Snider: Next Redskins Coach Hidden in Plain Sight?

The Redskins will charge hard for Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to become their new coach. Urban Meyer may be more than a guest in owner Dan Snyder’s box. Plan B will include the usual suspects.

But when the first round of perhaps 10 hires league wide has top candidates signing elsewhere, who do the Redskins truly hire? Two names to consider – Marvin Lewis and Jim Harbaugh.

Maybe they’re not sexy enough for Snyder, who desperately needs a flashy name to sell tickets. And, Snyder has largely done a good job of doing that over 20 years. No one expected Joe Gibbs to return. Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Shanahan and Steve Spurrier were big names. Even Jay Gruden was the hot assistant. Only when Snyder was caught flat footed by Gibbs’ retirement did he fail to get a big name and was left with Jim Zorn. That won’t happen this time after looking for the next coach since Gruden’s Oct. 7 dismissal.

The next Redskins coach probably won’t be an A list name though. Team president Bruce Allen and Snyder have a poor reputation league wide for meddling. Sure, Snyder offers unlimited financial resources, but can be exhausting at times for coaches. Some potential hires will rather skip it.

Snyder would prefer an offensive-minded coach because scoring sells tickets, though it’s not an absolute requirement. The coach should be able to improve passer Dwayne Haskins. Most coaches swear they’ll do so before deciding they won’t. (See Robert Griffin III-Gruden as the latest example.)

There are also league wide openings with greater chance of success. The Redskins have a few good young players, but the roster needs a heavy overhaul that takes several years. By then, this coach might be gone.

Snyder needs an experience NFL coach who knows the grind and tolerates drama that lives at Redskins Park. Former Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy might have been a leading contender, but his plan to hire former Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett would be a deal-breaker with Snyder.

Snyder also has a penchant for loyalty to his inner circle and Lewis was a key early hire. The defensive coordinator for Steve Spurrier in 2002, Lewis really ran the team from A to Z, even telling the former college coach Spurrier which practice fields to use. Lewis left in 2003 to become Cincinnati’s head coach, but he is remembered well by Snyder. Lewis would know what he’s getting into in Washington, too. He can handle it.

Hiring Lewis might create some blow back among fans, who want the hot names. Twitter trolls will also somehow link Lewis to Gruden since the latter was former’s offensive coordinator. But, that’s an apple-and-oranges comparison.

Lewis was a solid coach in Cincinnati at 131-122-3 over 16 years. He just couldn’t win in the playoffs at 0-7 before fired after last season. But, Washington needs someone who can build a roster and Lewis twice followed 4-12 seasons with playoff teams.

Overall, Lewis’ personal connection to Snyder is a key to the latter’s interest. Had Lewis never worked in Washington his hiring would be a long shot.

Harbaugh has no ties to the Redskins, but his brother John working miracles in Baltimore will surely draw Snyder’s curiosity. Harbaugh is a rare NFL-college combination of experience where he has fared well in each.

Harbaugh has a reputation for wearing out his welcome after a few seasons, which seems the case now at Michigan. But, he’s also known for starting fast and Redskins fans wouldn’t mind some quick prosperity even if it peters out after a few years.

San Francisco was 13-3, 11-4 and 12-4 under Harbaugh before his rough demeanor was no longer tolerated after 8-8 in 2014. No matter, Harbaugh went 10-3 in 2015, ’16 and ’18 and 9-3 this season. But, Harbaugh was 0-5 against rival Ohio State, only once even coming close to winning. Throw in a 1-3 bowl record and Michigan fans are ready to change coaches. And, this is where Harbaugh typically bolts to the next team.

Harbaugh was an NFL quarterback for 14 years with a 1995 Pro Bowl appearance. He should be able to work with Haskins. That Harbaugh can be rough on players is no different than Schottenheimer or Shanahan.

Snyder’s coaching search will produce headlines, but ultimately NFL veterans are the ones to watch.

Here are the Redskins head coaching search odds, as determined by Rick Snider:

Eric Bieniemy 5-2

Greg Roman 4-1

Marvin Lewis 6-1

Jim Harbaugh 8-1

Byron Leftwich 10-1

Kevin Stefanski 15-1

Urban Meyer 20-1

Kevin O’Connell 25-1

Ron Rivera 30-1

Lincoln Riley 40-1

David Shaw 40-1

Rex Ryan 45-1

Mike McCarthy 50-1

Bill Callahan 50-1

Odds add up to 110% with 10% takeout by bookmakers.

Rick Snider is an award-winning sports writer who has covered Washington sports since 1978. He first wrote about the Redskins in 1983 before becoming a beat writer in 1993. Snider currently writes for several national and international publications and is a Washington tour guide. Follow Rick on Twitter at @Snide_Remarks.