The Washington Redskins have continued their assemblage of an all-star, and pricey staff of assistants, hiring Jerry Gray to coach the secondary. Most recently the defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills, a position that he held for five seasons (2001-05), Gray becomes the latest high profile aide in owner Dan Snyder's galaxy of staffers. The Redskins recently hired former Kansas City offensive coordinator Al Saunders in the same capacity, signing him to a three-year contract worth about $6 million. Before that, the Redskins took highly regarded defensive coordinator Gregg Williams out of the head coach market by signing him to a three-year extension that could be worth as much as $2.6 million annually, and which will pay him a $1 million bonus if he is not named head coach when Joe Gibbs retires. Contract details of Gray's deal were not available. Hiring Gray reunites him with Williams and Washington will be the third different team with which the two have worked together. Gray was the Tennessee secondary coach when Williams was the Titans' defensive coordinator. When Williams went to Buffalo as head coach in 2001, he brought Gray along.

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor faces up to 46 years in prison after two additional assault charges were filed against him Friday. Michael Grieco, an assistant state attorney, said the charges reflect Taylor's alleged threatening of three people with a gun in an armed confrontation over an all-terrain vehicle on June 1. Taylor, 22, now faces three counts of aggravated assault, each of which carries a minimum sentence of three years and a maximum of 15 years in prison. He also faces one misdemeanor battery charge that carries a potential one-year prison term. Trial is scheduled to begin March 20 for Taylor, a former University of Miami star who signed a seven-year, $18-million contract after being drafted by the Redskins in 2004. He has six interceptions and 120 tackles in his two seasons.

For the first time in his Hall of Fame coaching career, Joe Gibbs will turn over the offense and play-calling to someone else, ESPN's Chris Mortensen has learned. New offensive coordinator Al Saunders, who, like Gibbs, has ties to former NFL offensive guru Don Coryell, will take over those duties for the 2006 season. While Gibbs will remain actively involved in game planning and offensive strategy, team sources say Gibbs will embrace more of a CEO/GM mentality and turn his attention even more to the personnel side -- such as the big decisions as to whether to trade backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey and keep linebacker Lavar Arrington.

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs upgraded his offense Thursday by adding one of the brightest offensive minds to his sidelines. Gibbs hired Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, convincing him to sign a three-year contract worth more than $2 million a year. Saunders was considered the leading candidate for the Raiders head coaching job after their first set of three interviews but he had not been offered the job. With only two head coaching opportunities left -- Oakland and Buffalo -- Saunders was fielding a lot of phone calls by teams and coaches who wanted him as their offensive coordinator. The biggest surprise was the arrival of Gibbs in Kansas City on Wednesday. Gibbs made Saunders an offer he couldn't refuse, a deal that trumped a chance to be a head coach. After the season, Gibbs talked defensive coordinator Gregg Williams into staying instead of taking a head coaching job on an other team. Williams received a three-year, $7.8 million deal. His deal, the most lucrative ever for an assistant coach, includes a $1 million bonus if he is not named the Washington head coach when Gibbs retires.

The trial of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor for allegedly pointing a gun during a dispute was postponed Friday so it won't interfere with his availability through the NFL playoffs. Prosecutor Michael Grieco told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mary Barzee that Taylor should not be treated differently than any other defendant, many of whom have to miss work to attend court, and his trial should begin as scheduled Tuesday. He also pointed to Taylor's ejection from last Saturday's playoff win over Tampa Bay for spitting in the face of Buccaneers running back Michael Pittman. "Mr. Taylor has not been a model citizen," Grieco said.

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor was fined $17,000 for spitting in the face of Michael Pittman during Saturday's 17-10 wild-card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The fine is equivalent to Taylor's game check for the wild-card game. Taylor spit at Pittman as the two stood face-to-face after a 3-yard scramble by quarterback Chris Simms in the third quarter. Pittman hit Taylor in retaliation, but referee Mike Carey announced there would be no penalty on Pittman. "There was a lot of trash-talking the whole time," Pittman said Saturday. "He spit in my face, no man is going to spit in my face. I have a lot of respect for Sean Taylor, but no respect no more. My initial reaction was, just hit him in the face. He'd be a lot worse if it was on the street."

Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who signed a three-year contract for $7.8 million, is staying put, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported. Teams looking for head coaches did complain about reports that Williams was precluded by the contract from interviewing for any vacancies this year -- the league reminded the Redskins they can't do that. Still, he's not going anywhere and Mortensen has confirmed that if and when Joe Gibbs retires, Williams will get a $1 million bonus if he is still on staff and is not named as Gibbs' successor. Williams, 47, compiled a 17-31 record in three seasons (2001-2003) as the Buffalo Bills' head coach. He joined the Redskins in 2004, with his contract then making him one of the NFL's top-paid assistants, and has steadily rehabilitated his image. Most league observers feel Williams will be markedly better in a second stint as a head coach. Williams is one of the game's most creative defensive minds. He has fashioned a scheme that elevates the performance of the players in it. The Redskins defense statistically ranked ninth in the NFL this year and third in 2004.

Gregg Williams, one of the league's most attractive candidates, and a man expected to have been courted by several teams seeking a new head coach, is off the market. The Washington Redskins have signed their defensive to a new three-year contract that will pay him a salary commensurate to some head coaching posts in the league and which will preclude him from interviewing for any jobs until 2007. The deal reportedly makes Williams the highest paid assistant in NFL history.