Snyder Adds Fassel to List

Former New York Giant Coach Jim Fassel interviewed for the Washington Redskins’ vacancy Thursday, meeting with owner Dan Snyder in San Francisco.

Snyder and Fassel had dinner and planned to meet again today, according to Fassel’s agent, Steve Rosner.

Although Snyder is known for working deals quickly, Rosner said Fassel intended to keep to a schedule that includes interviews with the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday and with the Chicago Bears on Monday or Tuesday.

Fassel traveled to California to watch his son play for Boston College in the San Francisco Bowl at SBC Park on New Year’s Eve.

Fassel is one of three top candidates for the Redskins’ job, and Snyder could possibly meet with all three during his West Coast trip.

Ex-Minnesota Viking coach Dennis Green lives in San Diego and interviewed with the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday, and Ray Rhodes is Seattle’s defensive coordinator.

Rhodes won’t be available until Monday at the earliest. He has been granted permission to talk to Snyder but does not plan to do so until the Seahawks’ season is over. They play at Green Bay in the first round of the NFL playoffs Sunday.

Fassel was fired last month by the Giants, who finished 4-12 in his seventh season. Fassel’s record was 60-56-1.

The Redskins are looking for a replacement for Steve Spurrier, who resigned Tuesday with a 12-20 record over two seasons.

*

Dick Vermeil will coach the Kansas City Chiefs at least one more season.

He said that he informed General Manager Carl Peterson he wanted to stay. Vermeil is in his third season at Kansas City and could become the first coach to take three teams to the Super Bowl.

“I don’t even know if it will be a one-year contract or not,” the coach said.

The 67-year-old Vermeil is the NFL’s oldest coach. His three-year, $10-million contract expires after this season and he had been considering for several weeks whether to retire.

The Chiefs began this season 9-0 and finished 13-3. They are the AFC’s second-seeded team and will be at home Jan. 11 for their playoff opener.

“I was thinking of how I would feel about four months down the road,” Vermeil said. “I decided I would be more apt to regret having left than to regret having stayed.”

*

After first booking interviews this week with defensive coordinators Romeo Crennel of New England on Wednesday and St. Louis’ Lovie Smith for today, the Chicago Bears also plan to talk with Fassel about their head-coaching job.

General Manager Jerry Angelo and President Ted Phillips also reportedly are scheduled to interview Al Saunders, the Chiefs’ assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, today.

Saunders worked four seasons as the receivers coach in San Diego under Don Coryell when the Chargers had one of the most wide-open and potent offenses in NFL history. His offense led the league in scoring this season. The Chiefs routed the Bears, 31-3, last Sunday.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Saunders will meet with Angelo and Phillips.

Angelo has made it clear that improving the Bear offense, which sputtered for much of Dick Jauron’s five-year tenure as head coach, is a top priority regardless of who the new coach is. Jauron was fired Monday.

*

Javon Walker, the Green Bay Packers’ most productive receiver who has a sore hamstring, returned to the practice field.

Walker is listed as the third receiver, but he leads the team with 716 yards receiving, a 17.5-yard average and nine touchdown catches.

But starting receivers Donald Driver and Robert Ferguson remained sidelined along with starting cornerbacks Mike McKenzie and Al Harris.

Only McKenzie, who has sat out two games because of turf toe, is questionable for Sunday’s playoff game against Seattle. The others are probable.

Driver has a sprained ankle and Ferguson a bruised Achilles’ tendon that sidelined him last week. Harris has a sore knee.