11/05/24
January 27, 2008
Redskins and Gregg Williams part ways: Gregg Williams goes from Head Coaching candidate to unemployed. And in Oakland, Al Davis is trying to force Lane Kiffin to resign.
I am relieved as a Cowboys fan that Williams is gone. And who knows, maybe Dallas will even offer him a job. They do have openings thanks to Parcells. If he is cared for THAT much by his players, isn't that is what you are supposed to want in your coaches??? I just don't get Snyder. He does one stupid thing after another. As long as he is an owner, he will ruin the 'Skins. I bet that Gibbs is thankful he left when the getting was good. As for Davis, they might as well start finding a nice home for him. He never gives a coach a chance. Plus, wasn't the #1 overall draft a holdout to well into the season. I think Kiffin was excellent as a coach and I began to believe that they had finally righted the ship. Then he decides to ask him to resign and want another coach. Once a year, that should tell everyone out there to stay away.
posted by Mickster at 07:04 AM on January 28, 2008
Williams was a disaster as head coach of the Bills, and he seems to have a personality that alienates quite a few people. Even though I'm sure he's learned a great many things he'd do differently if he was a head coach again, he still seems to make some questionable decisions which would be magnified as the head man. I think he's a classic example of a good defensive coach who may not be cut out to be head coach. It's kind of annoying how practically every assistant coach who has any success with their unit automatically needs to be viewed as a great head coach. Maybe Williams is one of those guys who is an assistant, and that's it. Hopefully the Rams bring him on board, because their defense could use his help.
posted by dyams at 07:24 AM on January 28, 2008
I, for one, would love to see Gregg Williams in Miami. He builds good defenses wherever he goes, and seems to have the loyalty of his players when he's given a chance to stick around. Seems like a no-nonsense, Parcells type of guy.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 07:28 AM on January 28, 2008
Seems like a no-nonsense, Parcells type of guy. Parcells, especially at this point in his life, seems to be more attracted to people he's had experience with in the past, rather than going in an unknown direction with someone he's not sure of.
posted by dyams at 08:17 AM on January 28, 2008
Another odd thing is that the Washington NFL team hired Jim Zorn as offensive coordinator without a head coach. Usually head coaches prefer to hire their own coordinators. Snyder is an idiot though, so nothing that he does surprises me anymore. Anyone know where owillis is? I'd love to hear his fanboy opinion.
posted by scully at 09:29 AM on January 28, 2008
The Redskins had a great end of season. It would have been wise if Snyder tried to continue that success, instead he wants to reinvent the wheel. Williams has been the defensive coach in Washington for four years. That should have been more than enough time for Synder to vet him. Then, Synder is going to interview him repeatedly for the position. It just makes no sense. What kind of interview process are you going through that requires you to interview anyone four times? Then, Synder decides he wants to go with Fassel. He gets lots of negative feedback, and is now backtracking. Meeks is being reinterviewed as well. Meanwhile, Snyder is hiring the main assistants for the next head coach already. Doesn't it make sense to let the head coach hire his own assistants? Further, Campbell has to learn his third new offense. It's a big huge mess. I don't know what's wrong with Al Davis. Kiffin did a great job. The argument that since Moss has had success with the Pats that Kiffin messed up in trading him to the Pats is ridiculous. Moss was never going to be the real Moss in Oakland. The culture there is a mess. And, getting a new coach every year is only going to make that worse.
posted by bperk at 09:43 AM on January 28, 2008
This thread is starting to remind me of the one we had when Keyshawn Johnson was released.
posted by bender at 11:43 AM on January 28, 2008
Williams was a disaster as head coach of the Bills, and he seems to have a personality that alienates quite a few people. Bill Belichick went 36-44 when he was head coach at Cleveland. Though not as bad as Williams 17-31 record in Buffalo, Belichick also had a personality that alienated many people. And his tenure in Cleveland was considered a failure. Many NFL pundits thought that he would never get a second chance. I'm not claiming that Williams will be the next Belichick or even a good head coach. But failing your first time out is not necessarily a good indicator that you won't eventually be a good head coach.
posted by cjets at 12:44 PM on January 28, 2008
But failing your first time out is not necessarily a good indicator that you won't eventually be a good head coach. Very true. But, regardless of what a idiot Snyder may be, Williams getting axed at this time, after being interviewed several times and being considered one of the top candidates for the head spot, tells me he must have done something a little above and beyond in the negative direction. I'd just really like to know all the details and the thought process that went into this surprising turn of events.
posted by dyams at 01:13 PM on January 28, 2008
But, regardless of what a idiot Snyder may be, Williams getting axed at this time, after being interviewed several times and being considered one of the top candidates for the head spot, tells me he must have done something a little above and beyond in the negative direction. That's certainly possible. But it's also possible that, as you say, Snyder is an idiot and that's the only reason. Hiring assistant coaches before hiring a head coach would lend credence to the "Snyder is an idiot" explanation I'd just really like to know all the details and the thought process that went into this surprising turn of events. Me too.
posted by cjets at 01:22 PM on January 28, 2008
Look at it this way; as long as Snyder and Davis hold the reins of their respective clubs, thats two teams the rest of the NFL doesn't have to worry about. Well, the Yorks are emminently useless too, so make that three teams. Coaching candidates have to look at the Redskins and Raiders as entry level positions and hope that their short tenure at those teams won't ruin their coaching careers. Seems like a pretty big risk given the levle of current and future compensation.
posted by irunfromclones at 02:26 PM on January 28, 2008
I doubt if I was a coaching candidate that I would want that type of job to begin with. First and foremost, if you are a winning club, you keep your coach. If you keep loosing and getting good picks in the draft, you will be searching for a coach. I do question his reasoning for hiring Zorn before a head coach, but it worked for Jason Garett??? But you also have to remember that the team went in the tank the last four games - OFFENSIVELY. The defense played better as the year went on, and the offense began to fall apart. As for taking Williams to Miami, they have the defensive coaches Parcells took with him from Dallas. I believe they promoted one of them to D-Coordinator. As for the Raiders. Run baby, just run.
posted by Mickster at 02:49 PM on January 28, 2008
Look at it this way; as long as Snyder and Davis hold the reins of their respective clubs, thats two teams the rest of the NFL doesn't have to worry about. The Redskins did make the playoffs this season. While I would agree that Snyder has made some questionable and/or shortsighted decisions, his team still manages to get something right every now and again.
posted by bender at 02:49 PM on January 28, 2008
It's kind of annoying how practically every assistant coach who has any success with their unit automatically needs to be viewed as a great head coach. Maybe Williams is one of those guys who is an assistant, and that's it. Agreed. I think Wade Wilson is another good example, his lack of game management skills showing up in the Cowboys' loss to the Giants as proof. Jim Mora Jr. and Steve Marricuci are possibly in this group as well, though Mora's Atlanta situation was perhaps not a fair test. Speaking of Wilson, I would have you note that Jerry Jones hired Jason Garret as OC last year ahead of Wilson's deal, same as Snyder did this week.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:00 PM on January 28, 2008
Speaking of Wilson, I would have you note that Jerry Jones hired Jason Garret as OC last year ahead of Wilson's deal, same as Snyder did this week. Dan Snyder is no Jerry Jones. And Jones is now paying Garret 3 million to stick around as OC. And even Jones makes mistakes, such as his absolutely bone headed move in firing Jimmy Johnson when the Cowboys were the dominant team in football.
posted by cjets at 04:24 PM on January 28, 2008
Going out on a limb here...How can anyone blame Kiffin? That team has turned into a joke. Who could realistically win there, with the talent that they have. If Kiffin goes, he may be better off.
posted by Hartsy at 09:19 PM on January 31, 2008
Snyder's move mystifies me. They still don't have a head coach but they go ahead and fire Williams (and Al Saunders). Williams was a guy that most of the players apparently backed as the next head coach. I could understand it if the new head coach simply had a different defensive philosophy, but that assumes that a new head coach has been hired and has met with Williams. I wonder what Joe Gibbs thinks about all this seeing as how Williams' "disrespectful treatment" of him was cited by the article as a reason Williams was fired. As far as Davis, he's become a carnival sideshow. Nothing he does would surprise me.