I met Marty Schottenheimer tonight at my Nephews Pee Wee League Game

[Barney B]

I wish I could have the chance to meet him. I would tell him about what a disastrous move it was to fire him and bring in an unproven college coach like Spurrier. I can honestly say, that was a move I was livid about the day it happened. You don't end a season the way Marty did and lose your job. I enjoyed Coach Gibbs 2nd stint, but that would never have happened had Marty been left alone. I really believe that man would have made us a contender for years...

I agree with and endorse this message.

I don't know how any other coach could've done better than going 8-3 with Tony Banks as your full-time starter. That's a feat for the ages.

Marty's never won the big one, but he's won everywhere he's been, and his teams were always disciplined, and always gave great effort.

Great job, pj.

[abdcskins]

Cool story pj, thanks.

Always thought Marty got a raw deal.

[Larry Brown #43]

Great write-up PJ. Thanks for posting.

When I saw the thread title I hoped there would be a good story, and you didn't fail to deliver!

It never ceases to amaze me how influential Vinny became, and remained, in this organization for so long. It's not as though he had some great charisma that hid his deficiencies.

We need to be thankful the nightmare is over. Bruce and Shanny may not be perfect. They will make mistakes. But our organization is in the hands of professionals now, and we need to appreciate it. Things could be SO much worse.

As Marty says, give them time.

Thanks again PJ!

[Burgold]

Very cool story. Amazing he was that forthcoming... he must really have disliked Cerrato. Time proved Marty right on that one. Not only was he a poor personel guy, he was a backstabber who created a culture of distrust within the organization and he worked to poison anyone who could challenge him. Players... coaches... I think that's why Gibbs almost worked. Gibbs was unassailable and the rat hid in the shadows while Joe was around not showing his true nature except possibly in the way he managed to poison the relationship with Williams and the organization.

[HapHaszard]

Thanks for sharing this with us. Pretty much shows what other people think about Vinnie, guess all us fans were not wrong. I'm dieing to see how the next couple of years are going to pan out.

[Farbod21]

Honestly, this is the best "Guess who I met today" story I have read in ages. You asked great questions and your story telling was a pleasure to read. I have a completely new found respect for Marty. Thanks again.

[Theismann07]

Cool story, thanks for sharing. Always liked Marty and felt he got screwed here.

[c4man5282]

Now that is real journalism. Thanks for the sharing the story.

[1972FAN]

Nice to here that, but I already felt Shanny is a nice fit and he and Allen are moving the team in the right direction. Pretty much blow off all the negativity about him or the team. Don't care much for the sports media. They love negative storys to drag on and on I ignore them or change the station.

[SkinsCrushCowboys]

nice story and a good read,,,wow Jeff George and Tony Banks in the same sentence.....

[jflow78]

Awesome story. I really like Marty and wish he could have had another year too. Sounds like a normal down-to-earth type of guy.

He also sounds like a Skins fan, talking crap about Vinny.

Vinny is the worm-tongue of the NFL apparently.

[ArmchairRedskin]

You know, I kinda pictured Marty as the kind of guy that wouldn't want to be bothered by fans and would not give you the time of day if you tried to say hi. It's nice to see he is so approachable. It's also cool to know that a legit NFL guy doesn't think bad of Dan, thinks highly of Shanahan and says to have some patience in order to get it turned around. That's pretty much my line of thinking all the way.

Nice of you to give us an account of the conversation, pj. Appreciate you taking the time and energy to share it.

[JustAfan47]

Man nice read bro!... Thanks for sharing, and your lucky to have talked to Marty...

Hail

[tr1]

Great story...thanks.

Looks like the Vinny hangover might finally be coming to an end.

[slackermike]

Thanks for sharing your story. It was a good write up.... It's too bad Marty didn't get a few more years with the team.

[pjfootballer]

A few things about it:

1) His grandson jumped up into his arms and Marty told him he had a good game, "But you didn't wrap up." . Always coaching.

2) Like I said, his wife told my mom that he "eats this stuff up" so to speak. She said he loved talking to fans.

3) I really got the sense in his words and voice that (A) he really likes Dan Snyder and ( he really can't stand Vinny. Best part of the conversation.

Thanks for all the comments. I was wondering when I would get the chance to start a thread about "I met (Blank)". Funny how you can remember every detail of a conversation of someone famous, but I can't even remember what my wife told me 30 minutes ago.

[pjfootballer]

nice story and a good read,,,wow Jeff George and Tony Banks in the same sentence.....

He laughed when he mentioned Jeff. Then I said we ended 8-3 with Tony Banks and he liked that I remembered that.

I'm not an autograph guy or anything, but when I got home, my wife asked, "did you take a picture with him?" I honestly never thought about it. It was just a nice experience.

[Commander Adama]

Thanks PJ. I loved reading it. Really was surprised about how he felt about Dan Snyder, though I am not surprised whatsoever about his feelings about Vinny. It was a great read! Thanks again!

[The Full Monty]

great thread.

Best quote: "you know I got Vinny fired?"

Hilarious.

[SWFLSkins]

I really thought Marty had the team moving in the right direction and probably was the Redskins best coach other than Gibbs. Look what he did in SD and then he gets fired after a 14-2 season, the guy must just not bend on what he wants and I think he is probably right by not doing so. Thanks for posting that, it was a great read.

[gortiz]

one of the main reasons why i come to this site ... you can't find this **** anywhere but here.

amazing story OP ... good stuff.

[Special K]

Tres Cool!!! Thanks so much for sharing PJ. Gotta say, Marty seems to be saying what the cooler heads on this board are saying...be patient, give it a little time. We have Vinny out of the show now, we have a solid GM and I believe we have a very solid HC. People need to be a little patient.

Also, props to your nephew for repping our team! Sounds like a cool kid I hope he has fun tomorrow night and the fans aren't too out of control...

[icbmayday]

Good thread interesting read

[SkinsCrushCowboys]

He laughed when he mentioned Jeff. Then I said we ended 8-3 with Tony Banks and he liked that I remembered that.

I'm not an autograph guy or anything, but when I got home, my wife asked, "did you take a picture with him?" I honestly never thought about it. It was just a nice experience.

and because you didn;t hound him for an autograph it was probably a nice experience for him too. Well handled, just a couple of football guru's chatting it up a bit!

[Dan T.]

One anecdote about Marty that points to his meticulous attention to detail. Some guys remember when he was coaching the Browns and they were playing Denver in the 1987 or 88 playoffs when Earnest Byner fumbled the ball on a draw play going into the end zone for what would have been a game-winning touchdown for Cleveland late in the game. It's forever known as The Fumble.

I remember an interview where Marty pointed out that his wide receiver on that side of the field just dogged it off the line of scrimmage, looking in toward the play instead of acting like it was a pass to sell the draw. That allowed the CB covering him to peel off and come inside to hit Byner. Shott noted that that one small error by the WR - not acting like it was a pass - caused the fumble.