Steve Spurrier in garnet and gold.
It just doesn't seem quite right.
Well, technically, it's not really garnet and gold, but it's close enough to make you think that Spurrier really has lost his mind this time. Can it really be true Spurrier wearing the burgundy and gold of the Washington Redskins next season as the head coach du jour hired by the NFL's most impetuous and infantile owner?
Steve Spurrier was named Monday as the newest head coach of the Redskins on Monday, which means he'll be calling his ballplays for Daniel Snyder next season.
Attila the Hun meets Genghis Khan. Brash meets rash. This is a match made in a nuclear reactor.
Memo to Spurrier: Your quarterback is Tony Banks. You'd better buy a visor with a chinstrap.
What happened to the sentiment Spurrier expressed just last week when he resigned at the University of Florida and announced his candidacy for the NFL by stating, "I want to be an underdog again." Oh, then, this makes perfect sense. Take a job with one of the most storied franchises in the league, playing for the most demanding owner in the league, located in the most powerful and political city in the world.
I hope Spurrier knows what he's getting into. I hope he doesn't go from being Florida's legendary "head ballcoach" to being Snyder's latest "head on a platter ballcoach."
If Spurrier truly wanted an underdog, he would have picked the Carolina Panthers. They were 1-15 this season. They drew 21,000 fans to their season finale. Their tradition consists of names like Don Beebe and Tshimanga Biakabutuka.
Instead, he picked a team that has fans even more spoiled than those at the University of Florida. This is the franchise of Sammy Baugh and Sonny Jurgensen and George Preston Marshall. This is a franchise with a coaching history made up of names like Vince Lombardi and Joe Gibbs and George Allen. Spurrier goes from being the greatest coach in UF history to a guy who will have a hard time even breaking into the Redskins' top five.
Nothing could be further than this from the protective cocoon of love and adulation he enjoyed in Gainesville. He goes from a 12-year stint of unprecedented success at UF to being the Redskins' fourth coach in the last 13 months.
This whole thing doesn't make much sense to me, but, then again, neither did the rotating quarterbacks, and somehow Spurrier made that work.
Still, I can't help but think this was a money decision. Spurrier goes from being the first $2 million coach in college football to the first $5 million coach in the NFL. His new deal will reportedly be worth $25 million over five years. Not bad for a man who friends often needle for being a bit, um, frugal. Ex-Florida teammate Charles Casey once told the story of winning a golf bet with Spurrier. He said that when Spurrier opened his wallet to pay, "Moths flew out."
Of course, Spurrier will have one of his closest friends in the profession Pepper Rodgersto serve as a buffer with Snyder. Also employed by the Redskins as a defensive assistant is Bill Arnsparger, the AD at Florida when Spurrier was hired.
And although Spurrier says he doesn't want control over personnel decisions, he will certainly want a GM he is comfortable with.
It's really true, the Fun 'N' Gun man is moving north.
But no need to pack warm.
Dan Snyder will have the heat turned up plenty high.
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