Lewis might finally get that No. 1 job -- at Michigan State

Insider | Notes

Don't be at all shocked to see Redskins defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis taking that Michigan State job in the next month or so.

Lewis, snubbed the past couple of years in his attempts to get a head coaching job in the NFL, is unhappy with his situation in Washington and is strongly considering the Michigan State job, according to league sources.

Lewis' agent has already discussed contract issues with Michigan State as part of the process.

Marvin Lewis' first season in Washington hasn't been all grins. (AP)

In his first season with the Redskins, Lewis is the highest-paid assistant in the league with a deal that pays him $850,000. Redskins coach Steve Spurrier was able to hire Lewis away from the Ravens after the Buccaneers reneged on a deal that would have brought him to Tampa for the top job.

The idea in Washington was that Lewis would take control of the defense, something Spurrier would just as soon not deal with, and leave Spurrier to handle the offense. There would no interfering, and there hasn't been.

But insiders say Lewis has done more than just run the defense. He has also come up with practice schedules and helped Spurrier make the transition to the NFL. At times, he has almost been a de facto head coach.

This hasn't sat well with Lewis, especially when he longs to be a head coach himself. Lewis could stay with the Redskins and hope for an NFL job, but when his defense struggled to start the season, he lost some of his luster (it has since rebounded and is ranked 11th).

There also isn't going to be much coaching turnover after the season. The possibilities are Seattle, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Dallas and Detroit, and none is a certainty.

If Lewis could turn around a bad Michigan State team, he would be a hot candidate for the NFL in a couple of years. Being hot at the right time is the key to landing one of those 32 jobs, and right now, Lewis no longer is.

The Michigan State job could be the vehicle to get him back into the hot category.

Around the league

• The Bears made a decision in the offseason to sign defensive end Bryan Robinson to a lucrative contract extension. It's a move that was pushed by the coaching staff, but not one that the front office really wanted to make. Robinson has proved to be a major disappointment. He has had off-field troubles -- such as a DUI -- that have tarnished his season, but he also hasn't played very well. There is talk he might move inside to tackle next season, but that's a position where the Bears are loaded. They have Ted Washington, who will be coming off a season lost to injury, Keith Traylor and Alfonso Boone, who has also been a bit of a disappointment after getting a new contract. The Bears have been hit by a lot of injuries, but some bad personnel decisions have also started to catch up with them. The Robinson, Boone and Jerry Azumah deals are all ones that the Bears would love to have back. General manager Jerry Angelo said this week that coach Dick Jauron and his staff will be back. The glut of injuries, plus the fact the Bears are playing their home games this season at the University of Illinois, will give Jauron another season. If Angelo is smart, he'll force Jauron to make a change at offensive coordinator. John Shoop has not done the job, and the Bears players and some in the front office think he is overmatched.

• One of the major disappointments has been the play of Tampa Bay's Michael Pittman. With his cut body and powerful look, the Bucs thought he'd be the answer to their running game. He hasn't come close. Pittman has not had the pop to get through the holes and he also doesn't have the power his body suggests. Tampa Bay is averaging 87.4 yards per game rushing. That's not good enough when the passing game still doesn't strike fear in anyone. Pittman has not scored a touchdown this season and he's averaging 3.4 per rush. So much for all that preseason talk about him being this year's Priest Holmes. Look for Tampa Bay to address this position after the season, perhaps in the draft, although 2003 is a lean one in terms of star runners. But remember, you can get backs in the second, third and fourth rounds who can contribute right away.

• The soap opera in the Redskins front office may be getting some stability after the season. The talk around the league is that Joe Mendes, the vice president of football operations, will be fired, but it won't be Vinny Cerrato taking over running the personnel department. Indications are that Spurrier, who will take more of an active role in personnel, will help facilitate the hiring of Tampa Bay director of player personnel Tim Ruskell. Spurrier and Ruskell are good friends and worked together with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL. Ruskell is a respected personnel man who earned his wings the hard way, coming up through the ranks as a scout. Those types of guys don't get enough opportunities to run teams anymore. He is said to be another in the Bucs organization who is tiring of coach Jon Gruden taking over more of the personnel duties. If Ruskell does go to Washington, Cerrato will likely stay to work with him since owner Dan Snyder is a strong supporter. Mendes has not endeared himself to Spurrier or his coaching staff, which is why a change is near. If Spurrier and whoever runs the personnel department are smart, they'll make a big push to land Buffalo receiver Peerless Price. That offense badly needs speed.

• With the mobile quarterback all the rage, and the thinking that those kinds of players stay out of danger, here's a stat that will surprise some: Michael Vick is the second most sacked player in the league, playing behind a pretty good offensive line. Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb, another mobile quarterback, is the seventh most sacked passer. Peyton Manning, known for his stay-in-the-pocket presence, has been sacked only 19 times -- 11th best in the league.

• Jaguars cornerback Fernando Bryant has had an impressive season playing new coordinator John Pease's more aggressive style. Bryant had an outstanding rookie season in 1999 under Dom Capers but then struggled with injuries the next two years. He has never had a love for Tom Coughlin, so Bryant will almost certainly not exercise the option in his contract after the season and will become an unrestricted free agent. If he does, he will strengthen a cornerback class that will be headed by Baltimore's Chris McAlister . Bryant will get considerable play on the open market in a league where teams are starved for good man-cover players. He's the type of player who will be better off playing for a new team, too.

• Is Kurt Warner so insecure about his job that he played last week despite the fact that he knew he might have trouble throwing because of an injury? Warner obviously struggled throwing last week against the Eagles -- even though, in fairness to him, he spent much of the day on his back -- and then we find out Monday he had a broken bone in his right hand. Rams coach Mike Martz said he told Warner to get the X-ray Monday, but his wife, Brenda, told a St. Louis radio station that was simply not true. Whatever the real story is isn't the issue. The issue is that a two-time MVP is so unsure about his job status that he fights to play even with an injured hand. What the Rams have done to that man is ridiculous. Can you imagine Dan Marino in his prime playing a game with an injury because of job insecurity? Warner should be above that. The fact he isn't reflects poorly on the Rams organization and Martz. If the Rams are serious about trading him, there are 15 teams that would take him right now. The magic isn't lost in one season.

• Looking for a rising head coaching candidate? Look at Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger. The Titans offense is now far more unpredictable than in years past, and that's because coach Jeff Fisher has given more control of it to Heimerdinger. Now in his third season with the team, Heimerdinger has loosened things up behind quarterback Steve McNair. Give Fisher credit for realizing that Heimerdinger deserved the chance to take more control.

• The Eagles are facing a tough negotiation with defensive end Hugh Douglas, who voided the final year of his contract Sunday when he got his 10th sack of the season, meaning he'll be an unrestricted free agent. Douglas is still a quality pass rusher, but he'll be 32 when the 2003 season starts. That's where the risk is. Giving aging players big-money deals can backfire, even if a team has the cap room available, as the Eagles do. Yet Douglas remains a key player in the Eagles' quest for a Super Bowl. Team president Joe Banner will have his hands full with this one.

• It's looking more and more as if Falcons owner Arthur Blank will keep things as they are next season. Coach Dan Reeves will be back, and Ron Hill, the team's vice president of football operations, might be getting a new title: general manager. The Falcons are still in the process of screening possible GM candidates, but what's the point when the best candidate might be right in front of their noses? Hill, who has helped turn this team around, deserves the shot to be the GM.

Odds and ends

• The Redskins are trying to lock up right tackle Jon Jansen to a long-term contract in an effort to keep him from becoming an unrestricted free agent. The Redskins will likely use a transition tag if they don't sign Jansen to a new deal. Jansen is seeking $5 million per season, which some league personnel think is far too high for a player of his caliber. "He doesn't play to that level," said one NFC personnel director. Since Jansen played the less-glamorous right tackle spot and doesn't have the tools to move to the left side, he will likely get a top-offer deal from the Redskins in the $4 million per year range. If he doesn't accept, look for him to get the transition label and seek offers elsewhere. The Redskins can match any one. Washington could be facing cap problems next season, although they seem to be making plans to play without Stephen Davis. Davis is scheduled to have a cap figure of $11.4 million. Unless he restructures, he'll almost certainly be gone. Look for the Redskins to play rookie Ladell Betts more in the final month in effort to gauge whether they can do without Davis. Memo to Snyder: You can. Finding runners isn't as hard as you think.

• The NFL has extended the Scouting Combine a couple of extra days this February. The reason is to allow players to comfortably take all the psychological tests teams are now giving. In the past, players had to rush through the tests. But with off-field issues seemingly becoming more of a problem, teams want players to be able to take their time.

• We've been all over Warren Sapp about his cheap shot on Clad Clifton, but the hit Denver guard Steve Herndon put on San Diego's Jamal Williams was even worse. Herndon clipped Williams from behind, even though he was downfield and trailing the play. Williams broke an ankle and is done for the season. Herndon was fined one game check by the league, which is $17,000, because of the hit. The Broncos and Herndon have apologized to Williams, which is more than we can say about Sapp. He still hasn't called Clifton. Do the right thing, Warren. Call the man, even if you insist it was a clean hit.

• Do you think the Jets regret giving Wayne Chrebet that big contract before the season? Bet they do, especially since he'll never be anything more than a good possession receiver. Now that he's complaining about not getting the ball, that big contract looks even dumber than when they gave it to him.

• Wasn't that just a bit much when Tim Brown caught his 1,000th pass Monday night? Stop the game for a second, but bringing out every relative to say hello was ridiculous. Brown is a class player, and he deserves his due, but that was overboard.

• The Philadelphia run defense has improved with 300-pound middle linebacker Levon Kirkland. And now Kirkland is staying on the field on more passing downs, too. Look for the opposition to find Kirkland on early downs and get him to play coverage. At his size, he is a liability there.

• It's probably appropriate in the year of the backup quarterback that the two leaders in yards-per-attempt started the season on the bench. Marc Bulger leads the league at 8.65, and Pittsburgh's Tommy Maddox is second at 8.