Spurrier to coach Redskins
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Steve Spurrier took over the Washington Redskins and immediately pledged to return the team to the greatness it enjoyed under coach Joe Gibbs.

KRT CAMPUS Steve Spurrier speaks to the media at a press conference Tuesday, where he was introduced as the new Washington Redskins head coach. He wants to give the game ball to ‘Skins owner Daniel Synder after Spurrier vows to defeat the Dallas Cowboys.

The former Florida coach also made it clear Tuesday who was in charge, saying he was “in complete agreement with the way Dan Snyder wants to run this team.”

If there’s a disagreement with the yet-to-be-hired general manager, Spurrier said he would look to the owner to resolve it.

The originator of the Fun ‘N Gun said he would run the offense and that “hopefully we'll get an excellent defensive coordinator in here.”

“That’s why I left college -- to see if my style of coaching can work in the NFL,” Spurrier said.

He said his role model would be Gibbs, whose Redskins won three Super Bowls in a dozen seasons.

“I don’t know if I can come close to what he did, but certainly what he achieved here in his 12 years certainly was excellent,” Spurrier said.

Spurrier said one of his goals would be to present a game ball to Snyder when the Redskins beat the archrival Dallas Cowboys.

Snyder replaced coach Marty Schottenheimer on Monday, giving Spurrier a record five-year, $25 million deal even though he’s never coached an NFL game.

Schottenheimer will get $10 million for his one 8-8 season, in which the Redskins became the first NFL team to go from 0-5 to 5-5. He’ll receive the $7.5 million remaining on the four-year, $10 million contract he signed a year ago, with the Redskins picking up the difference in contracts if Schottenheimer signs with another team.

Snyder said he didn’t have a beef with Schottenheimer as a coach. Instead, the two parted ways because Snyder wanted to regain the final authority over the makeup of the roster, a bit of power he relinquished to Schottenheimer in an effort to prove he could be a hands-off owner.

“It was my belief that our way would have been the most successful way,” Schottenheimer said. “It was the cornerstone of my decision to come here, that I would in fact have the ability to determine exactly who would comprise our roster.”

Spurrier’s contract surpasses the previous NFL high of $4 million a year Mike Holmgren receives as Seattle’s coach and general manager.

Spurrier abruptly resigned from the University of Florida on Jan. 4 and said he wanted to see if his elaborate offensive system could work in the NFL.

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