Chris Samuels is going home.
The Redskins' long-time left tackle has accepted a volunteer position as offensive coordinator for Blount High School in Mobile, Ala., his hometown.
In an interview with Redskins.com on Wednesday, Samuels said he was excited to begin a career in coaching, even if it's at a volunteer level.
He served as a coaching intern for the Redskins last year.
"I've always wanted to coach football and I've been looking forward to it," he said. "The internship was a great opportunity for me. It helped me out and it's going to take me a long way. I'll enjoy high school coaching for a while, but eventually I might want to get into college or pro."
Samuels grew up in Mobile, Ala., and went on to become an All-American left tackle for the University of Alabama. He was selected by the Redskins in the first round (third overall) of the 2000 NFL Draft.
He is coaching with long-time friend and former college teammate Kelvin Sigler, who is the head coach at Blount High School.
Blount finished 5-6 last season after three straight playoff appearances, according to the Press-Register, Mobile's daily newspaper.
Samuels has already met with some of his players. Some of them, he said, have promising futures as college athletes.
"The school is in the rougher part of town and [Sigler] has been doing a really great job with getting the kids into football camps," Samuels said. "A lot of kids have been getting scholarships there. So I know the challenges in that area just dealing with the youth and keeping them on the straight and narrow.
"I just felt like it was the right thing for me to do. I wanted to give back to my community there. I've been up here [in Washington] forever and I've done a lot of things in this community, but I need to go back home. I feel like my heart is taking me there to work with those kids and help [Sigler] out."
Samuels said he is looking forward to merging coaching philosophies he has learned from some of his coaches through the years, including Joe Bugel and Chris Foerster.
He expects to implement the zone blocking scheme at Blount next season.
"I'll simplify it for the kids and teach them how to run that," he said. "I think we can be really successful because there are some good athletes there. I'll combine everything I've learned from all of the coaches I've played for, especially some of the technique things I've learned, and kind of come up with my own philosophy."
Samuels, of course, was a 6-time Pro Bowl left tackle for the Redskins from 2000-09. He joined the team as a first-round draft pick (third overall) in the 2000 NFL Draft.
Samuels retired from the Redskins in March 2010 after he aggravated a neck injury in an October 2009 game against the Carolina Panthers.
