Washington: NFL's Version of Survivor?

Can Schottenheimer, Snyder, And George Co-Exist?

In January 1999, Marty Schottenheimer was asked to remove himself from his place of residence on One Arrowhead Drive. That request came from team president Carl Peterson.

Actually, Schottenheimer officially resigned -- in theory, he left of his own volition -- but Peterson didn't try to talk him out of it. Deep down, Schottenheimer knew it was right, but he also knew that someday he would return to the sidelines.

After spending two years in the television studio, he appeared at the home of disgruntled billionaire Daniel Snyder. A few months earlier, Snyder had asked Norv Turner to leave, requesting that he never return.

Can two control-driven men -- one with football knowledge and the other who has deep pockets, spares no expense and has been known to meddle -- share in the running of a National Football League organization without driving each other crazy?

Cue the music. DUM DA DUM DA-DUM.

If the 2001 National Football League season has a more odd couple, it has yet to surface.

The marriage of Snyder and Schottenheimer raises one of the more intriguing questions going into the new football season. In fact, the only more interesting union might be Schottenheimer and his quarterback, who has a history of not getting along with his coaches.

Snyder has never been known as a patient man. He's never been one not to meddle in affairs at which he really has no expertise. Basically, he is the epitome of the new sports owner -- high-strung, high-profile and clutching unrealistically to high expectations.

That's a far cry from what Schottenheimer has experienced in 16 years as a head coach. Art Modell and Lamar Hunt, both old-school owners, stayed out of the locker room and allowed him to coach as he saw fit. And that was usually good enough to get his team into the postseason.

Snyder has vowed he will give Schottenheimer complete control of the team. He has vowed to stay hands-off, but I'll file this one in the we'll-believe-it-when-we-see-it folder.

"Marty Schottenheimer knows how to win, and that's what Redskins fans demand in a coach," owner Dan Snyder said the day he announced Schottenheimer as his next head coach. "I believe we have a solid player foundation at the Redskins. We're now pairing that with a coach who understands what it takes to be successful in the NFL."

Still, you can hardly expect for Snyder to become agreeable and demure overnight. It's only a matter of time before he and Schottenheimer clash.

And even if he does return the Redskins back to the role of perennial playoff contender, if Schottenheimer has the same kind of record in the playoffs for the Redskins that he did for the Chiefs, if he falls victim to a drive and a fumble in the closing minutes of two Conference Championship Games like he did in Cleveland, he won't last the length of his contract.

In other words, Schottenheimer has made a deal with the devil that basically stipulates that anything less than another Lombardi Trophy in the nation's capital would be considered a failure.

Of course, that goes along with Marty Schottenheimer's coaching philosophy since he started.

"Each year, the goal is to win the Super Bowl," he said by telephone. "That goal will never change."

So, why would Schottenheimer, a man who was openly critical of Snyder's treatment of Turner last year while he was working as an ESPN studio analyst, put himself in this situation?

Clearly, it goes far deeper than the king's ransom Snyder paid him. Marty Schottenheimer is not driven by money. He was an average linebacker and -- by most accounts -- a stiff, below-average studio analyst, but make no bones about it, the man is one heckuva football coach.

"It's in my blood," he said. "It's who I am."

You have to wonder where he'd be right now -- whether he'd still be selling real estate in Denver and possessing season tickets to Broncos game -- had he decided not to take a chance with the long-ago defunct World Football League, had he not injured his shoulder early on in his tenure with the Portland Storm and been offered a coaching position with the team.

A year later, Bill Arnsparger offered him a coaching job with the New York Giants and, thus, a coaching career was born. He was a longtime assistant before getting his chance in Cleveland when Sam Ruttigliano was fired.

In a combined 16 years as a head coach in Cleveland and Kansas City, Schottenheimer collected a lot of wins and a lot of playoff appearances, but his coaching career is best known for his playoff failures.

He was on the sidelines and watched John Elway work "The Drive." A year later, with victory and a Super Bowl berth seemingly in hand, he could only watch as Earnest Byner coughed up what would forever be known as "The Fumble."

Heartaches, no doubt.

Tears still come to Schottenheimer's eyes when he speaks of Byner, one of his favorite people in the world. On that day, Marty hurt for him, hurt for all of Cleveland, and he hurt for what might have been.

He's never been to a Super Bowl, be it as a player, coach or spectator -- and never plans on going to one until his team makes it there.

"I've had many chances to go and watch the game, but I wouldn't want to be there unless I am involved in it," Schottenheimer said.

Do the Redskins, his new team, afford him the opportunity of seeing his first Super Bowl up close and personal? Perhaps. The Redskins have the luxury of playing in the NFC East, the league's top division no longer. It used to be that discussion of the best division in football started and ended with the NFC East, but now -- much to the Redskin's advantage -- it is considered average at best.

Still, it might take some time for the Redskins to return to the glory days. They have a lot of money tied up in some over-the-hill players, who won't be around for long. Weeding out the excess baggage, while overcoming the bad investments of the past, will take a couple of years. It remains to be seen if this kind of patience is a component of Snyder's long-range thought process.

"Change is a big part of the game," Schottenheimer is quick to say.

Also, you have to wonder if Schottenheimer really has the quarterback necessary to run his offense.

Take a look at Jeff George's statistics and they're not bad until you get to the bottom line. There are few quarterbacks in National Football League history with a worse winning percentage than George, who has won roughly one-third of the games he has started since coming into the league in 1990.

Schottenheimer had a chance to pluck George out of the free-agent market a few years back for a bargain-basement price, but opted to decline making an offer after meeting with him.

Jon Gruden released George because he didn't believe the quarterback was a good fit for Oakland's variation of the West Coast offense, which is what the Redskins will be running this year.

George has garnered a reputation for throwing the ball down field when hurried -- forcing it into coverage -- rather than looking for the outlet pass. If there's one thing Schottenheimer won't tolerate from his quarterback, it's interceptions.

It's why Schottenheimer has gotten by so well with quarterbacks like Bernie Kosar, Steve DeBerg, Dave Krieg and Elvis Grbac. While none had George's strong right arm, each was heady and knew that his job was not to win games, but to not lose them.

If George can adapt to this mindset, he might make his fifth team his final team. If he can't, we may see sideline outburst similar to the one he had with June Jones in 1996, when the Atlanta Falcons head coach suspended him for the remainder of the season and then released him.

Both Schottenheimer and George maintain that they are on the same page this training camp. A sore shoulder has slowed George, but the Redskins have to remain optimistic about his status. They have no real alternative.

It took a little bit of strategy on the coach's part, but he got the quarterback to buy into the offense.

"It became obvious to me that when the protection broke down, Jeff's natural reaction to get rid of the ball was to throw it downfield," Schottenheimer said.

Schottenheimer suggested a little contest during mini-camp. If protection broke down and the ball was hurled downfield, he would get a point, but if George were to find one of his safety-valve receivers underneath, he would receive the point.

George threw underneath often enough in the off-season that he out-pointed his coach for several days running, and Schottenheimer ended the contest.

"When things broke down in the pocket, he stepped up and found a place to put it," Schottenheimer said. "We're not playing games, but at this juncture I'm very comfortable with him here."

It's the Schottenheimer way of coaching. Rather than making mandates, he gets them to do it his way by giving them ownership. George is a gamble, but he appears to have his head screwed on straight, which hasn't happened very many times in the last 11 years.

Perhaps he has bought into what Marty is selling. If that's the case, perhaps Marty is closer to turning around the salary-cap-strapped Redskins than a lot of people think.

That is, if Snyder can stay in the owner's box and off the sideline.

Want more Sangimino? Check out his archive of recent columns.

Pat Sangimino is a veteran sports reporter and currently is a senior news editor at TheKansasCityChannel.com. Feel free to send him an e-mail with your thoughts on his weekly topics.

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