WOW - Strong words on Spurrier from Pepper Rodgers

Talk about strong words when discussing Steve Spurrier and his performance at the Redskins. Sure didn't hold back. Of course this is relavent to GT because Rodgers gave Spurrier his first coaching job at GT.

Supporter of Spurrier disappointed in coach
Published January 13, 2004

Pepper Rodgers gave Steve Spurrier his first big break in coaching 24 years ago when he hired him to tutor quarterbacks and coordinate the offense at Georgia Tech. As vice president of football operations for the Washington Redskins, Rodgers played a key role in helping owner Dan Snyder lure Spurrier to the NFL club two years ago for a record $25 million contract.

Last week, Rodgers, 72, had the look on his face and the tone in his voice of a father disappointed with his son.

"Dick Vermeil lost badly his first two years. So did Jimmy Johnson. Things worked out for them," Rodgers said. "Steve didn't even try."

The Redskins on Thursday announced that Joe Gibbs, who led the club to three Super Bowl titles before announcing his retirement in 1993, would return to become coach and president of the franchise. Rodgers, though, spoke about how Spurrier let him down.

"When you're a head football coach, you get a record -- just like when you're going to prison," Rodgers said. "Assistant coaches don't get records. Owners don't get records. I have a record and Steve Spurrier has a record, and his record here wasn't good."

Spurrier was 12-20 in his two seasons, losing 10 of his final 12 games. Washington's 5-11 mark in 2003 tied for the fifth-worst in the NFL and was the worst by the club since 1994.

"There's opinions, and there's facts," Rodgers said. "My opinion is that Steve's a great coach. The facts are, he did not get it done here, and he has to live with that. There's nobody else who can pull him out of it except himself. Whether he wants to get back in coaching, I don't know. He was a great college coach. He didn't get it done in the pros."

Sam Huff, a Hall of Fame linebacker and color analyst for Redskins radio broadcasts, said a lack of experience on Spurrier's coaching staff probably was too much to overcome. Huff said Spurrier never accepted that Snyder was going to be around.

"The first thing a coach needs to learn is about the owner," said Huff, 69. "He owns the football team. He has the right to be on the sideline if he wants to be. He has the right to come in the dressing room or a meeting if he wants to. Just don't make a big deal out of it. If he wants to be involved, he can be. He's writing the checks. If Joe Gibbs can accept that, anybody can."

Said Rodgers: "I told Dan Snyder, 'Don't ever apologize for hiring Steve Spurrier. By God, everybody wanted to hire him.' "

Rodgers recalled going to Miami for the 2002 Orange Bowl, which ended up being Spurrier's final game at Florida. He watched the Gators prepare for their date against Maryland and saw Spurrier be hands-on with his quarterbacks, running backs and receivers.

"He didn't do that this year," Rodgers said. "He let other people coach the quarterbacks. Hell, he even quit calling plays. I mean, did anybody tell him to do that? No. Somewhere, Steve Spurrier lost the passion for this job."

Whether Spurrier lost his passion for coaching is something we may not know for a while. Rodgers, for one, said he thinks Spurrier is done in the pros.

"I'm sure there were a lot of factors -- and I don't know what they are -- but this was not the Steve Spurrier that I knew and thought would be a great football coach in the NFL," Rodgers said. "He's a dear friend, and I'm sorry he left, but he left on his own accord."