With the rumors swirling around who is the best bet to replace Skins head honcho Joe Gibbs on the sidelines, former Virginia Sen. George Allen, whose father coached the team in the 1970s and was later elected into the National Football Hall of Fame, is thinking about a Steel City sports icon with big chin and solid scowl.

"I think most folks would like to get Bill Cowher," Mr. Allen said yesterday, referring to the former Pittsburgh Steelers coach who won the Super Bowl in 2006. "He's a proven winner."

Allen, who played football at UVA and often chucked a football around on the campaign trail, complimented the way Gibbs handled a tumultuous season that included the murder of star safety Sean Taylor.

Joining the region's bar stool pundits and sports analysts, Allen, who ruled out a 2009 run for Virginia governor the same day Gibbs stepped aside, also mentioned assistant head coach/defense Gregg Williams and associate head coach Al Saunders as possible replacements.

But when push comes to shove, he said, Cowher's likely to be the most sought after.

And Allen expects that team owner Dan Snyder will do what he can to sweeten the pot enough for Cowher to enjoy regular rides to FedEx Field, despite reports that he is happy living at a new pad in North Carolina and not interested in returning to the NFL.

As for whether he may kickoff a campaign to fill the shoes once worn by his father, Allen quickly respond, "No. That's not likely at all."

— Seth McLaughlin, Virginia politics reporter, The Washington Times