<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Redskins hire Saunders as offensive coordinatorBy John ClaytonESPN.comRedskins coach Joe Gibbs upgraded his offense Thursday by adding one of the brightest offensive minds to his sidelines.Gibbs hired Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, convincing him to sign a three-year contract worth more than $2 million a year. Saunders was considered the leading candidate for the Raiders head coaching job after their first set of three interviews but he had not been offered the job.With only two head coaching opportunities left -- Oakland and Buffalo -- Saunders was fielding a lot of phone calls by teams and coaches who wanted him as their offensive coordinator. The biggest surprise was the arrival of Gibbs in Kansas City on Wednesday.Gibbs made Saunders an offer he couldn't refuse, a deal that trumped a chance to be a head coach. After the season, Gibbs talked defensive coordinator Gregg Williams into staying instead of taking a head coaching job on an other team. Williams received a three-year, $7.8 million deal. His deal, the most lucrative ever for an assistant coach, includes a $1 million bonus if he is not named the Washington head coach when Gibbs retires.The Redskins offense finished 11th in the league but faded toward the end of the season and during the playoffs because of a knee injury that slowed down quarterback Mark Brunell and injuries to receivers on the other side of wide receiver Santana Moss.Saunders was a natural fit because he learned the system of Gibbs and Don Coryell in San Diego as an assistant coach from 1983 through 1985. Saunders became the Chargers head coach from 1986 through 1988, where he compiled a 17-22 record.Since joining the Chiefs in 2001, Saunders has been running one of the NFL's hottest offenses. The Chiefs finished first in the league averaging 387 yards a game in 2005. They averaged 25.2 points a game. Under his stewardship, the unit never ranked lower than No. 5 in the NFL in total offense, and was No. 1 each of the last two seasons.His new assignment is to spice up a Redskins offense that averaged 22.4 points a game.The Washington offense statistically ranked 11th in 2005, a big jump over its No. 30 finish in 2004, but still was inconsistent down the stretch and especially in the playoffs.ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli contributed to this report.</div>ARTICLEWow, just wow. Today is a great day to be a Redskins fan.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Saunders to call offensive plays for RedskinsESPN.com news servicesFor the first time in his Hall of Fame coaching career, Joe Gibbs will turn over the offense and play-calling to someone else, ESPN's Chris Mortensen has learned.New offensive coordinator Al Saunders, who, like Gibbs, has ties to former NFL offensive guru Don Coryell, will take over those duties for the 2006 season.While Gibbs will remain actively involved in game planning and offensive strategy, team sources say Gibbs will embrace more of a CEO/GM mentality and turn his attention even more to the personnel side -- such as the big decisions as to whether to trade backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey and keep linebacker Lavar Arrington.The Redskins offense finished 11th in the league but faded toward the end of the season and during the playoffs because of a knee injury that slowed down quarterback Mark Brunell and injuries to receivers on the other side of wide receiver Santana Moss.Saunders was a natural fit because he learned the system of Gibbs and Coryell in San Diego as an assistant coach from 1983 through 1985. Saunders became the Chargers head coach from 1986 through 1988, where he compiled a 17-22 record.Saunders ran one of the NFL's hottest offenses with the Chiefs. Kansas City finished first in the league averaging 387 yards a game in 2005. They averaged 25.2 points a game. In his five seasons as Kansas City's offensive coordinator, the Chiefs never ranked lower than No. 5 in the NFL in total offense, and were No. 1 each of the last two seasons.</div>http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2301861
Yeah I heard that on ESPN. I hope Gibbs doesn't end up like the JoePa of Penn State--an inspirational figure for the team or some crap. I want him to stay involved with the game.
