ASHBURN, Va. - For now, Marvin Lewis is still the Washington Redskins' defensive coordinator.
How long that will last is unknown as Lewis remained mum about Michigan State's attempts to hire him as the school's 22nd head coach.
"I haven't made a decision yet about what's going on," Lewis said last night at Redskins Park. "Just trying to get ready to play the [Philadelphia] Eagles [on Sunday]."
ESPN.com reported that Lewis told the Redskins that he will not be the next Michigan State head coach. Lewis would neither confirm nor deny that report.
Lewis, who was wooed from the Ravens to Washington last February, left FedEx Field after the Redskins' 27-21 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday and flew to East Lansing, Mich., where he met with, among others, school president Peter McPherson and athletic director Ron Mason.
The Spartans have eyed Lewis since dismissing Bobby Williams on Nov. 4 amid speculation that the football team had spiraled out of Williams' control.
"I think they've got a great tradition," Lewis said of Michigan State. "They're a Big Ten school, they've been successful, they've got a great academic standing as universities go. I think they want to do things the right way."
Lewis was the architect of a Ravens defense that surrendered an NFL-low 165 points en route to winning the franchise's first Super Bowl championship in the 2000 season. .
Lewis' work with Washington has not been as successful. The defense is ranked 10th.
Lewis, the league's highest-paid assistant coach with a three-year contract that could pay him more than $3 million, was the front-runner for the head coaching vacancy with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the offseason, but his candidacy was stymied by the sons of team owner Malcolm Glazer.
Lewis has never wavered from his desire to be a head coach. Last night, he reiterated that goal.
"Whether it be college or the NFL, I want to be a head coach," Lewis said. "So we'll see."
Davis appears gone
Running back Stephen Davis, who is second behind cornerback Darrell Green in tenure, appears headed for an exit from the team that drafted him in 1996.
After rushing for more than 1,300 yards in each of the previous three seasons, Davis has gained just 796 yards as he has become a secondary option in Spurrier's Fun 'N' Gun offense.
On Sunday, he tied a season-low with just 12 carries. And although he gained 70 yards and scored his seventh rushing touchdown of the year, Davis likely will be a salary cap casualty during the offseason.
His salary cap hit is $11.4 million next year. By releasing him, the Redskins would save more than $5 million.
Quick kicks
Spurrier said quarterback Danny Wuerffel's reinjured right shoulder likely will keep him out a week or two and that Patrick Ramsey and Shane Matthews will be the No. 1 and 2 quarterbacks, respectively. ... Oddest scene of the year: Defensive back Kato Serwanga, who was cut by Washington last week and forced and recovered a fumble as a member of the Giants on Sunday, returned to Redskins Park yesterday to collect some mail and other belongings.