At a time when all signs seem to be pointing to the hiring of former Giants coach Jim Fassel to be the new head coach in Washington, the Associated Press reports that there could be other candidates who have not yet been interviewed.

This likely means that owner Dan Snyder wants to visit with current Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who isn’t available to be interviewed until after the Super Bowl.  Though it’s also possible that the Redskins are waiting for Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, he previously said that he won’t be looking for any other gigs in 2008.

So why hasn’t Fassel been hired?  It could be that Snyder is sensitive to the backlash that already has popped up among fans.   After all, they’re the ones who buy the tickets and hats and jerseys.  If they reject Fassel before he even has the job, it might not be the best move in customer relations to hire him.

Snyder apparently recognized the possibility for local consternation over the potential hire of Fassel.  Why else would he have been a “mystery candidate”?  In our view, Snyder wanted to get a chance to assess Fassel on his own, without being consciously or subconsciously influenced by the opinions that began to flow as soon as Fassel’s name got out.

Meanwhile, some league insiders wonder why Cardinals offensive line coach Russ Grimm hasn’t gotten a sniff for the job.  Last year, Grimm was a finalist for the Steelers job.  This year, he has fallen off the face of the football earth.  But if any team should have an interest in him, it would be the team with which he spent eleven NFL seasons.