Redskins Lure Saunders Away From Chiefs

The Washington Redskins have hired former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, according to Chiefs coach Herman Edwards.

He will join Redskins coaches who, as of yesterday, have agreed to contract extensions and will retain their titles. All, except for Coach Joe Gibbs and Gregg Williams, assistant head coach -- defense, were entering the final year of their original three-year deals. Terms were not available, but the signings keep the NFL's highest-paid ever staff intact. Owner Daniel Snyder was at Redskins Park for part of the day and Gibbs is out of town for the weekend. It is not expected that Saunders' arrival would result in the departure of any coach.

It could not be immediately determined what role Saunders would fill or what his title would be. The team has an unconventional coaching structure in which, for instance, the defensive coordinator is not in charge of the defense. That role is reserved for Williams.

This move would come a year after Gibbs added Bill Musgrave to the offensive staff as a quarterbacks coach after he was fired as Jacksonville's offensive coordinator. It would add another well-respected coach to the Skins' experienced staff.

The Chiefs announced they have replaced Saunders with Mike Solari, offensive line coach.

Saunders, 59, has coached 23 years in the NFL and spent 15 with Kansas City, most recently from 2001-2005 running the offense under head coach Dick Vermeil, who retired this off-season. Saunders and Gibbs first became acquainted in 1970, when Saunders became a graduate assistant coach at the University of Southern California, where Gibbs was already part of the staff. Both men studied under mentor Don Coryell, an offensive innovator, but at different times.

Saunders served as head coach in San Diego from 1986-1988, when he took over for Coryell, and has been a part of several explosive offenses, including the St. Louis attack that won a Super Bowl in 1999. In 2004, the Chiefs placed in the top five in four major offensive categories, and Kansas City's running game has been dominant for much of this decade under his guidance.

The Redskins offense evolved in 2005 but still has much room for improvement. The team produced just 120 total yards in a playoff win at Tampa Bay, and was again unable to move the ball in Seattle, where it lost in the division playoffs.

Washington is seeking to upgrade its receivers this off-season, with Pro Bowler Santana Moss carrying the bulk of the load, and it already has a star tailback, Clinton Portis, and emerging H-back, Chris Cooley, as well as an experienced offensive line that excels at run blocking.

Saunders was born in London, but became a U.S. citizen in 1960. He is an accomplished swimmer and long-distance runner, and was a receiver and defensive back at San Jose State from 1966-68.