He didn’t want to leave New York — his home area — until he discovered what he was getting in Arizona: a football education.
His new coach, Jim Fassel, made sure of that.
“I grew up with Sam Wyche and Bruce Coslet and they were very cerebral,” Esiason said. “The year before [going to Arizona], I was with Rich Kotite and that was a frickin disaster. This was like going from kindergarten to a Ph.D.”
One reason Fassel could get the Redskins coaching job is because of his reputation for developing quarterbacks. With Jason Campbell entering his fourth year, that will be a crucial role for any new coach. Campbell has played in six offenses since his freshman year of college.
By the time Esiason got him in 1996, he was at the end of his career. But he played a key role in the early growth of other quarterbacks, such as Phil Simms and, in college, John Elway.
And Kerry Collins’ best seasons came under Fassel, when he coached the New York Giants. Collins’ top two passer ratings occurred with Fassel. Of course, he did not work any wonders with Baltimore’s Kyle Boller. But Esiason, now an analyst with CBS, swears by him.
“We were prepared, man,” Esiason said. “I appreciated the amount of things he asked me to do as a quarterback. He knew I could handle it. He understands the needs of a quarterback to be successful.”
Esiason only threw 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in eight starts under Fassel. He retired after one more year.
“It was all technique, it was fundamentals,” the former Terps star said. “The first half hour of practice was all about footwork. He was a taskmaster and when we’d watch film he was sensitive to issues going on around you in the game that may have made you have a bad play. But he was a taskmaster when it came to footwork and reading defenses.”
Former Redskins running back/returner Brian Mitchell played under Fassel in 2003, the year he was fired by the Giants.
“I noticed a lot of work he did with Kerry Collins and the way he taught them,” Mitchell said. “Some coaches force stuff on you; others have a good delivery. He was good with that.”
Fassel brought the West Coast offense to New York, but eventually turned it into more of a downfield system.
“Based on what I ran with Fassel, he can be a plus for Jason,” Mitchell said.
Redskins notes
» Redskins tight end Chris Cooley and left tackle Chris Samuels both will wear No. 21 at the Pro Bowl next month in honor of slain teammate Sean Taylor, who was the leading vote getter at safety by the fans. Taylor’s father, Pedro, had requested this honor.
