As we speak, Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is meeting with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder about the team's vacant head coaching job.
Snyder was surely taken with Spagnuolo's defensive masterpiece in Super Bowl XLII, as the Giants held the highest scoring offense in regular season history to just two touchdowns. And while the speculation in Washington leans toward Snyder going with former Giants head coach Jim Fassel as his top choice, Spags will certainly be an intriguing candidate.
But if Spagnuolo is smart, he'll wait a year before leaving the Giants. The front-office dynamic in Washington is just too wacky for him to cast his lot with Snyder, who has returned to his meddlesome ways now that Joe Gibbs has re-retired.
The fact that Snyder has already hired his offensive and defensive coordinators should raise enough caution flags for Spagnuolo that this is a treacherous job. Snyder's history of interfering with his head coaches (with Gibbs being the only exception) is obvious, and Spagnuolo ought to stay away.
He can get a generous raise with the Giants, stick around for another year, and have a better chance of finding a less chaotic situation than Washington. Even if the Giants struggle next year, owners and general managers will not forget all that Spagnuolo has accomplished with the Giants.
Don't do it, Spags.
Comments (2)
Bob:
Do you have any inkling as to what would be his preferred coaching destination--for example, would he want to wait to see if the Eagles job opens up next year? (Apart from Europe, most of his previous jobs have been East Coast-based)
And, if he waits until next year, would he be pitted against Bill Cowher for certain jobs? Or, would they operate in parallel universes?
There's always a chance Cowher comes back and would move to the top of the coaching list. But there are always multiple openings, and I can't imagine Spagnuolo wouldn't get a shot at some point next season.
Philly would be a logical destination if Reid steps down.