheimer touched down at Redskins Park, he emptied the last remnants of the previous Gibbs era owner Dan Snyder hadn’t already fired when arriving in 2001. That was the end of Grimm, who didn’t want to leave. And really, Redskins fans shouldn’t have been happy, either.
Grimm was a whole lot of fun in a Dennis the Menace kind of way. Most of the practical jokes during training camp were somehow tied to Grimm. He filled trainer Bubba Tyer’s car with popcorn. Tyer responded during practice by gathering Grimm’s clothes into a pile on the field and setting them on fire.
Grimm tended bar in the late hours of training camp at Frostburg. Just got behind the beer taps and served drinks. He didn’t leave any foam in your glass and I don’t remember Grimm collecting any money, either. I guess drinks were on the house or I’m still wanted by Frostburg authorities.
My favorite Grimm story was the final morning of the 1994 training camp in Carlisle. My roommate heard a mysterious voice telling him to look outside on his car hood. From a distance, it looked like a dead animal. Really. Turns out it was just a towel. Bet Grimm got a good laugh watching us from afar. He was really good at keeping a straight face.
Certainly, practical jokers don’t always make great coaches, but Grimm was every bit as good of a boss as he was a player. And if anyone thinks Grimm was soft, ask linemen who finished practice running up the small hill.
Grimm is now the top candidate to replace Cowher and it would be a good fit for the Pittsburgh native. A couple other teams are reportedly eyeing Grimm as their head coach, too.
Grimm might have made the Redskins a winner once more. Just another opportunity missed by this franchise.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
