It's interesting to me to see how this "coaches" twist is playing out.
For one thing, the coaches aren't really coaches. The don't really have any authority over the players. They play a different role than the players, but there's no real reason that they should be the leaders of their teams but for the title of coach. I wonder what would have happened if the coaches didn't get a title that implied authority, like "non-playing house guest" or something. Anyway, it's conceivable that a player could just ignore their coach and win, but it's impossible for a coach to ignore the players.
So as I see it, the coaches need the players far more than the players need the coaches. I think Janelle is the first to understand this. I don't think anyone thought that Ashley was in any real danger of being evicted; Janelle gave her immunity to bring her closer (Janelle's words). Contrast this to Britney, who was intent on evicting one of her players. (I'm only going by the TV, I don't have the feeds.)
As far as Dan goes -- playing possum isn't all that bad of a strategy, I think. I don't really understand all the talk about wanting to get rid of Dan. Sure, it helps the coaches, but I can't for the life of me understand how it helps any of the players at all.
On a side note, I hope that bowtie Ian was wearing wasn't a clip on. I think Ian's pretty cute, but awfully immature. He's a senior in college for god's sake, not high school.