…Half of the Redskins assistant coaches met with new coach Mike Shanahan today; the other half is set to meet with him Monday. And he’s told them he’ll start interviewing candidates outside the organization starting Tuesday. The coach I spoke with was highly energized after his meeting. It’s hard to know if he’ll stick around, but he said the coaches who met with Shanahan came away with a strong desire to work with him. They like how thorough he’s been in the interviews;he’s not just going through the motions with them.
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…Yes, Jerry Gray has a shot to become the next defensive coordinator. He has the players’ support. The owner likes him, too. Cincinnati’s Mike Zimmer’s name has been mentioned quite a bit, but the one thing I would wonder is if the Houston job somehow came open — and I’m not sure that it will — would he rather be in Texas and near his two daughters? His wife died earlier this season. But if that job isn’t open, and if the Bengals don’t want to pay him a lot, then it’s easy to see him coming to Washington.
…If Shanahan wants the best, as he says, then look for the Redskins to talk to fired Buffalo special teams coach Bobby April, widely considered one of the best — if not the best — at his job. He replaced Danny Smith in Buffalo. Smith is considered a good special teams coach, so he could return. April likely will have a chance to return to Pittsburgh, too, where he coached in 1994-95. But the Redskins pay more than the Steelers. April had the title of assistant head coach in Buffalo and might want that in his next stop.
…Here’s what ESPN analyst, and former Bronco and Redskin, Mark Schlereth told me about Jason Campbell fitting with Mike Shanahan: “Given the right opportunity, Jason could be very good. One thing Mike looks for is athleticism and the ability to move around. He has that. He has plenty of arm. He’s a big tall kid. I don’t think there’s any question he could fit with Mike’s system. But he has to go through another learning curve.”
…I still question how much Shanahan likes Campbell, however. Fair or not, it’s easy to see him opting for a younger quarterback whose celing is not yet known. But maybe Campbell would stick around for a year.
…I don’t think there’s any doubt that if Greg Blache is fired, as expected, he’ll retire from coaching.
…Heard from an official at William & Mary today about their dealings with the Redskins the last time Washington considered holding training camp out of town. They felt the Redskins asked for way too much money. The feeling now is that if the Redskins want to hold camp elsewhere, they’ll have to change their demands and not ask for money, especially with public colleges having tough times financially.
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