Redskins steal some of Giants’ spotlight

By Joe Versage  |   Wednesday, February 06, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Washington Redskins
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Super Bowl XLII proved to be "one for the ages" on Sunday, as Eli Manning and the underdog New York Giants shocked the football world and stifled New England's dream of a perfect season.

But amid all the pre-game hype and the post-game glory, another organization's name shared the headlines.

They may not be champions like their NFC East rivals, but the Washington Redskins commanded attention before, during and after the Super Bowl.

With a head coaching search that has bordered on bizarre, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has proven how meddlesome he can be. In less than a month, Snyder said goodbye to Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs and interviewed associate head coach Gregg Williams four times. He then showed Williams the door, along with the team's other associate head coach, Al Saunders.

Last week, Snyder replaced Saunders and Williams with new offensive and defensive coordinators, despite the fact that he had not settled on a head coach to replace Gibbs. In the meantime, rumors continued to swirl around candidates who had interviewed and some who had not.

Former Giants head coach Jim Fassel remains a front-runner for the role. In his most recent interview with Snyder, he highly recommended Jim Zorn and Greg Blache, both of whom were hired for the coordinator jobs. But it has been nearly two weeks since that meeting and some news outlets have warned that Fassel could pull his name from consideration, if the search continues beyond this week.

Meanwhile, Snyder and executive vice president Vinny Cerrato were rumored to have secretly met with former San Francisco head coach Steve Mariucci at the site of the Super Bowl. Mariucci was in Glendale, Arizona to cover the game for the NFL Network. Apparently, the meeting was one of two conducted by Snyder in the days leading up to the contest. The other was with Indianapolis defensive coordinator Ron Meeks, who interviewed previously with the Redskins' owner.

But the man who may have improved his chances the most is Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants' defensive coordinator whose master plan stymied New England's record-breaking offense on Sunday.

Washington's Fox 5 interviewed Spagnuolo after his team's triumph and the coach refused to comment on all of the speculation. Out of respect for the Giants and their management, he said he wished to reflect on the team's accomplishment and celebrate a return to New York.

On Monday, it was reported that Spagnuolo would not be available to interview with anyone, until after the Giants' Super Bowl parade on Tuesday. By Tuesday morning, a league source confirmed that an interview has been scheduled between Spagnuolo and Snyder for Tuesday, after the festivities.

The source is a person who reportedly spoke to the Associated Press and wishes to remain anonymous. He also claimed that New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is no longer among the candidates for the job.

In addition to the coaching hoopla, Redskins fans had other news to follow - and it turned out to be very good on Saturday.

After waiting eight long years, wide receiver Art Monk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was joined by longtime teammate Darrell Green, who made the Hall on his first try.

A seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback, Green was the NFL's fastest man through most of his 14-year career. Even at the age of 40, he was clocked at 4.4 in the 40-yard dash. Green, who was drafted by the Redskins in 1983, finished his playing days in Washington in 2002 and won two Super Bowls along the way. He also holds the record for interceptions in consecutive seasons (19).

Monk spent his last two seasons with the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, but he will forever be a Redskin. Considered quiet and soft-spoken, Monk let his play do the talking for him. In 13 seasons with Washington, he played in four Super Bowls and the Skins won three of them. Monk also set records for career receptions (820) and most consecutive games with a catch (164). Those marks have since been broken, but Monk's status as an all-time great possession receiver will live on in the hallowed halls of Canton.
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About Joe Versage

As a native of upstate New York and a life-long fan of the Buffalo Bills, I have witnessed some of the greatest highs and greatest lows an NFL team can endure. But despite a gut-wrenching 4 consecutive Super Bowl defeats, I never lost faith in the Bills and was fortunate to cover them for 3 years...
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