Wunderkind?

Could he be the next big thing?

Super Bowl week is upon us and Redskins owner Dan Snyder has assured that tongues will be wagging on the team by dropping the names of Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnulo as potential head coaching candidates.

If you have been paying attention then you know there is a tinge of desperation to this revelation since if the Redskins had requested permission to talk to Josh and Steve before championship weekend and their teams agreed, the Redskins would have been able to conduct an interview during the bye week before the Super Bowl, which is to say last week. This is the Charlie Weis Romeo Crennel rule, that the top assistants were getting cockblocked out of jobs because teams felt they had to make head coaching decisions before the Super Bowl was over. Except the Redskins that is.

The Redskins did not request interviews of Steve and Josh before the bye week which signals that the Redskins were not targeting Steve and Josh two weeks ago. Or that the team didn't realize they had to request an interview in advance which means they are dumb.

Either way there is growing speculation that the Redskins are using this Super Bowl week as cover for a surprise hire that will be forthcoming, one that is not Steve or Josh, more to come on this from Curly R.

Anyway, with a hat tip to the Washington Times sports editorial staff there is a media day report from David Elfin in Glendale Arizona that Josh was asked directly about the Redskins job, that he aspires to be a head coach one day and that he would not rule out talking to the Redskins after the Super Bowl.

Josh will be 32 years old when next season starts, is he the next big thing, would coming into a situation where his coaches are already in place and he got little or no input on them and on how the team is run, would that be an attractive proposition?

It would if Josh understands that to become a head coach at such a young age he is best served letting his new team set things up and him run the show. He can focus on management and working with his coaches rather than starting things from the ground up.

It would not if Josh really believes he is an up and comer and despite his youth has a plan and wants to do it his way, start from scratch and make it his own, very much like Eric Mangini and Mike Tannenbaum did with the Jets.

I have no read on the guy so I don't know. What I do know is that the way the Redskins have set this whole thing up, it is going to take a pliable coach that is willing to tolerate Dan Snyder and that snake Vinny Cerrato messing, meddling and standing over his gameplans.

Beware Josh.



Josh McDaniels: uncredited photo from here.