1. The rumors are running wild now, with Fox’s Jay Glazer reporting today that the job Mike Shanahan really wants is Dallas. It makes sense; it’s a more attractive situation with a quarterback in place and a top defense as well.So here’s the funny thing; if Dallas beats Washington next week, it increases the likelihood of Wade Phillips returning. So what do you want more? A win over Dallas? Or Mike Shanahan? Thing is, there have also been reports that Dallas does not want Shanahan.
2. If Jerry Gray did indeed interview for the head coaching position, it suggests a couple things to me: 1) Perhaps Gray has been told he’ll return regardless of who the head coach is next season. Management likes Gray a lot; one thing I was told a month or two ago was that there was some trepidation about having Gray perhaps be the interim coach. Why? Because interim coaches often end up being let go when the new coach comes in. The Redskins want Gray back. This is a guess, but one scenario could be that Greg Blache retires and Gray becomes the defensive coordinator. The caveat to this is that Shanahan, as has been reported by man, wants to bring in his former defensive coordinator, Bob Slowik. I did not hear good things about him from Broncos insiders, at least not about his coaching. One NFL source said he had heard that Shanahan wants to use a 3-4 defense. But that’s just like everything else: a rumor.
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The other thing Gray’s interview would suggest is a divide in the coaching staff. How big? Don’t know; and not even sure if there is one, but one Redskins source said there were some sore feelings about the Vinny Cerrato situation that could have created a fissure on the staff. But if they were united, I’d have a hard time seeing someone interview for a job that wasn’t yet open. How could you do that? For a job you know you won’t get and for which you are being used to fulfill a rule? Unless, of course, you have some guarantee.
3. Glazer also reported that the Redskins offered the job to Shanahan last offseason. It makes sense; we had heard, from a good club source, back in January that Cerrato and Dan Snyder met with him. That’s been out there for a while. But he also said that Snyder, in front of Jim Zorn, asked former Broncos safety John Lynch about Shanahan while at the league meetings. Not surprising. Snyder always likes people to feel a little uncomfortable in their position. That’s fine if you win, but he has not. That’s not a coincidence. He soured on Steve Spurrier after one year; and on Marty Schottenheimer after a couple months. He wanted to fire assistant coaches after bad games in the past (Mike Nolan) and would pull juvenile acts to try and embarrass others. So it’s not hard to see Snyder doing something like this. And Glazer, like him or not, is usually right.
4. I do find it funny that there’s a big deal that Shanahan is putting a staff together. Of course he is; his intention has always been to coach this season, whether it’s here for somewhere else. With the expected openings, he’d be foolish not to be organized about this. Another thing: I’m still not sure that the Redskins have a real Plan B if they don’t get Shanahan. My hunch is that they’ll get it done; Snyder needs to pull it off. This is not a trade situation; this can be about money and unless Jerry Jones gets involved, Snyder will win this battle.
