Redskins fire two assistants

The Washington Redskins fired defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and offensive coordinator Al Saunders on Saturday, promoted Greg Blache to lead the team’s defense and announced that a head coach would probably not be in place for at least another week.

The Redskins also formally announced the hiring of Jim Zorn, who agreed to a three-year deal on Friday to be offensive coordinator.

“The process of selecting a new head coach continues, although no hire is planned until after the Super Bowl so as not to distract from the championship game as well as to keep open all our options,” owner Dan Snyder said in a statement, his first public comments on a coaching search that began more than two weeks ago.

Williams’ dismissal removes one of the early favorites to succeed Joe Gibbs, who resigned Jan. 8. Williams had been in charge of the Redskins defense for all four seasons under Gibbs, but his confrontational style and poor track record at his previous head coaching stint with the Buffalo Bills did little to help his chances for the top job.

Williams met four times with Snyder to discuss the position, but it quickly became clear that the owner was more focused on other candidates, including former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel and current Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Williams told the Washington Post on Friday night that he was considering withdrawing his name from consideration. He and Snyder met Saturday morning to part ways.

A person familiar with the selection process said that Saunders, who ran the offense for the last two seasons, was never a candidate for the head coaching position.

Saunders, like Williams, was considered a possible heir-apparent to Gibbs when he arrived in Washington, but he was never able to generate the type of consistent, high-yardage attack he had during his long stint as an offensive coordinator in Kansas City.

Saunders’ fate was sealed when Zorn, the Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach since 2001, agreed to terms Friday.

New Atlanta Falcons Coach Mike Smith hired Terry Robiskie as receivers coach. Robiskie has 25 years of NFL coaching experience, including brief stints as an interim head coach in Washington and Cleveland.

The Cleveland Browns have made contract offers to quarterback Derek Anderson and running back Jamal Lewis, key players they hope to keep off the free-agent market.

A team spokesman confirmed proposals were sent to the representative for both players, but he could not provide details about the length or value of the deals.