Well after only two football seasons in the Redskins organization, the ‘offensive genius’ has quit. In an official press release by Spurrier, he apologized to Redskins’ fans for “not achieving the level of success that we had hoped for” and added that, “This is a very demanding job. It’s a long grind and I feel that after 20 years as a head coach, there are other things that I need to do.”
While details of Spurrier’s resignation have yet to be determined by his agent Jimmy Sexton and owner Daniel Snyder, the Redskins will be off the hook for the remaining $15 million in salary of the ‘ole ball coach’. Although Snyder has to be disappointed that his honeymoon with the guy he wanted all along is over… he has to be happy that he’s not paying out that contract.
Spurrier’s dismal record of 12-20 was surpassed only by his abyssmal 2-10 NFC East division record. He looked to have the Redskins on the right track early in the season when Washington got off to a 3-1 start. Then the walls came crashing down as the Skins would manage only two victories in their last 12 games. In his second season, the man who was supposed to bring a high octane offense to the NFL could manage just a 23rd overall ranking. Ugh.
Last year Spurrier had the excuse of not having the ‘tools’ to execute his ballyhooed Fun ‘N Gun, but in 2003, he could make no such claim. Washington brought in one of the top receivers in the NFL in Laveranues Coles to go with their young gunslinger Patrick Ramsey. They also made numerous additions to the offensive line to shore up protection for the quarterback. But none of it worked. Poor execution, poor coaching, poor playing… all of it made it impossible for Washington to have any success.
And so the Redskins begin their search for their 5th head coach in Snyder’s tenure. There are many coaches suddenly looking for work such as former Giants coach Jim Fassel, former Bears coach Dick Jauron, and former Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis. The Redskins could also look to a presently unemployed guy like Tom Coughlin, Dennis Green or Jimmy Johnson.
Whomever they hire… they will be cleaning house again in Washington.
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Mark Solway