NFL Spurrier to be different coach for next season

He's learned a lot in his first season with the Redskins.
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- There's a new Steve Spurrier waiting to take over, one who actually looks and sounds like an NFL coach.
Right now, he's watching the old Spurrier suffer through the final games of a Washington Redskins season with the most losses he's ever known.
Among the mistakes Spurrier acknowledges making in his rookie season, the biggest has been creating the appearance that he doesn't control the reins of his own team.
"You've got to take charge. You've got to be in charge," Spurrier said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I should have done that better. The head coach, he should know everything that's going on."
Spurrier doesn't want to talk about next year with two games to play, but his general comments make it clear he will handle the team differently starting Dec. 30, the day after the final game.
The change is twofold: better interaction with players and more say in how the team is put together. In other words, no more of the "aw-shucks" offense-only ballcoach who's happy to work just on pitching and catching and leave everything else to somebody else.
Head coach is accountable
"The head coach can't be standing around watching everything," Spurrier said. "He has to be accountable for everything that moves.
"I came in pretty much last year and really didn't know a lot about the personnel and the draft and this, that and the other. I've tried to learn as much as I can. Even though I won't actively scout defensive linemen or linebackers, I'll be involved in the input and try to get some type of feel for the players we're interested in and give my opinion. Instead of saying, 'Whatever you guys want to do is fine,' I'll say, 'I think we need this guy.'
"That's what the head coach needs to do. Last year, I probably wasn't quite qualified to do it, so I didn't try to act like I knew more than I did."
Spurrier isn't about to criticize his bosses, but his decision to become more involved is an implicit jab at the general-manager-by-committee of owner Dan Snyder, director of player personnel Vinny Cerrato and vice president of football operations Joe Mendes.
Made some mistakes
The three of them didn't address holes on the offensive line while overspending on defense. Spurrier himself has to take the blame for thinking that "cheap and available" quarterbacks and receivers, especially former Florida Gators, would be sufficient to run his dynamic offense.
But perhaps even more important than picking the players, Spurrier needs to overhaul the haphazard nature of how he handles those players.
Spurrier has been so focused on quarterbacks and receivers this season that he seems oblivious to everything else. He mispronounces players' names. He is unaware of injuries. It was four games into preseason before he realized -- after being told by a reporter -- that one prospect had yet to get into a game.