skinsfanjoe Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 By Merril Hoge Special to ESPN.com When push comes to shove, it's not always about the money. All things considered, Steve Spurrier's resignation as head coach of the Washington Redskins was the best thing for everyone involved. Remember, Spurrier already has collected $10 million from the Redskins and he made plenty of money while he was in Florida. This decision was about much more than dollars. Many people attributed Spurrier's lack of success to the learning curve that goes along with being a new head coach. But this season, we watched first-year head coach Marvin Lewis turn the losing Cincinnati Bengals into playoff contenders. Meanwhile, it took Spurrier two years to drive the Redskins right into the ground. He didn't learn anything. Spurrier tried to do things his way -- the college way. Well, the college way doesn't fly in the NFL. The NFL doesn't determine its champion by a computer, and coaches don't get to select their schedule or the easiest teams to play against. Heck, in the NFL, there are no easy teams. Spurrier never learned how to prepare in this league. He didn't even have a playbook, which is the staple of any organization. Spurrier never established a direction, and therefore his players never knew where they were going. Ultimately, it all starts at the top, and while I'm not sure that Dan Snyder is any better, if he can get an NFL staff in place -- experienced personnel who know what it takes to win at the professional level -- the Redskins have as good a shot as any team next year. Certainly, they need to fill some holes, but they've got a lot of talent on that team as well. With the right coach to manage that personnel, some semblance of hope can be restored in Washington. You can mask the fact that Spurrier quit by using the word "resign," but it just goes to show that if you're not a real man, the NFL will chew you up and spit you out. It doesn't matter how much money you're making, it's not worth it. You'll want to quit, and that's exactly what Spurrier did. Former NFL running back Merril Hoge is an ESPN analyst on EA NFL Matchup and NFL Live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 I think it is indeed true that where Joe Gibbs or Tom Landry took early setbacks as a challenge to achieve with their clubs, Steve Spurrier did nothing but shrink back into a shell, refusing to believe what was happening around him This year's team was half-asleep during that last 12 game stretch where the Skins at 2-10 were one of the worst teams in the NFL. Hoge is right that there is enough talent here to make this team respectable, if not a playoff team in 2004. It is a shame we had to go rudderless for the better part of a year. In Snyder's defense, I think he believed a man who could win 122 games in 10 years while building a program at Florida could come in here and work to learn and achieve at an NFL level. I don't think Spurrier ever accepted the real challenges he was faced with. In the end he resigned on a cell phone from the green of a golf course. Could you ever imagine Gibbs, Walsh, Landry or Shula going out that way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BD Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Slight correction to your post: Former NFL running back Merril Hoge is an ESPN analyst on EA NFL Matchup and NFL Live and the recipient of the Biggest Douchebag in Sports Award for the three years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 yeah, but i'd take exception to the "real man" statement. dude, you get paid for that garbage?...personal jabs need not apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsfanjoe Posted December 31, 2003 Author Share Posted December 31, 2003 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyGator Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Didn't Hoge call our running backs the worst overall group in the NFL, at least in terms of blocking ability? I saw Don Shula weeks before he quit the Dolphins. He went everywhere with a bodyguard. He was a beaten man too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 This focktard needs to reevaluate his role in life. Are you in the NFL anymore Merry? Youre an armchair jagoff. I actually hoped that cancer might have made you less of an a$shole but thats too much to ask for isnt it Merry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratoman Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Spurrier...FU)KEN PU$$Y!! :puke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratoman Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Originally posted by BD Slight correction to your post: Former NFL running back Merril Hoge is an ESPN analyst on EA NFL Matchup and NFL Live and the recipient of the Biggest Douchebag in Sports Award for the three years. Can't handle the Truth?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 exactly when did Spurrier stand up and be counted as Redskins coach? when did he exhibit the 'Redskins are MY team' sort of attitude that successful coaches assume with little prompting? what was the worst thing that could have happened to him if he had benched Bruce Smith or sat Trotter down for a week when he admitted he freelanced and blew an assignment which ended up costing us a game? would Snyder have fired him over that during the season with all eyes on him? I doubt it. In the end Spurrier didn't make much use of the indirect power he did hold and that to me is a sign his heart wasn't in this. He just didn't want success badly enough to fight for it. And when you are 58 battling teams where the coaches seem to be getting younger each year, do you really have the energy and motivation to put in the kind of time necessary to be a top echelon coach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 stratoman, while everyone here is certainly entitled to their opinion, i'm having a great deal of difficulty understanding your hate for ss. what's the deal?...he was hired to coach, it didn't work out, he walked away. does he continue to lead our team into the dirt?...no. he steps aside and gives an oppurtunity to excel to someone else. you're always going to have people come along and say i told you so i guess, but i can't see the depth of your argument. and where's your answer?...i don't understand people who point fingers, speak of problems, and yet, never promote a solution...so where's yours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratoman Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Originally posted by Stone Cold stratoman, while everyone here is certainly entitled to their opinion, i'm having a great deal of difficulty understanding your hate for ss. what's the deal?...he was hired to coach, it didn't work out, he walked away. does he continue to lead our team into the dirt?...no. he steps aside and gives an oppurtunity to excel to someone else. you're always going to have people come along and say i told you so i guess, but i can't see the depth of your argument. and where's your answer?...i don't understand people who point fingers, speak of problems, and yet, never promote a solution...so where's yours? Stonecold, I followed him in the pros behind John Brodie with 49ers and the first starting QB in tampa and he sucked all the while and was very ****ey! I don't think he is a good person let alone a good coach. I have been waiting for this since he was hired as a Redskin Coach. He won the Heisman and sucked as pro and was trying to live that dream through Danny W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Cold Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 that's fine i suppose. go ahead and rejoice because, in your mind, this is a great triumph of sorts. as a fan, i take every negative that happens to our beloved skins to heart though i never get personal. am i happy we may be moving in the right direction with his departure?...absolutely. but, i gather that something as shallow as "he's very ****ey" is perhaps not such a bad trait to have as an nfl coach. not trying to convince you to like ss, i'm not too sad to see him leave either, but i still find your reasoning as shallow and off the mark...sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 stone cold, each of us grieves in his own way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 The morning shift bashed this loser earlier as well http://www.extremeskins.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45115 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins26 Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 I'm sorry but I thought that Merril Hoge was terrible himself. Didnt he get like cut and played arena football for a while or something??? So wouldnt that be like saying the NFL ate him up and spit him out, cause he's not a real man!!! Hoge is a tool. Spurrier realized his system didnt work and walked away for the good of our team, he walked away from a lot of money too, probably more than Hoge has made his entire life. And to all of you calling Spurrier a ***** and all that, cause he resigned in Florida, well if you havent heard, he will still be working as a consultant to clean things up for a while after he's back. So i'm sure he will be going back to redskin park and talking to some of the players and things like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BD Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I'm not saying Spurrier was a great guy - but that column shows as clear as day that Merill Hoge's opinions suck ass. BD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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