There’s No Doubt About It: Schottenheimer’s in Charge

The top sign reads “1 play at a time.” The bottom one, “Expect to win.”

They are just as Marty Schottenheimer ordered, expect for one thing.

“‘Expect to win’ should go on top because you expect to win one play at a time,” said Schottenheimer, waving him finger in a circular motion at the designs shown to him by a Washington Redskins employee.

It’s not just the slogans that are getting an overhaul at Redskins Park. In six weeks since joining the team as coach and director of football operations, Schottenheimer has already changed the face of the entire organization, using his newfound authority to reverse a win-now-at-any-cost image fostered under owner Dan Snyder.

“I think the spotlight that has been on Dan has not always cast him in an accurate light,” Schottenheimer said. “But--having said that--we have certain ways that we have done it before that have been successful.”

Those are Marty’s ways, not Danny’s. And the new coach has it in writing that it will be so.

Schottenheimer’s four-year, $10 million contract gives him control over all football matters. That makes for one, focused voice in charge of the Redskins, in contrast to the muddled, who’s-in-charge atmosphere of the past two years under Snyder and former coach Norv Turner.

“I’m just looking forward to all of us being on the same page,” Snyder said. “This is a breath of fresh air to feel as comfortable as I do with the management in place. Marty is doing what he thinks is best for the organization. Everybody is paddling in the same direction.”

But on a brand new route:

* A year ago, Snyder flew to Alabama to interview Ray Rhodes for the defensive coordinator’s job, leaving the impression--justified or otherwise--that Turner wasn’t even in charge or hiring his own assistants.

This year, all the candidates came to Redskins Park for lengthy interviews. There was no doubt who was calling the shots, especially since most of his hires were former assistants for Schottenheimer in Kansas City and Cleveland. Schottenheimer even fired director of player personnel Vinny Cerrato, a member of Snyder’s inner circle.

* A year ago, Snyder was on the phone personally courting Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders and other big-name free agents to come to Washington. As a result, the Redskins entered this offseason some $6 million over the salary cap.

Under Schottenheimer’s Redskins, there will be no mortgaging the future on big-money free agents. The new coach is taking the painful option of cutting veteran players now rather than just restructuring contracts and digging a bigger hole down the road.

“I’m not looking at a single season,” Schottenheimer said after cutting Tre Johnson, Irving Fryar and Keith Sims this week. “I’m looking beyond that. . . . I do not see us being a primary player in unrestricted free agency.”

* A year ago, Snyder was planning an audacious training camp experiment: Hold the practices at home, charge admission and create a carnival-like atmosphere. The admission fee meant scouts from other teams could attend.

This year, Schottenheimer is taking the team back out of town for the summer to a college campus yet to be determined. Besides the competitive issue of the scouts, the new coach cites the bonding that occurs when players are together in dorms and dining halls.

“You find that the players begin to rely on one another,” Schottenheimer said.

Snyder has always insisted that Turner had veto power over football-related decisions, but the relationship was awkward from the start. Snyder noted that he inherited Turner, and just as in the business world, there came a time for the boss to bring in his own man.

“I think that is says it all that I hired Marty Schottenheimer,” Snyder said. “I didn’t hire Norv. Someone else did that. Marty is my manager.”

Snyder said Schottenheimer’s changes are part of the “evolution for the better” that any business undertakes. Stung by the heavy criticism he’s received since buying the team in 1999, Snyder has readily admitted making mistakes as he tackled the learning curve of being a new owner. He recently called Houston general manager Charley Casserly to say he made the wrong choice when deciding between the feuding Turner and Casserly two years ago.

“Those that know how to succeed know how to not make the same mistake over and over again,” Snyder said. “That’s how you succeed, and that’s something I’ve done all my life.”

The hallway conversations will be different now. While Turner referred to his younger boss as “Mr. Snyder,” the passionate Schottenheimer uses “Dan” or “Daniel” and makes no secret he’s willing to stand up to the equally passionate communications millionaire.

“Will there be collisions? I would hope so, because I think dissent is good,” said Schottenheimer, who invited Snyder to the NFL Combine this weekend. “I think that’s how you move forward and make progress. But I know this: He understands without question what I want, and that’s the same thing he wants, and that’s to win world championships.”