Report: Shanahan, Redskins already in talks
Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/18/2009 @ 6:39 pm)
ESPN.com (via the Denver Post) reports that the Redskins have begun discussions with Mike Shanahan about their head coaching position, despite the fact that Jim Zorn still occupies it.
The Redskins on Thursday hired Bruce Allen, son of late Redskins Hall of Fame coach George Allen, after Vinny Cerrato abruptly resigned.
Allen maintained Jim Zorn was still the Redskins’ coach.
“Give us some time to see how our relationship develops,” Allen said.
Zorn’s job status is believed to be tenuous, with the Redskins’ record at 4-9 and three games to play.
Zorn’s tenure in Washington has been bizarre from the start. In January of 2008, he was hired to be the team’s new offensive coordinator. But in February, Snyder decided to make him the new head coach despite the fact that Zorn had never even been a coordinator in the league.
Now, just two years after he was hired, he has to endure a situation in which his job is being filled while he still has it. He’s a better man than I, because if I knew I was going to be replaced at the end of the year, I’d be flipping Snyder the bird as I walked out the door. But I’m sure Zorn feels that he has a responsibility to his team and if so, he deserves credit for sticking around.
Zorn wasn’t ready to become a head coach when he was hired, but he deserves a shot to be an offensive coordinator someplace else. Hopefully other teams are monitoring his situation in Washington and will give him an opportunity to gain experience as an assistant.
Report: Redskins targeting Shanahan for 2010
Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/17/2009 @ 10:55 pm)
The Denver Post is reporting that Mike Shanahan has been in discussions with the Redskins about their head coaching job in 2010.
The two sides still have some issues to work through, however, before an agreement is reached. The 4-9 Redskins long have been eliminated from playoff contention and have three games remaining with coach Jim Zorn.
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder began housecleaning Wednesday with Bruce Allen replacing Vinny Cerrato as general manager. One NFL source said that when Shanahan spoke with the Buffalo Bills last month about their new front-office/coaching openings, Allen was to be included in the package there.
If he can land Shanahan, Snyder would have made two good football decisions (something foreign to him) for his team in 2010. But he also has to allow Allen and Shanahan to do their jobs and not meddle in the process of building the roster, like he’s done over the past couple years.
Snyder always wants to throw money at things without thinking about the ramifications of his decisions. If he does that with Allen and Shanahan, he’ll be looking for a GM and a head coach again in a couple years.
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Report: Shanahan turned down Redskins job
Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/20/2009 @ 9:00 am)
According to a report by NFL Fanhouse, former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan turned down the opportunity to replace Jim Zorn as head coach of the Redskins.
“Shanahan told the franchise there was little he could do in the middle of the season for them and that changing coaches during the season in the NFL rarely works,” a Redskins management source told FanHouse. “Several people that Dan Snyder trusts have suggested, if he makes a move, he should turn it over to secondary coach Jerry Gray. That could still happen.
“We are trying to give Jim every chance to turn it around. The move to [bring in offensive consultant Sherm] Lewis is to take more off Jim’s plate, especially the play-calling, because it is not working, and that is where Jim is spending much of his time. Now he can coach the entire team. Let’s see where that gets us.”
This is just another example of Daniel Snyder’s ineptitude as an owner. He makes rash decisions without fully thinking them through and looks for quick fixes instead of building from the ground up.
What would be the point of hiring Shanahan now? He would immediately be at a disadvantage with the players who liked Zorn and he would have no time to implement the changes he wants. It would have been a stupid move and quite frankly, Snyder is lucky Shanahan turned him down.
This reminds me of when Snyder flirted with signing Byron Leftwich in the offseason. Leftwich would have been a horrendous fit for the West Coast Offense, yet since he was the best quarterback on the free agent market, Snyder had to have him. In the end, Leftwich wasn’t signed but the ordeal hurt Jason Campbell’s confidence and left him questioning his future in Washington.
If Snyder really wants to help his team, he should work with his coaching staff on building a new offensive line, which is arguably a bigger issue than Zorn’s inabilities as a playcaller. Even if Snyder hires Shanahan in the offseason, the Redskins have a long way to go to get back to respectability.
