***OFFICIAL*** Washington Redskins 2011 Off-Season Thread (3 Viewers)

[Sebowski]

Hopefully Dan made the right hires with Allen and Shanahan.

I agree with you on that. I think they're light years better than the men they replaced. I'd feel much better if they'd hire a personnel guy, and it'll be relieving if they hire Zimmer as DC.

You're just as guilty as Dan is then for wanting the best guys his money can buy. You just referenced the Bengals being a better team to attack me liking Snyder, then you turn around and want Snyder to out bid everyone for Zimmer. Wouldn't you want him to do it the Bengals way and hire a lesser name on the cheap and hope he works out? Or do you love the freewheeling and spending owner as long as you happen to agree with the moves?

 

[fatness]

You let your misguided hatred of Snyder get in the way of seeing things as they are today.

I hate watching my team go from a .500 team to a losing team to a clown show mocked on national TV over the course of 10 years. I was rooting for the Redskins when Charley Taylor played, and Snyder has driven them into the basement. I hate that. I'd hate it if my mom did it. I hate it worse than I hate the Cowboys. I want my team to win again, to be respected and sometimes feared, to be champions again. I've been through that before, it's awesome, and for 10 years Snyder's been the obstacle to it happening again. I hate that.Until I see results I'm not going to agree with any of your praise of him. What matters is winning and he has not done that.

 

[ChrisCooleyFan]

You let your misguided hatred of Snyder get in the way of seeing things as they are today.

I hate watching my team go from a .500 team to a losing team to a clown show mocked on national TV over the course of 10 years. I was rooting for the Redskins when Charley Taylor played, and Snyder has driven them into the basement. I hate that. I'd hate it if my mom did it. I hate it worse than I hate the Cowboys. I want my team to win again, to be respected and sometimes feared, to be champions again. I've been through that before, it's awesome, and for 10 years Snyder's been the obstacle to it happening again. I hate that.Until I see results I'm not going to agree with any of your praise of him. What matters is winning and he has not done that.

 

[Sebowski]

Rick Snider says the Shanahan hiring is a mistake.

Haters gonna hate. Snider says Snyder went with the biggest name and then goes on to say he should have went after Gruden and Cower and Fisher if the Titans fired him. Is Shanahan a bigger name than Gruden or Cower?

Cower is totally overrated in my book. He was a notorious choke artist until he finally rode a hot streak to a championship and then get the hell out of town.

Why even mention Fisher? How about mentioning some realistic coaches? Are there any better out there than Shanahan?

 

[fatness]

If you're up for some more reading this is it --- 4 pages of all the ins and outs of Zorn's tenure here. If you want to understand how the team has been run, this is your article.

The Rise and Fall of Jim Zorn

When Snyder met with the media to introduce Zorn, his optimism matched the level it reached when he hired Marty Schottenheimer in 2001, Steve Spurrier in 2002 and Joe Gibbs in 2004. He said Redskins officials -- including those who had met with Zorn during that first luncheon, minority owner Dwight Schar and Snyder's sister, Michelle -- had discussed, above all else, the character of the candidates.

"We also talked about leadership, great leadership, but it starts with character," Snyder said. "It starts with a person's character, their integrity, their smarts, their drive, their energy, their passion. We ended up with the right guy. We ended with a person that has all of those plus much, much more."

But in a meeting at Snyder's house, it became clear to Blache: Williams would not be the head coach, nor would he remain to run the defense. Blache was being offered the defensive coordinator's job, even as Williams still hoped to be the head coach.

Largent, a Hall of Fame wide receiver and former U.S. congressman, was one of Zorn's primary confidantes over the course of the 2009 season, joining Zorn's wife, Joy, as one of the few people with whom the coach would share his feelings. In an interview the day of his firing, Zorn declined to go into the machinations of his downfall, including the meeting in which Largent said Redskins lawyers presented him (Zorn) with details of his contract, and told him that refusing to give up his play-calling duties would be akin to insubordination.

 

[fatness]

Rick Snider says the Shanahan hiring is a mistake.

Haters gonna hate.

Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978.

 

[Sebowski]

Rick Snider says the Shanahan hiring is a mistake.

Haters gonna hate.

Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978.

I saw that. What's your point? He is still grasping at hate straws in that article.

 

[fatness]

I saw that. What's your point? He is still grasping at hate straws in that article.

When someone starts calling people haters, they've given up defending what they're defending any longer. You're just shilling for Dan Snyder now.

 

[Sebowski]

I saw that. What's your point? He is still grasping at hate straws in that article.

When someone starts calling people haters, they've given up defending what they're defending any longer. You're just shilling for Dan Snyder now.

Agree to disagree.

 

[southeastjerome]

Rick Snider says the Shanahan hiring is a mistake.

Haters gonna hate. Snider says Snyder went with the biggest name and then goes on to say he should have went after Gruden and Cower and Fisher if the Titans fired him. Is Shanahan a bigger name than Gruden or Cower?

Cower is totally overrated in my book. He was a notorious choke artist until he finally rode a hot streak to a championship and then get the hell out of town.

Why even mention Fisher? How about mentioning some realistic coaches? Are there any better out there than Shanahan?

I agree. Cowher is a bigger name than Shanahan imo. Gruden is on the same level. If one of those guys were hired, he'd be writing a similar article about them. I really am at a loss as to how any Redskins fan can totally dislike this hire.

 

[Sebowski]

"You couldn't work for a better owner than Dan Synder. He's passionate, he'll give every chance to be successful" - Joe Gibbs to Mike Shanahan.

Shanny on NFL Network right now.

 

[PantherPower]

Check out this Q&A with Shanahan after the press conference. I REALLY like him so far!

New Redskins coach Mike Shanahan during his news conference today was not very specific about the direction in which he wants to take the team. He offered few details about his plan. However, he was a bit more specific when he met with beat writers for about seven minutes in a session that wasn't broadcast. You should find these comments a bit more enlightening than what he said during the news conference. He touches on the quarterback and offensive line positions, Albert Haynesworth, Jerry Gray and the Clinton Portis-Jason Campbell feud. Enjoy:

You said you watched a ton of games this season. What stood out about the Redskins?

"They lost some close games against some good football teams. They had a few injuries on the offensive line. Some games the defense played spectacular. The 7-6 game against Dallas comes to my mind. A lot of teams don't do that against a good football team, especially the offense that Dallas is playing with. But more importantly, I'm looking forward to getting the chance to study everybody. When you watch TV, it's not like going through cut-ups and getting the chance to isolate each guy on every play; not only one year, but a couple years. So I'm [looking] forward to not only studying them but getting to know them and getting evaluations from previous coaches on what they feel and trying to put the best football team we can on the field."

What qualities to you look for in a quarterback?

"There's so many different things. Number one, you've got to be accurate. Number two, you've to be passionate for what you're doing. You've got to study the game inside and out. You're looking for guys that carry that over to the football field. Some guys are talkers, other guys are quiet. I've seen people lead in a lot of different ways. The Joe Montanas, the Steve Youngs, the John Elways that I've been with, each guys is a little bit different in their own way. They're all Hall of Fame quarterbacks. You get in there and get a guy like Steve Buerlein that would just go out there and find a way to win. Everybody had different characteristics. You've got to have a burning desire to want to be the best at what you do."

Are you aware of the type of player Albert Haynesworth is and do you want him to be very comfortable in whatever defense you run?

"I've gone against Albert Haynesworth for a couple of years. He is a difference maker. You don't want to go against him if you're on the team because he is very disruptive. The thing I'm hoping is that we can keep him healthy. What that takes as you get older is a great offseason program. We'll do the things that we need to do to get them in the right position to have success. I'm sure glad he's on our football team."

How do you address the need to keep problems in-house? "I think you address it as a team. You talk about what a team is about and keeping things within. That will happen, I guarantee you. But that's a message that you have to send, and it's what's important for an organization to be successful. There's always disagreements about a lot of different things. It could specific. It could be offense, it could be defense, special teams, the PR staff, the grounds crew. But we're a team. We're the Redskins, and we'll stay as the Redskins. That message will get across in time."

Will your non-coaching duties be the same as you had in Denver? The power and the autonomy?

"I think the thing that people get a little carried away is because it was reported that I had final say. I do have final say. But I never used it in Denver. What I'm looking for is putting the strongest staff I can together, and that's why people talk about Bruce. I said I'm so excited to get Bruce because I watched him operate when he was with the Raiders as executive of the year, when he was with Tampa Bay. I just watched him-as an agent, as a lawyer, as guy that's in charge of the cap. I said, ‘Hey, this guy, I can't believe is out on the street.' And so when you get a guy like that, you say, ‘Hey, let's gobble him up.' I think you'll find that it's a team. The only way you win championships is you get the best at every position. I don't care if it's secretaries. I don't care if it's offense, defense, special teams. We're going to get the best people at every possible position, even outside the program, to do what we need to do to get this thing where it has been."

Do you need to restructure the scouting department or any other area of the organization?

"We'll find out. I'm going to take a look at everybody. We're going to get the best at every position. If we don't have people willing to make that commitment, then we'll have to make some changes."

How involved do you get with the defense?

"The only way I think you stay in the position of the head football coach is you better know offense, defense and special teams. You better know it as good as your assistants, or at least try to, because your team knows it. If you know offense, you know defense, you know special teams, because you're in charge of the whole team. They have to understand that all three areas are very important. I enjoy football, in general, so that's pretty easy for me."

Are you aware of the disagreement between Jason Campbell and Clinton Portis?

"Yes I am."

How would you diffuse that?

"I think, in time, what I'll do is talk to the football team. We'll talk about, hey, if we've got some problems or some business, we'll keep it inside the organization. I understand how that happens, but what you have to do is you have to talk about these problems before they happen. They happen all the time. But some organizations, they don't happen [publicly]. Other organizations, they do. I think players will get the message that the Redskins will stay together."

Are you familiar with secondary coach Jerry Gray and his credentials?

"Very much so. I'm aware of everybody, every coach. That's what I do. I study coaches. I study coordinators. I know what they've done. I know where they've been. He's got a very, very good past. I'm looking forward to talking to him."

When you look at this team, do you see 4-12 and a bad team? Or do you see a team that could have been 7-9, 8-8?

"You are what you are. If you're 4-12, you're 4-12. I'm looking forward to watching a lot of film and evaluating this guys and figuring out how we're going to get better."

What do you look for in an offensive line?

"You know you've got to have players up front. I don't care if it's offensive line, defensive line. You win with those big guys up front. You have to have that, so that will always be an emphasis for me because you can't find teams that are successful without that."

Will blocking follow the scheme you used in Denver?

"It all depends on the players that we have. We've had success doing not only zone schemes, but power schemes as well. Denver, even though it's noted to be a zone blocking scheme, there's a lot of things that Denver did outside just a zone, and we'll continue to do those types of things. We'll evaluate that once we get a better feel for our personnel."

 

[Sebowski]

http://www.fredericksburg.com/blogs/view?b...mp;p=1262812600

Redskins Journal

By Rich Campbell

Mike Shanahan's non-televised Q&A with writers

Jan. 6, 2010 4:16 pm

New Redskins coach Mike Shanahan during his news conference today was not very specific about the direction in which he wants to take the team. He offered few details about his plan. However, he was a bit more specific when he met with beat writers for about seven minutes in a session that wasn't broadcast. You should find these comments a bit more enlightening than what he said during the news conference. He touches on the quarterback and offensive line positions, Albert Haynesworth, Jerry Gray and the Clinton Portis-Jason Campbell feud. Enjoy:

Are you aware of the type of player Albert Haynesworth is and do you want him to be very comfortable in whatever defense you run?

"I've gone against Albert Haynesworth for a couple of years. He is a difference maker. You don't want to go against him if you're on the team because he is very disruptive. The thing I'm hoping is that we can keep him healthy. What that takes as you get older is a great offseason program. We'll do the things that we need to do to get them in the right position to have success. I'm sure glad he's on our football team."

When you look at this team, do you see 4-12 and a bad team? Or do you see a team that could have been 7-9, 8-8?

"You are what you are. If you're 4-12, you're 4-12. I'm looking forward to watching a lot of film and evaluating this guys and figuring out how we're going to get better."

What do you look for in an offensive line?

"You know you've got to have players up front. I don't care if it's offensive line, defensive line. You win with those big guys up front. You have to have that, so that will always be an emphasis for me because you can't find teams that are successful without that."

Will blocking follow the scheme you used in Denver?

"It all depends on the players that we have. We've had success doing not only zone schemes, but power schemes as well. Denver, even though it's noted to be a zone blocking scheme, there's a lot of things that Denver did outside just a zone, and we'll continue to do those types of things. We'll evaluate that once we get a better feel for our personnel."

More in the link.

 

[PantherPower]

If Shanahan can talk up Campbell, and then trade him, and then trade down in this draft to get multiple day one picks, he will instantly become my all time favorite Redskins coach not named Gibbs.

 

[Sebowski]

Check out this Q&A with Shanahan after the press conference. I REALLY like him so far!

Beat me!I really like what I am hearing so far too. How long until he starts getting abusive, Fatness?

 

[Marvelous]

It's not quite that simple. Shanny can't coach for another team as long as he's under contract with the Broncos, so the Broncos have some leverage in the form of permission that they can extend. The negotiation between Washington and Denver centered around the fact that Shanny was under contract with Denver, and the fact that Denver was no receiving any benefit from that contract and was interested in shedding it.

What I don't understand then is why the Broncos will pay him 3 million this year.

Because it's better than paying him $7million?

The simple answer: It is apparently in his contract with Denver that he gets $3M instead of $7M if he takes another job.

 

[Marvelous]

These are the days I love having Snyder as our owner. Hearing Shanahan and Allen talk about Snyder's passion to win and all the resources he will afford them to do so makes me feel lucky I am not a Bengals fan. The guy has made some mistakes, but he is young and I believe he has learned from them.

If he had that great a passion to win he would have gotten out of the way of winning years ago. The only change with this hire is that Snyder has been publicly embarassed into getting out of his own way, at least for the moment.

You are insinuating that he doesn't. Joe Gobbs, Marty Schottenheimer, Bruce Allen, and Mike Shanahan disagree with you. I'll take their side. How he is viewed by the public and media isn't nearly as important to him as the public and media wants to believe.

Go ahead and overlook his years of failures, and trust the words of men who he's paid millions of dollars. If you want to avoid the truth, that's the way to go. Ha has never done "whatever it takes to win". He's trusted his impulses instead. The Bengals have a better team.

Ever done much reading about abuse victims? As soon as they're not being hit any more, some of them conclude that things are all good again and that the perp loves them.

Redskin fans sometimes remind me of abuse victims.

Sometimes having too much passion actually gets in the way of success. A good owner needs to step aside at times, not ramp up the pressure or make impulsive moves. Apparently, this is very counter-intuitive for Snyder.

 

[fatness]

Check out this Q&A with Shanahan after the press conference. I REALLY like him so far!

Beat me!I really like what I am hearing so far too. How long until he starts getting abusive, Fatness?

Who?

 

[fatness]

Sometimes having too much passion actually gets in the way of success. A good owner needs to step aside at times, not ramp up the pressure or make impulsive moves. Apparently, this is very counter-intuitive for Snyder.

It is, and it remains to be seen if he'll be meddling with drafting and free agents, and messing up the chain of command again, or if he'll refrain. I told someone earlier tonight I wish I could see ahead 10 years, to see the next 10 years of Redskins history. I'd like to know if Snyder is finally smart enough to let football people make football decisions as he should, or if he's still playing Madden with the team as he has always done.Wilbon has doubts too: link

With each hire, things were supposed to different. Things were going to function better. The owner was going to be less involved. The offense was going to be more efficient. . . . Under each new coach, the Redskins were going to sit on top of the world.

Except they haven't gotten anywhere close, and seeing Mike Shanahan and Dan Snyder at another introductory news conference doesn't guarantee anything.

Hey, I don't want to come off as Mr. Gloom and Doom on the hiring of Shanahan. The man owns two Super Bowl rings. He has put together great lines, gotten prolific rushing attacks from backs nobody ever heard of, developed receivers, tutored quarterbacks. Shanahan has forgotten more about offensive football this morning than a great many coaches will learn in their lifetimes. I won't use the G-word; let's just say he has one of the best minds out there.

Still, the Washington Redskins have been losers too much over the past 15 years, too dysfunctional in too many ways, too repeatedly stubborn to receive anything close to benefit of the doubt.

Shanahan could be exactly what the doctor ordered to heal the Redskins. It's certainly in him. But I've got to see it first. I need to see the Redskins stop grossly overpaying players. I've got to see them become a stable organization. I've got to see them stop squandering draft picks in stupid trades. I've got to see them trust the players they already have, like Ryan Clark, and stop coveting ones they don't need, like Adam Archuleta. I've got to see owner's pets, such as Clinton Portis, stop undermining real professionals, such as Jason Campbell. (Again, if I was advising Campbell, I'd tell him to sign somewhere else, anywhere else, to get away from the continuing dysfunction of Redskins Park.)

In other words, the Redskins can choose whomever they want to coach, but it doesn't matter at all if the management style doesn't change dramatically, immediately.

 

[fatness]

I do like these things that Shanahan has said;

When you look at this team, do you see 4-12 and a bad team? Or do you see a team that could have been 7-9, 8-8?

"You are what you are. If you're 4-12, you're 4-12. I'm looking forward to watching a lot of film and evaluating this guys and figuring out how we're going to get better."

What do you look for in an offensive line?

"You know you've got to have players up front. I don't care if it's offensive line, defensive line. You win with those big guys up front. You have to have that, so that will always be an emphasis for me because you can't find teams that are successful without that."

Will blocking follow the scheme you used in Denver?

"It all depends on the players that we have. We've had success doing not only zone schemes, but power schemes as well. Denver, even though it's noted to be a zone blocking scheme, there's a lot of things that Denver did outside just a zone, and we'll continue to do those types of things. We'll evaluate that once we get a better feel for our personnel."

But I care about what he does, not what he says. Those things aren't always the same in life.

 

[fatness]

Shanhan's history of personnel decisions, with hits and misses.

The Redskins need to hire a personnel guy to work for Shanahan and Allen.

 

[Sammy Traveller]

Shanhan's history of personnel decisions, with hits and misses.

The Redskins need to hire a personnel guy to work for Shanahan and Allen.

we don't need more Maurice Clarett-type draft picks.

 

[dgreen]

Casserly on the Junkies this morning: "I think Dan Snyder will step out of the way and let Mike and Bruce do their job."

 

[dgreen]

Lindsay Czarniak interviewed Snyder last night. When she asked him about Portis, he simply said, "That's up to Mike and Bruce."

 

[PantherPower]

Even Dan isn't completely delusional. He knows all his "best efforts/good intentions" have netted nothing but a crappy team/franchise over the last decade. I truly believe he will step down, and completely out of the way from here on out. We forget that Dan isn't that different from a lot of us (besides his bank account) he was a HUGE Redskins fan as a kid, and just happened to be fortunate enough to accumulate the wealth to buy them. But he still wants the team to win. I think he's finally realized that won't happen unless he just signs the checks and shuts the fudge up and gets out of the way.

 

[DCThunder]

Casserly on the Junkies this morning: "I think Dan Snyder will step out of the way and let Mike and Bruce do their job."

Sonny Jurgensen said the same thing on 980 back during the season. That change was gonna come and that Dan had learned his lesson. So far things look positive, at least to me. Snyder sat in the audience during the both pressers this week, not at the head table. The Lombardi Trophies weren't the center of attention, as they've been in the past. Maybe that's all window dressing, but Shanny's only been here two days, so let's see how things develop.

 

[dgreen]

I found this funny. Last night, 980 replayed some of the Q&A from the Shanahan press conference around 6 PM on Andy and Steve's show. They edited the PC to play the media member say their name, who they were with, then ask their question and get Shanahan's answer. For example, you'd hear "John Keim, Washington Examiner...." then he'd ask his question. Well, guess whose name and media outlet they edited out? Yep, Chris Russell of 106.7 The Fan. They included his questions in the replay, but they edited out him saying "Chris Russell, 106.7 The Fan."

 

[fatness]

"All I can tell you is what Joe Gibbs said to me," Shanahan said on SIRIUS XM's Mad Dog Radio. "He said, 'Mike, you're going to get the best owner in sports.' He said, 'I've never met a guy more positive. He's got so much passion for the Redskins. He's loyal. He grew up with them. He wants to win. He's going to give you every opportunity to be successful.'

"I've known Joe for over 20 years. He said, 'He will not interfere at all. All he will do is give you support.' When Joe Gibbs tells me that, a guy that I've admired, I think you can put that in the bank."

inkAll the words say the right things. But we'll have to wait and see. If Shanahan wants to keep Campbell as his QB I'd guess it'll be very tempting for Snyder to try to change his head coach's mind. We'll see.

 

[fatness]

Confirmation that Snyder was still meddling in decisions under Cerrato and Zorn, from the Washington Post's NFL reporter Mark Maske

.

Though there was plenty of talk of teamwork Wednesday, Shanahan is expected to have final say on personnel decisions, taking on the title of executive vice president and assuming a level of responsibility similar to what he enjoyed during his time as coach in Denver. That means Shanahan and Allen will have significantly more control over the team's fortunes and decisions than Jim Zorn, who was fired as head coach Monday, and Vinny Cerrato, who was deposed as executive vice president of football operations last month.

 

[fatness]

From Maske's article.

Shanahan and Allen will immediately begin evaluating every aspect of the organization, from the scouting department to the front office, where longtime executives, such as Scott Campbell, the director of player personnel, Eric Schaffer, who managed the salary cap, and Morocco Brown, the director of pro personnel who interviewed for the general manager position last month, will be studied closely

And this is very good stuff if it actually works out this way:

While Allen might have the unlucky task of telling the owner "No" at times, he also must keep Shanahan in check. Many believe Shanahan lost his job in Denver because of questionable personnel decisions."One of the reasons I was so excited about Bruce is I know Bruce will not agree with me on a lot of things," Shanahan said.

 

[Sebowski]

Confirmation that Snyder was still meddling in decisions under Cerrato and Zorn, from the Washington Post's NFL reporter Mark Maske

.

Though there was plenty of talk of teamwork Wednesday, Shanahan is expected to have final say on personnel decisions, taking on the title of executive vice president and assuming a level of responsibility similar to what he enjoyed during his time as coach in Denver. That means Shanahan and Allen will have significantly more control over the team's fortunes and decisions than Jim Zorn, who was fired as head coach Monday, and Vinny Cerrato, who was deposed as executive vice president of football operations last month.

I'm not sure there is any "evidence" in there at all, but there is evidence that Dan stepped back for Joe here:

"All I can tell you is what Joe Gibbs said to me," Shanahan said on SIRIUS XM's Mad Dog Radio. "He said, 'Mike, you're going to get the best owner in sports.' He said, 'I've never met a guy more positive. He's got so much passion for the Redskins. He's loyal. He grew up with them. He wants to win. He's going to give you every opportunity to be successful.'

"I've known Joe for over 20 years. He said, 'He will not interfere at all. All he will do is give you support.' When Joe Gibbs tells me that, a guy that I've admired, I think you can put that in the bank."

inkThat is 4 years of handing the keys over. Significant time for building a football team. Joe was the guy that traded for Brunell, traded for Campbell, drafted Landry, ignored the O-Line for 4 years....

All you can blame Snyder for there is for hiring Gibbs to be the guy he stepped back for. It netted us 2 playoff appearances in 4 years, but set us back enough to help us be 4-12 this year.

 

[fatness]

From Jason Reid:

If the Redskins were to release Portis before June 1, 2010, they could face a cap hit of as much as $14.8 million, according to league sources familiar with Portis's contract and the Redskins' cap situation.The Redskins also have "offset" language on the guaranteed portion of his contract. If Washington released Portis and he joined another team next season, the Redskins would receive a credit against his guarantee for any additional salary.

 

[dgreen]

Confirmation that Snyder was still meddling in decisions under Cerrato and Zorn, from the Washington Post's NFL reporter Mark Maske

.

Though there was plenty of talk of teamwork Wednesday, Shanahan is expected to have final say on personnel decisions, taking on the title of executive vice president and assuming a level of responsibility similar to what he enjoyed during his time as coach in Denver. That means Shanahan and Allen will have significantly more control over the team's fortunes and decisions than Jim Zorn, who was fired as head coach Monday, and Vinny Cerrato, who was deposed as executive vice president of football operations last month.

I'm not sure there is any "evidence" in there at all...

I agree. That's just Maske saying what everyone's been saying.

 

[fatness]

That is 4 years of handing the keys over. Significant time for building a football team. Joe was the guy that traded for Brunell, traded for Campbell, drafted Landry, ignored the O-Line for 4 years....All you can blame Snyder for there is for hiring Gibbs to be the guy he stepped back for. It netted us 2 playoff appearances in 4 years, but set us back enough to help us be 4-12 this year.

Hey look, it's Snyder's press agent.Which part of this quote from Maske is unclear?

That means Shanahan and Allen will have significantly more control over the team's fortunes and decisions than Jim Zorn, who was fired as head coach Monday, and Vinny Cerrato, who was deposed as executive vice president of football operations last month.

If Snyder has stepped back for the last 4 years, then Allen and Shanahan have the same amount of control as Cerrato and Zorn had. Snyder was medling during the last 2 years. Remind me who Portis called with his beefs, and who Haynesworth called.

 

[fatness]

On the very day that Shanahan was introduced, there was evidence of insubordination and internal strife all over the airwaves, strife that had its root in Snyder's over-involvement and Portis's spoiled over-entitlement as a friend of the owner. The Redskins' famously indolent star running back was so bold as to rip quarterback Jason Campbell on the radio for a supposed lack of leadership. In response, several teammates expressed resentment of what they perceive as Portis's special treatment, the fact that he, and others, have seemed to be beyond the reach of any coaching authority.

Sally Jenkins

 

[Sebowski]

That is 4 years of handing the keys over. Significant time for building a football team. Joe was the guy that traded for Brunell, traded for Campbell, drafted Landry, ignored the O-Line for 4 years....All you can blame Snyder for there is for hiring Gibbs to be the guy he stepped back for. It netted us 2 playoff appearances in 4 years, but set us back enough to help us be 4-12 this year.

Hey look, it's Snyder's press agent.Which part of this quote from Maske is unclear?

That means Shanahan and Allen will have significantly more control over the team's fortunes and decisions than Jim Zorn, who was fired as head coach Monday, and Vinny Cerrato, who was deposed as executive vice president of football operations last month.

If Snyder has stepped back for the last 4 years, then Allen and Shanahan have the same amount of control as Cerrato and Zorn had. Snyder was medling during the last 2 years. Remind me who Portis called with his beefs, and who Haynesworth called.

I was talking about the 4 years Gibbs ran the show. I thought that was pretty clear. When Snyder gave the keys to Vinny I'm sure he had Vinny's ear and Vinny is too much of a yes man to go on his own even if he were allowed to do it. I'm also sure that Zorn didn't have, nor deserved, the power that Snyder gave Gibbs or is giving Shanahan.

 

[Sebowski]

On the very day that Shanahan was introduced, there was evidence of insubordination and internal strife all over the airwaves, strife that had its root in Snyder's over-involvement and Portis's spoiled over-entitlement as a friend of the owner. The Redskins' famously indolent star running back was so bold as to rip quarterback Jason Campbell on the radio for a supposed lack of leadership. In response, several teammates expressed resentment of what they perceive as Portis's special treatment, the fact that he, and others, have seemed to be beyond the reach of any coaching authority.

Sally Jenkins

Wasn't Shanahan introduced Wednesday? The Portis-Campbell thing was Tuesday. Anyway, who cares. That is old (Tuesday) news. Same ol' Sally. Does she even write new pieces anymore? I bet she has enough of the same ones to just cut and paste paragraphs and resubmit them as new.

 

[fatness]

2 quotes from Snyder, who did talk to media people yesterday. Both are encouraging:

"I think [shanahan] has built great teams and he's gonna build one here. It's gonna take some time, we understand that. We're excited about having a high draft pick, and we've got a great leader."

"Obviously the last two years we really have disappointed, and I think it's time to really build. We've got the foundation here now, with Bruce and Coach Shanahan [as] our leaders."

Steinberg

 

[fatness]

I was talking about the 4 years Gibbs ran the show. I thought that was pretty clear. When Snyder gave the keys to Vinny I'm sure he had Vinny's ear and Vinny is too much of a yes man to go on his own even if he were allowed to do it. I'm also sure that Zorn didn't have, nor deserved, the power that Snyder gave Gibbs or is giving Shanahan.

OK, I'll agree with you on the Zorn years.

 

[fatness]

Redskin player comments from earlier this week about Portis

There are too many to quote, but they're definitely worth reading.

 

[TankRizzo]

Shanhan's history of personnel decisions, with hits and misses.

The Redskins need to hire a personnel guy to work for Shanahan and Allen.

Schlereth was on Mike and Mike this morning....not sure why I was listening to hacky radio schlock...but I digress, he said that Shanahan knows why he was fired in Denver and he believes he'll be more willing to work w/ people to get those things right this go around.

 

[phrozen]

Shanhan's history of personnel decisions, with hits and misses.

The Redskins need to hire a personnel guy to work for Shanahan and Allen.

Schlereth was on Mike and Mike this morning....not sure why I was listening to hacky radio schlock...but I digress, he said that Shanahan knows why he was fired in Denver and he believes he'll be more willing to work w/ people to get those things right this go around.

I think Schlereth is on the right track with that. Shanahan knows why he was fired and has learned from his mistakes. It would be complete arrogance/stuborness on Shanahan's part to put his head in the sand about his past personnel decisions and continue to dictate draft picks and FA acquisitions without other involvement.I know coaches can be stubborn (see John Fox) but I don't have the same impression about Shanahan. Only time will tell though.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Mike Zimmer is a guy I am comfortable with as the next defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins

Worth reading to learn more about Zimmer.

He may have jumped the gun on Zimmer a tad, but Sugar over at Hogs Haven now has a "Three Reasons Why I Can Feel Good About Kyle Shanahan As Offensive Coordinator For the Washington Redskins" article.Reason #3 is what he has accomplished in Houston:

He became the wide receivers coach for the Texans in 2006, and in 2008 he was promoted to the offensive coordinator position where he spent the last two seasons. As a fantasy football geek, I know how good the Texans' offense has been in that span, but most people don't realize how dominant they have been since they get overshadowed by the Colts. In his two years as offensive coordinator for the Texans they finished 3rd and 4th in the league in total offense. They averaged 22.9 points per game in 2008 and 24.2 points per game in 2009. This past season, they had the #1 passing offense...better than the Colts, Saints, and Patriots. They had the 4th highest total number of plays over 20 yards and the 4th highest total number of plays over 40 yards. Granted, their rushing offense was closer to the bottom than the top, but that only underscores the potency of their passing attack (as well as their reliance on it.) To be fair, Gary Kubiak deserves a ton of credit as well, and the combo of Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub is currently much better than anything we have going in D.C. But the year before Shanahan Jr. took over the offense it was 14th in the league.

 

[dgreen]

Mike Zimmer is a guy I am comfortable with as the next defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins

Worth reading to learn more about Zimmer.

He may have jumped the gun on Zimmer a tad, but Sugar over at Hogs Haven now has a "Three Reasons Why I Can Feel Good About Kyle Shanahan As Offensive Coordinator For the Washington Redskins" article.Reason #3 is what he has accomplished in Houston:

He became the wide receivers coach for the Texans in 2006, and in 2008 he was promoted to the offensive coordinator position where he spent the last two seasons. As a fantasy football geek, I know how good the Texans' offense has been in that span, but most people don't realize how dominant they have been since they get overshadowed by the Colts. In his two years as offensive coordinator for the Texans they finished 3rd and 4th in the league in total offense. They averaged 22.9 points per game in 2008 and 24.2 points per game in 2009. This past season, they had the #1 passing offense...better than the Colts, Saints, and Patriots. They had the 4th highest total number of plays over 20 yards and the 4th highest total number of plays over 40 yards. Granted, their rushing offense was closer to the bottom than the top, but that only underscores the potency of their passing attack (as well as their reliance on it.) To be fair, Gary Kubiak deserves a ton of credit as well, and the combo of Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub is currently much better than anything we have going in D.C. But the year before Shanahan Jr. took over the offense it was 14th in the league.

I smell a succession plan for when daddy retires.

 

[dgreen]

Shanhan's history of personnel decisions, with hits and misses.

The Redskins need to hire a personnel guy to work for Shanahan and Allen.

Schlereth was on Mike and Mike this morning....not sure why I was listening to hacky radio schlock...but I digress, he said that Shanahan knows why he was fired in Denver and he believes he'll be more willing to work w/ people to get those things right this go around.

I think Schlereth is on the right track with that. Shanahan knows why he was fired and has learned from his mistakes. It would be complete arrogance/stuborness on Shanahan's part to put his head in the sand about his past personnel decisions and continue to dictate draft picks and FA acquisitions without other involvement.I know coaches can be stubborn (see John Fox) but I don't have the same impression about Shanahan. Only time will tell though.

When asked about whether he had final say, his answer was something like, "Yes, just like in Denver, I have final say. But, I rarely used it. I prefer to work as a team."Two things:

1) It's encouraging to hear that he apparently doesn't use his title and position to be a dictator. He realizes he doesn't always know best, but also realizes at some point a decision has to be made.

2) This sounds somewhat similar to Gibbs' explanations of how things worked during his four years. He never said "I have final say" but he talked a lot about team decisions. At the time, none of us believed him when he said that's not all that different from other teams. Now that Shanahan and Allen seem to be doing something similar, if not the same thing, maybe it's possible Gibbs always did have a system in place that was similar to many other teams and, for whatever reason, didn't ever want to say who had final decision.

 

[fatness]

I smell a succession plan for when daddy retires.

When Kyle wants to take over the head coaching job he'll just go over Mike's head and talk directly to Snyder.

 

[got_nugs]

In case you're not quite suicidal yet, this is from an article quoted in the Jamaal Charles thread:

Charles’ big day almost didn’t happen. Before the trade deadline in October, Chiefs’ general manager Scott Pioli offered Charles to the Redskins for a paltry fifth-round pick. But Washington GM Vinny Cerrato felt that was too high a price to pay for a backup running back. That might be why Cerrato was fired last month.

Grabbing the rope, now....

 

[fatness]

If any of you guys play in dynasty leagues, you may be able to get Portis dirt cheap right about now. There's a pretty good number of threads right now in the Shark Pool about how Shanahan doesn't like him, how Shanahan favors a committee RB approach, how he'll probably be cut or traded, etc. Seems like his future (perceived) value is really being beaten down. Not saying that's being done intentionally for FF purposes, though I do wonder about it. But it may be creating a real value if enough people think he's done.

 

[Lowen1]

This is the Qb I'm intrested in. And wont need to use the 4th pick on him.

I actually watched about 3/4 of the GMAC bowl last night before I realized LeFevour was the same guy you mentioned above. The kid looked good, but the level of competition certainly wasn't top notch. He is a 4yr starter that puts up a ton of yards. 6'3'', 229lbs. Most total touchdowns in NCAA history. 2nd most total yards. Career is 53 games, 99.1 QB rating, 66.4% completion %, 7.3yds/attempt, 12,905 yards, 102 td, 36 int. Also, 671 rush for 2971 yds, 47 rush td.

"Dan LeFevour finished with flair. No. 25 Central Michigan's relentless quarterback moved into second place on the career total yards list, accounted for two late touchdowns and scored one of his biggest wins in his last game by rallying the Chippewas to a 44-41 double-overtime victory against Troy in the GMAC Bowl on Wednesday night. linky."

I haven't seen any draft projections for the kid - where is he supposed to go?

 

[Gopher State]

Redskins | Campbell defends himself as a leader

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:14:36 -0800

Jason Reid, of The Washington Post, reports Washington Redskins QB Jason Campbell took offense to comments made by RB Clinton Portis, who critiqued Campbell's leadership qualities. Campbell fired back, saying Portis was a player who put himself above the team. "How is he going to say I'm not a leader?" Campbell said. "I mean, that's just not true. To me, that's somebody who shows that they don't know what a real leader is. A leader is not someone who leads by the wrong example. A leader is someone who is trying to do the right thing and trying to lead by example, and not just (being) about themselves. There's a reason guys get selected as captains, and there's a reason guys don't get selected as captains. Obviously, he doesn't have the respect of the locker room to be a captain. For someone to try to take a shot at me at the end of the season, after they haven't even been around, only speaks about their character anyways."

This about seals the deal Portis is done with Washington for sure, and who else wants this rotten apple in their locker room.

I see C P dressing up on the fashion network next year