One former player lobbied on his behalf and a current player reiterated his support. But the Redskins carried on their coaching search another day without handing it to Gregg Williams, turning today to another former head coach and defensive whiz.
Washington will interview former Atlanta coach Jim Mora Jr. today.
Assistant head coach/defense Williams interviewed with the Redskins for a third time Monday. While many consider him the front-runner, it is puzzling to others that the Redskins would need to interview a coach already on their staff that many times.
“I’ve rarely seen a person in-house interviewed three times,” said one NFL source, involved in the sport for more than two decades. “The people who get to the dance late usually go home with the prize.”
Former Redskins linebacker Antonio Pierce, in town on his day off from the Giants yesterday, said the choice is simple.
“It would keep the continuity that this organization, this team needs,” Pierce said. “He’s somebody that players and everybody in the organization trusts. Everybody responds well to him.”
Current linebacker London Fletcher, who also played for Williams in Buffalo, agreed.
“He’s a master motivator and gets his guys to play beyond the level they know they can play at,” Fletcher said. “He does a great job entrusting the players to do something and he entrusts the coaches to coach.”
Mora went 27-23 as Atlanta’s head coach from 2004-06, including 1-1 in the playoffs. He led the Falcons to an 11-5 record in his first season, losing in the NFC Championship Game. But they went 15-17 the next two seasons, going a combined 4-13 in the final two months of 2005 and ’06. Injuries devastated the defense in his last season.
In his last season, speaking on a friend’s radio show in Seattle, Mora said the University of Washington was his “dream job.” Though he said he was joking, Mora’s comments upset owner Arthur Blank. He fired Mora after the season.
Mora coached in San Francisco when Redskins vice president of football operations Vinny Cerrato was the 49ers Director of Player Personnel.
Mora also could be a candidate for the Seattle job if Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren resigns.
The Redskins also planned to interview Indianapolis defensive coordinator Ron Meeks, who coached the Washington secondary in 2000. They also have been granted permission to talk to Colts offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, but he is unlikely to interview and could take over for Tony Dungy should he retire.
