The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

HEROHAMO wrote:I say he will be fired in the following week after the Chargers game. I doubt he resigns. He has already stayed for the whole season.
Cant wait for this dreadful season to be over with.

DEHog wrote:

HEROHAMO wrote:I say he will be fired in the following week after the Chargers game. I doubt he resigns. He has already stayed for the whole season.
Cant wait for this dreadful season to be over with.

Snyder will make an offer to him to resign...I'm hopeful he will say no..if he is in fact fired it say he said no to Snyder's offer.

DEHog wrote:Can't see a new hire that quick...doesn't DS have to abide by the RR??

skinsfan#33 wrote:

DEHog wrote:Can't see a new hire that quick...doesn't DS have to abide by the RR??

Already done.

As Coach Jim Zorn prepares for the final game of the regular season, the Washington Redskins have already cleared a major hurdle that would enable them to hire a new head coach. The team has complied with the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior front-office positions, according to John Wooten, president of the group charged with monitoring diversity hiring in the league.

Wooten said Monday that Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray told him that he has already interviewed for Zorn's job, and that his organization, the Fritz Pollard Alliance, is satisfied that the team is considering him as its next head coach.

"They have done what we look for in an interview, therefore, they have satisfied the Rooney Rule," Wooten said in a telephone interview. The rule, which was established in 2003, is named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney, chairman of the league's diversity committee.

Now that the Fritz Pollard Alliance feels the Redskins have complied with the rule, the Redskins are free to hire a new head coach at any time.

The team plays its final game Sunday at San Diego and speculation has grown that Zorn could be fired and former Denver coach Mike Shanahan could be introduced as the team's next head coach as early as next week.

Wooten said he spoke with Gray personally, and the Redskins' assistant coach said he had a "couple of different interviews" with team owner Daniel Snyder and that "other people were present."

Wooten said Gray was interviewed several weeks ago, when Vinny Cerrato was still the team's executive vice president of football operations. Cerrato was replaced Dec. 17 with newly hired general manager Bruce Allen. Wooten said "the only thing I'm asking now -- and they may do this, they may not," is for Allen to also interview Gray.

Gray has declined to comment on several occasions, including early Monday morning, following the Redskins' loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He said at that time he'd address reporters Monday afternoon at Redskins Park, but a team spokesman later said Gray would not be made available until Thursday, his regularly scheduled weekly session with reporters.

According to several people within the Redskins organization, Gray has denied to coaches and staff members that he interviewed for Zorn's job.

Redskins and NFL officials declined to comment for this story.

"We are not going to comment on the application of the Rooney Rule to a head coaching position that is not vacant," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail.

Wooten said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell asked him to look into Gray's candidacy and the Redskins' process. He said Gray confirmed that he interviewed. Wooten said he had not spoken with Snyder.

Wooten said that in ensuring teams comply with the Rooney Rule, his organization deals directly with the job candidates and as a cross-reference, the league office makes sure the process is sincere and legitimate from the owner's side.

During the NBC broadcast of the Redskins' loss Sunday night, play-by-play announcer Al Michaels became the latest prominent league observer to say that Zorn likely has a short future in Washington, a dynamic that Zorn acknowledged during his meeting with reporters Monday.

"It's not just Al, it's kind of all around," Zorn said. "I get hit with 'The Look', and I get all that. I just have to press on. I have to push forward. . . . I'm going to stay focused and see this through. And I'm having, I truly am having a great experience. It's not fun, but it is a great experience.

"There are better days ahead, and I think we're trying to deal with all the adversity that comes each day. Each week it's been something different, hasn't it?"

Asked about Gray's candidacy to replace him, Zorn said last week, "I don't really want to have an answer for that specific question." Gray said last week that he has spoken about the matter with Zorn, though he declined to disclose details of their conversation.

There had been some uncertainty about the language of the Rooney Rule and whether a team that interviews a minority candidate before it has a vacancy has complied with the rule. Wooten said no vacancy is required.

"We're not going to restrict the owners in terms of their searching for who they think they want to run their ballclub," Wooten said. "We're not going to say, 'Oh, you don't have an opening, so you can't talk to somebody.' "

"It's not my obligation to say to Dan Snyder, 'No, you can't talk to Jerry Gray until you have an opening,' " Wooten said. "That would be stupid on my part, wouldn't it?"

Under some instances, Wooten said an NFL team might have to seek league approval to interview certain candidates while a head coach is still in place, but Wooten didn't see any such hurdles with the team interviewing Gray.

"When you're talking about someone on their own ballclub, why would the commissioner deny -- and he didn't deny -- the right to talk to his own people about what he considers to be a prospective head coach?" Wooten said.

Given Gray's coaching résumé, his success on the Redskins' current staff -- the team's pass defense is currently ranked No. 5 in the NFL -- and his history of interviewing for similar positions, the Fritz Pollard Alliance says Gray is already on its list of acceptable and legitimate head coaching candidates.

Wooten said that even if the team hires someone else, it would not change his opinion of the process. "He brings in somebody else. . . . That's life," he said.

Wooten said he's not worried about the Redskins interviewing Gray to simply satisfy the rule.

"We've seen some shams, I'm not going to try to tell you we haven't seen some shams. We've seen them," Wooten said. "And there will be more. But that won't take us away from the methods we know work and the best methods that we've been doing."

In addition to speaking with Gray, Wooten said he also spoke extensively with Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache, who reassured him that Gray was a legitimate candidate.

"Greg Blache told me over a year ago, I am going to hang in here because I want to help Jerry," Wooten said. "I think Jerry's qualified, I know he can do the job, I want to help him get a job in the NFL and I'm willing to stay in here and work with him to get that job."

DEHog wrote:

skinsfan#33 wrote:

DEHog wrote:Can't see a new hire that quick...doesn't DS have to abide by the RR??

Already done.

Yea I read that it was Gray but then read that there had to be a vacancy before you could interview..either way I think it was wrong for DS and Gray to do the interview!! Total mockery of the RR IMO

skinsfan#33 wrote:

DEHog wrote:

skinsfan#33 wrote:

DEHog wrote:Can't see a new hire that quick...doesn't DS have to abide by the RR??

Already done.

Yea I read that it was Gray but then read that there had to be a vacancy before you could interview..either way I think it was wrong for DS and Gray to do the interview!! Total mockery of the RR IMO

If Snyder is set on hiring Shanny (and I don't believe he is) then ANYONE they interview other than Shanahan is just waisting his time. If Zorns fate is already decided (and it certainly is) then what diference does it make if a minority is interviewed before or after Zorn is fired? Doesn't it still meet the spirit of the RR as much as someone interviewing a minority after a coach is fired when they know good and well who they are going to hire.

Why would you even have to interview Gray? Don't you know him already? You know he can't handle his position job so you already know he isn't HC material. See if I do that now or next week I still know I don't want him as the HC.

What if Cowher calls DS on Monday after Zorn gets his pink slip and says that he wants to work for the Danny, why should the Danny not be able to hire him right then and there on the phone?

Here IS BC: "Dan I don't care what Marty says about you and how bad you suck, I think you will pay me a TON of money and I get to play at a stadium full of Steelers fans at least once every year. Can I have your HC job?"
DS: That sounds great. Will $10M/year be enough?
BC: How about 10.5
DS: I'll give you 11.
BC: I'm in. When do I start?
DS: Hold on Bill, first I have to satify some rule named after some tard named Rooney, have you heard of him?
BC: Nope. ("Boy what a idiot", BC says to himself)
DS: Give me 5 minutes, I think the janitor walked by. I'll interveiw him and give you a call back when it is done.
DS: "Hey, Bruce interview the janitor for Jim's old job so I can call Cowher back and tell him he can have the HC job for $12M/year! Oh, yea, you can tell the media that this was your idea!"
BA: Glad I could help. Do you want me to call Shanahan and tell him to not bother getting his staff together?
DS: Oh, I knew I forgot something - see that is why I hired you! Vinny would never have thought of that.

RR complied with.

DEHog wrote:Does anybody here think Gray is a legit canidate??

DEHog wrote:Does anybody here think Gray is a legit canidate??

BurgundyandGoldfaith wrote:Just as we are all eternal pessimists, this one feels a little too optimistic. Zorn did well for the situation he was put into. There's no saying that what comes next is going to be a winner. 8-8 in whomever's first season coaching here would be miraculous. This considering the mess we're constantly in.

Having said that, I'm feeling optimistic too.

Yea I get all that...My problem is interveiwing a asst. of the current HC...did you catch the interveiw with Zorn when he was asked about it...It's just isn't right IMO.

CanesSkins26 wrote:

Yea I get all that...My problem is interveiwing a asst. of the current HC...did you catch the interveiw with Zorn when he was asked about it...It's just isn't right IMO.

Lavar, during his radio show today, ripped into Gray for accepting the interview. He said it was an unethical and backstabbing thing to do and that it would make it difficult for Gray to get his next job.