# Steve Spurrier quits **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 30, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813 "2003-12-30T18:57:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/1 "2003-12-30T18:57:52Z")
> **[Spurrier quits Redskins after two seasons](https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=1696792)** > > The Steve Spurrier Era in Washington ended Tuesday when the frustrated second-year coach fo the Redskins resigned, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports. The inevitable has happened. After two dismal seasons - the last one a 5-11 pile of dung - the Ol’ Ball Coach has taken his awful playcalling and incredible overall ineptitude and left. He’s forfeiting $15 million dollars. Well, good. He hasn’t deserved the $10 million he’s already received. This guy might be among the worst NFL coaches of all time. He had no sense of how to run a game, no sense of clock management, a certain cluelessness regarding player personnel… the list goes on. Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, who loves home-run coaches (that is, “big names”), will receive compensation if any other NFL team is dumb enough to hire Spurrier over the next three seasons, compensation in the form of draft picks. Which, of course, they’ll waste somehow. This is not a surprise, this quitting; Snyder knew that if he fired the miserable failure, he’d have to pay him for the remainder of his gigantic contract. Snyder waited, therefore, for the doofus to quit on his own, and he was pleasantly surprised when it happened this morning. Speculation has already begun as to who the next Redskins coach might be - and I heard an interesting name this morning. Ralph Friedgen, the head coach at the University of Maryland, would be a great candidate if he wanted to make the leap into the NFL. He has some NFL experience (although not as a head coach) and wouldn’t have the massive me-always-right ego that Steve Superior had. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/2 "2003-12-30T19:00:52Z")
Or not… [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41721-2003Dec30.html?xxx](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41721-2003Dec30.html?xxx) The Washington Post is reporting that Spurrier denies resigning! News organization chaos in the silly season! ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/3 "2003-12-30T19:05:23Z")
Well, tough. He’s not coming back. He can deny it all he wants, but there’s no way in the world he’s coming back. So as soon as that sanctimonious asshole gets back from his “vacation”\* I’m sure he’ll set us all straight. \*He’s been on vacation for months, of course. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/4 "2003-12-30T19:21:37Z")
From [Newschannel8.net](http://Newschannel8.net): > [@](#): > > Spurrier Confirms Resignation > > Steve Spurrier has announced that he IS resigning from The Washington Redskins. “I was caught off-guard,” Spurrier quoted when asked about his denial in an earlier cellphone call to The Washington Post. “Obviously, when a person resigns he usually calls it in himself. The bottom line is if that’s what’s best for everyone concerned that’s what we’ll do. We’ll get to the bottom of it by the end of the day.” says Spurrier. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/5 "2003-12-30T19:26:25Z")
Speaking as a Cowboys fan, I was kinda hoping he’d stick around for awhile. It’s a shame that guys like Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones ever made a dime. Gawd I miss the days of Wellington Mara and Clint Murchison. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/6 "2003-12-30T19:45:13Z")
Good riddance. I’m not a Redskins fan, exactly (they’re ok), but I was well and truly sick to death of seeing that annoying git on TV all the freakin’ time. Tangentally speaking, I think it’s kind of silly how the coach is alway the scapegoat, for lack of a better scapegoat. This concept, of course, brings out all those idiotic cliches (“Can’t fire the players”, “Coaches don’t block and tackle”, etc.) Unfortunately, the NFL is getting thinner, talent-wise, so nobody’s going to “fire the players”, even though in a lot of cases, it’s their sorry asses, not the coaches’, that are the cause of the team’s failures. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/7 "2003-12-30T19:54:26Z")
I’m really pissed that he didn’t stay a third year, actually. I remember in the press conference announcing his hiring that he said if he couldn’t make it to the playoffs in three years he would resign. He didn’t even make it three years. I’m at least happy that he resigned. If Snyder had to fire him, there would never be another coach with any kind of self-esteem that would work for him. So he had to wait this one out. Well, that’s four coaches in five years. Before Snyder, we had three coaches in 20 years. I wonder where the problem lies? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/8 "2003-12-30T19:56:13Z")
Few coaches deserved to be fired as much as this loon did. A coach often has little control over player movement, but it’s what he does with the players he has that determines in part how good of a coach he is. Spurrier tried everything he could to get players he had coached in college - in some cases, _years_ ago - and then could do nothing with them. A coach can influence his team in several ways: discipline, inspiration, and preparedness. Spurrier’s teams were notoriously undisciplined, committing a club-record penalty total. They were hardly inspired, too, losing their final two **home** games by 58-7. 58-7! It’s as if they didn’t show up, and the Ol’ Ball Coach did absolutely nothing to make his players feel they had something to play for. And as for preparedness - well, week in and week out Superior was clearly outcoached by his counterpart. Remember that last Dallas game, when Patrick Ramsey was mauled so many times? Spurrier’s awful playcalling was immediately figured out by the Cowboys and Parcells, and Spurrier never once adjusted. You **have** to adjust if you’re an NFL head coach. Have to. It’s the most basic thing a coach learns, and he was utterly pathetic at it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/9 "2003-12-30T20:00:00Z")
Y’know, just last week I was talking about the Redskins with my cousin, and I mentioned that they’d never have a successful season until they stopped playing carousel coaches. I had held out hope that Snyder would support Spurrier long enough for the team to make a turn around. Guess I was wrong. The 'Skins will not have a good team until they get a stable coaching staff. And they won’t get a stable coaching staff until Snyder stops dicking around because he wants victory _right now_ and screw this whole “building a team” crap. Sigh. I’m glad I gave up on them years ago and started rooting for the Ravens. (Luckily, I can explain it as something other than ranking ditching now that I’m married- my wife got my name, and I got her football team.) ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/10 "2003-12-30T20:09:57Z")
I cannot imagine what kind of world would permit him to stick around for a third year. He proved himself to be utterly incapable of coaching for two years. He learned absolutely nothing and even left this year resolving to return to his old style. Cause, you know, it worked so well LAST year. I am all for stability, and I would agree it’s been a big problem for them. At the same time, I fail to see how sticking with a proven loser is a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/11 "2003-12-30T20:13:45Z")
Damn! Does this mean I can’t root against the RedSkins now? ---
**Author:** ![Dob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Dob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dob)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/12 "2003-12-30T20:46:25Z")
As a long time die-hard Redskins fan I am numb to the whole damn thing!! How bad does an owner have to be for a coach to VOLUNTAIRLY give up $15m on a contract?? Yea Spurrier was not getting the job done, but none of the other coaches did either!! I was all for giving him one more year. Any chance Jimmy Johnson or Jim Fassel might find a home in DC? ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/13 "2003-12-30T20:53:21Z")
It’s too far north for Johnson, but Fassel might be good fit. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/14 "2003-12-31T17:14:29Z")
Now that Spurrier’s out, the stories of the complete and total lack of discipline flowing from him have come out. [Boswell](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42926-2003Dec30.html): > [@](#): > > He paid little or no attention to defense and special teams. On the sideline, he barely interacted with his players, except quarterbacks and wide receivers. His only rule was a small fine for cursing in practice. So his players didn’t cuss. Instead, they didn’t stay onsides, remember assignments, come to meetings on time or turn off their cell phones when coaches were talking to them. [Wilbon](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42966-2003Dec30.html): > [@](#): > > He never demonstrated that he had the stomach for confronting the big problems that come with being an NFL coach. Players were late for meetings; Steve Spurrier let it slide. Cell phones would go off during meetings, Jon Jansen revealed this week; Spurrier let it slide. Players jumped offsides on defense, couldn’t stay lined up properly on offense, followed their own personal game plans instead of their assignments, and the head coach didn’t make them accountable the way successful pros must be held accountable. > \ > And it’s just as well because there’s no scenario under which Spurrier could have come back next season after the way he left. His players had started to defy him openly, during Christmas week of all times. He already knew and they already knew that Spurrier’s stuff, the same strategies and schemes that had knocked 'em dead in college, didn’t work in the NFL. He knew and they knew it was all fatally flawed, the reliance on pitching and catching outdoors on an NFC East team, the inability to protect the quarterback, the unwillingness to be tough with the players and firm even with the owner. None of it worked from Day One: not his demeanor or his philosophy of football, and since he wasn’t ready to overhaul it (nor should he at his age, with his résumé), what was the point? It’s good that Snyder didn’t fire him, because firing him would have made it difficult to hire the next guy. But it’s a relief that he quit, because he probably would have been hard pressed to go 5-11 again next year. ---
**Author:** ![Creative\_Munster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@Creative\_Munster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Creative_Munster)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/15 "2003-12-31T17:24:38Z")
I would suck the guts out of a rat’s asshole for that amount of money. In fact, I would do that 12 hours a day for three years for that amount of money. Christ. The fans could throw beers at me, my own siblings could call me up and tell me that I sucked after each game, I could receive death threats in the mail, and I still wouldn’t give up $15 million by resigning. He should have waited for the owner to fire him. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/16 "2003-12-31T17:30:26Z")
Biggest laugh ever during an NFL game? Easy… that truly bizarre, in slow motion, constantly reshown sideline shot of Spurrier’s lips flapping in exasperation. Freakin’ priceless! ---
**Author:** ![BF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5ac83/32.png) [@BF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BF)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/17 "2003-12-31T17:31:56Z")
Glad I checked preview, **RTF** , I was going to post the same stuff. What’s amazing is that most of this player discipline crap just came out in the last two weeks. How come these guys weren’t writing about this stuff at the beginning of the year? I know Tony wasn’t gonna dis da ol’ ball coach (read his article too) but man, Wilbon’s been slamming him from day one. ---
**Author:** ![A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_wizard_song_for_thee)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/18 "2003-12-31T17:38:38Z")
Nothing major to add (except that someone with that kind of ego and that kind of record was pretty much doomed), but for all those people out there saying that a losing NFL team shouldn’t change coaches, I have five words: Marvin Lewis and Bill Parcells. Think about it. The talent levels of their teams didn’t change significantly during the offseason, but the performance of their players and the team as a whole certainly did. There can be no other reason except the coach. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/19 "2003-12-31T17:48:53Z")
Snyder, as owner, is responsible for the overall direction of the team. And in this capacity, he’s been a miserable failure. He’s labored under some handicaps, of course. He’s had a hard-on for Spurrier since Day 1, that’s clear. (He’s gotten _that_ fling out of his system, thank Og.) And when he bought the team, he was stuck with Norv, who he really wanted to get rid of, because the sale of the team got scrambled, and he wound up taking over a bit late in the year for replacing Norv. Then after promising to keep Norv if he got the 'Skins to the playoffs, Norv took the 'Skins within a muffed snap of the NFC title game. So here he’s got Norv Turner, who he doesn’t want, who’s much more about offense than defense, and more about passing than running. And the guy he’d like to hire someday, Spurrier, has the same priorities, only far more so. You see where I’m going here, I think: if Snyder was trying to find a coach for 2001 to keep the seat warm until he could land Spurrier, Marty Schottenheimer was as wrong a choice as he could possibly make. Marty was a fine NFL coach for many years, but he was all about winning dull: defense and grind-it-out running. So in between Norv and Steve, you have a pair of 180-degree turns: one between Norv and Marty, and another from Marty to Steve. And in each such transition, what happens? You lose good players who don’t fit into your system, and the ones who stay get whiplash with the changes in how they’re coached, learning a whole new system every year. So Snyder shouldn’t have hired Schottenheimer. And once he did, he should have had the decency to stick with him, regardless of his having the hots for Spurrier. All I can hope is, now that Snyder’s gotten the Spurrier thing out of his system, he can settle down and run the team in a consistent manner from here on out. He needs to step up and take the heat for the team’s instability over the past few seasons. He needs to think about what sort of approaches to winning have succeeded in the NFC East. From that menu, he needs to choose one that suits his personality reasonably well. And then he needs to hire a coach who approaches the game that way. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813/20 "2003-12-31T18:17:26Z")
I got to talking about this with my dad and brother last night. Basically we decided that there were three coaches out there that we wouldn’t mind seeing take over the Redskins: Dan Reeves, Dennis Green, and Tom Coughlin. I would love to see Reeves take over, but out of those three I would say that Green is the most likely. He’s familiar with playing in cold weather, has had great success before, and he’s black. With Johnny Cochran’s lawsuit, it would be good for the team’s image to have a black coach. I’d be okay with Fassel also, but it seems his coaching in Arizona is already a foregone conclusion. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steve-spurrier-quits/221813.md?page=2)