Year One of Shanahan in Washington

The Washington Redskins are a six-win team… face it. As ugly as it sounds (no, I’m NOT going to say, “It is what it is!”), it could have been worse and many folks think it should have been with the personnel on this team. Not being one of them, I thought they’d go 10 – 6, even 11 – 5 at one point (that lasted about two hours). But, as much as the coaching staff and system improved from last season to this, it wasn’t enough to overcome the sins of the past. The neglect of the draft and lack of depth on both lines caught up with them and even head coach Mike Shanahan and General Manager Bruce Allen could not make it work the way they’d hoped. This, combined with a few questionable decisions by coaches and players and... as I said, a six-win team.

That is not to say that the Washington Redskins don’t have a lot of potential. I am not nearly as pessimistic as some out there who think it’s going to be years before they turn into a winning franchise.

So, now we wrap up the first year in a new era of Redskins franchise history. We began the year with such optimism... such enthusiasm! Some of that has waned as events occurred to change our minds about people and things but, at the very least, it was an interesting year.

Let us explore some of the things that will stand out from “The Shanahan Era – Year One”:

The Albert Haynesworth Debacle. Of course. No matter how you look at it, it’s hard to think of this season without thinking of the $100 Million Man and his arch nemesis, Mike Shanahan. I’m trying to think if I have ever seen two grown men be so stubborn. Haynesworth, even for $21 million could not see fit to come give a new position a try, even though the most of his teammates were telling him he would be surprised at how much he might like it. When he finally decided to present himself to the team, Mike was so mad at him, he wouldn't let him play with the other boys until he passed his test. When that issue was finally resolved, we had an uneasy peace for about five minutes during which the digging at each other by the two continued but no one actually blew a fuse. It all fell apart when Haynesworth had a ‘bad practice,’ was late to a meeting the week preceding the Tampa Bay game and received a four-game suspension.

I do wish that at least one of these two grown men would take the high road in this current situation but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Too much damage has been done to right the Shanahan-Haynesworth ship and it’s likely the latter has played his last game in burgundy & gold.

During yesterday’s press conference, Mike Shanahan was asked whether or not he spoke to Haynesworth while he was at Redskins Park. What Shanahan said was:

“No, I did not meet with him. You know, the last time he was in the building he would not meet with me so, it is what it is… One of the reason’s Albert’s not with us is he refused to see me. It is what it is.

“He showed up today so he could take a physical or else he would get fined.”

What he meant was:

“Well, he’s not talking to me so I’m not talking to him.”

The Benching of a Possible Hall of Fame Quarterback During a Winnable Game. In my humble opinion, the decision to pull veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb from the game against the Detroit Lions with 1:50 left in the game and only seven points down was the worst of Shanahan’s year here. To make things worse, he mangled the reason(s) so badly over the next two days that it was hard to keep track of what it was he was trying to say to the media. I wrote at the time that the pulling of McNabb from that game was more likely a gut reaction to the mistakes the QB was making on the field, and the head coach should have admitted it and left it at that. Fortunately, yesterday, he did admit that he should have handled the situation differently. It appears that Shanahan wishes he had simply said that he didn't feel McNabb was playing well enough that day. 

“I should’ve been more honest than I was,” Shanahan admitted at his Monday afternoon press conference. “Sometimes you do things to protect players and at the same time, you are actually hurting them, so I wish I had handled it differently.” 

Kudos to the coach for standing up to his mistake.

The Culture at Redskins Park Has Changed for the Better. The regime change has been a major improvement for the organization. There is no doubt that things are looking up out in Ashburn, regardless of the 6 – 10 record.

Redskins fans are, as a rule, pretty smart. As much talk as there was last season from the players about continuing to work hard, play hard and “believe” in former head coach Jim Zorn towards the end of that awful season, they were not and did not and we knew it.

This season, however, there is every indication that the team continued to work hard over the past three or four weeks even though the playoffs were out of reach. The game against the New York Giants was an example of this. Not only did the offense continue to produce (they came very close to winning that game), the way the defense turned itself around in the second half of that game – and especially the fourth quarter – would not have been possible had they not believed in where the team was headed. Of course, many players were auditioning for next season – as well they should – but had that been their only motivation, it likely would have shown in players being out of position - working on their own moves for the highlight reels, etc.

Clinton Portis has always been the barometer for me, of how much the team is "buying in". When the veteran running back to put so much time in out at Redskins Park this past off-season, and embraced Shanahan's system so whole-heartedly and obviously, I believed he would be the example that his teammates would find easy to follow.

Shanahan is Good at Finding and Using Young and/or Unknown Talent. These last two or three weeks have been great in terms of seeing the young and unknown players on the roster show what they can do. It is refreshing to see the intensity and enthusiasm – and health – of players like linebackers Rob Jackson (he had a nice sack in the Jacksonville game) and Perry Riley (I know, I know… forget about that Vikings penalty… he’s young); nose tackle Anthony Bryant, safety Kevin Barnes (who had a great game against the Giants), d-end Darrion Scott, return specialist Brandon Banks, wide outs Anthony Armstrong and Terrence Austin, offensive lineman Will Montgomery and of course, running backs Keiland Williams and Ryan Torain. All of these guys have taken advantage of the opportunities to show what they can do and all of them are worthy of being in the NFL. I only wish we had seen some of them earlier in the season.

Washington Won Six Games This Season, Not Four. To show improvement is a measure of whether or not a change is good, right? If so, I’d have to say that the team has improved. It helps that the teams the Redskins beat were decent… the Dallas Cowboys, 6-10 (at the time, they were thought to be good and, under Jason Garrett, they seem to be turning into the team everyone thought they would be), the Philadelphia Eagles, 10-6, the Green Bay Packers 10-6, Chicago Bears, 11-5, the Tennessee Titans, 6-10 and Jacksonville Jaguars, 8-8. Only two of the teams that Washington beat have losing records.

Another sign of the improvement the team has made this year is evidenced by offense being produced on the field. That, in and of itself, is different from the last few years. To see the quarterback (whichever one) pass the ball DOWN the field – and then see a receiver catch it – is so unfamiliar to many newer Redskins fans that it is an actual surprise to witness. That is rather sad. Hopefully, however, a good and productive offense will become the norm, not the exception. There is a lot of work to do in terms of the offensive line and quarterback positions but knowing that the team can produce on offense is enough for hope.

It’s time to move on now to the 2011 season. Free agency and the draft will soon be in the viewfinder and there is a lot to look forward to. Hopefully, lessons learned from mistakes will be applied to the future.

In all probability, we of Redskins Nation will get a little too unrealistic and a little too optimistic in our predictions of the coming season (unless, of course, some move is made that is so hard to understand that not even Charley Casserly can figure it out).

That’s all right… it’s what makes Redskins Nation the best fans in the league.