Redskins Get Their Coach

Marty Schottenheimer didn’t think he could co-exist with Dan Snyder. One meeting, a juicy title and lots of money changed his mind.

Schottenheimer returned to the NFL as coach and director of football operations of the Washington Redskins on Wednesday, agreeing to work for a demanding owner whose underachieving team was an expensive bust this season.

“Marty Schottenheimer knows how to win, and that’s what Redskins fans demand in a coach,” said Snyder, who just finished his first full season as owner. “I believe we have a solid player foundation at the Redskins. We’re now pairing that with a coach who understands what it takes to be successful in the NFL.”

Schottenheimer, 57, received a four-year, $10-million contract from the Redskins, who finished the season 8-8 and missed the playoffs despite the largest player payroll in NFL history. His .630 regular-season winning percentage with Cleveland and Kansas City is seventh best in NFL history,

Schottenheimer at first was a harsh critic of Snyder’s hands-on management style. When asked on the air as an analyst for ESPN last month about the possibility of working for Snyder, Schottenheimer said: “I don’t think that our management styles are similar enough that we could co-exist effectively.”

On Wednesday, Schottenheimer acknowledged a change of heart.

“At first I felt our management styles were not similar,” Schottenheimer said. “But when I met him, I found him to be a very engaging guy, and totally committed to recapturing the winning tradition of the Washington Redskins.”

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Hall of Famer Art Shell resigned as offensive line coach of the Atlanta Falcons after four seasons.

Shell, 54, was in charge of an injury-plagued unit that gave up 61 sacks--second-most in the league--and averaged a mere 3.5 yards a running play. Coach Dan Reeves said it wasn’t a forced resignation. Shell is scheduled to interview with the expansion Houston Texans for their head coaching job.

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The New York Jets are taking a one-week timeout on their coaching plans with team owner Woody Johnson and chief of football operations Bill Parcells saying the job will remain vacant for another week, at least. The job came open when Al Groh resigned Saturday to become coach at Virginia.

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Dom Capers, defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars, is scheduled to interview Thursday for the head coaching job with the Texans. Capers previously coached the Carolina Panthers.

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The San Diego Chargers fired player personnel director Billy Devaney and pro personnel director Greg Gaines, presumably to clear the way for John Butler to be hired as general manager of the NFL’s worst team. Butler previously held the same job with the Buffalo Bills.

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Running back Tiki Barber practiced with a hard cast on his broken left arm and said he will try a padded brace today, emphasizing that “there is no way I’m not playing” against the Philadelphia Eagles in Sunday’s NFC semifinal.

Barber broke his arm Dec. 17 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Giant receiver Joe Jurevicius, who missed the last two weeks because of a sprained left knee, was listed as questionable.

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Arizona Cardinal defensive end Andre Wadsworth had surgery on both knees and will have his sore left shoulder evaluated to see if he’ll need another operation, the team said. The surgery left Wadsworth questionable for the start of the 2001 season, the team said.

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Buffalo kicker Steve Christie said the Bills’ quarterback controversy divided the team before the season even started.

The split began when Coach Wade Phillips started Rob Johnson in place of Doug Flutie in last season’s AFC wild-card playoff loss to Tennessee, Christie told the Canadian Press.

“The guys are divided because everyone likes Rob. He’s a good guy and is laid-back,” Christie said. “But Doug gets them going much more when he’s on the field.”

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DIVISONAL PLAYOFFS

NFC

NEW ORLEANS (11-6) at MINNESOTA (11-5), 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Ch. 11

PHILADELPHIA (12-5) at N.Y. GIANTS (12-4), 1:15 p.m., Sunday, Ch. 11

AFC

MIAMI (12-5) at OAKLAND (12-4), 1 p.m., Saturday, Ch. 2

BALTIMORE (13-4) at TENNESSEE (13-3), 9:30 a.m., Sunday, Ch. 2