Tag: Mike Shanahan (Page 9 of 13)

      Will the Skins go with Okung or Williams?

      April 21, 2010 /

      Let’s assume for a second that Albert Hanyesworth isn’t going anywhere and Mike Shanahan is bluffing about taking a quarterback with the fourth overall pick in Thursday night’s draft.

      The Redskins’ most pressing need as of right now is offensive tackle. With that in mind, will they select Oklahoma State’s Russell Okung or Oklahoma’s Trent Williams at No. 4?

      Many regard Okung to be the best offensive tackle prospect in this year’s draft. He has great size at 6’5”, 307 pounds, excellent strength and plays with a nasty demeanor. He’s essentially everything pro scouts look for in a left tackle, outside of the fact that he’s a bit raw and can sometimes play too tall.

      Meanwhile, Williams is renowned for his athleticism. He’s quick, agile and a natural knee bender. At 6’4”, he doesn’t have the height of Okung but he’s just as tough and nasty as his Oklahoma State counterpart.

      Assuming both players are still on the board when the Skins are on the clock at No. 4, which OT wins an all-exclusive trip to Washington next season? Okung is the better overall prospect, but the wild card in this scenario is that the Redskins are implementing the zone-blocking scheme under Shanahan and therefore, Williams might be the better fit.

      In fact, that’s my prediction. Williams is the better athlete and understands positioning and sealing off defenders better than any offensive tackle in this draft. He’s essentially the ideal fit for Shanahan’s zone-blocking scheme and therefore, even if Okung is still on the board I believe Washington will surprise and take Williams.


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      NFL, NFL Draft

      Shanahan shoots down Haynesworth trade rumors

      April 9, 2010 /

      Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan dismissed the notion that the team will trade Albert Haynesworth in the offseason.

      From AOL NFL Fanhouse.com:

      On trading Albert Haynesworth: “There is nothing to clarify. It is just speculation. He’s part of the organization. I am just looking for him to come in and work and be like everyone else. No, we’re not going to trade him at all, unless someone gives us something we would have to consider — that’s pretty standard with any player on your roster. He’s a pretty smart guy. He’s really talented. I think I can get that out of him.”

      Andy Reid also came out and said that the Eagles weren’t going to trade Donovan McNabb and now he’s a Redskin. Shanahan has been in the league a long time – he knows how the game is played. If he comes out and says that Haynesworth is on the trade block, then he knows that he diminishes the defensive tackle’s value. If he denies that the Skins want to trade Haynesworth, then he makes other teams come to him and doesn’t risk upsetting the player.

      A lot goes on leading up to, and during the NFL draft. Teams talk all the time about trading players and picks, so we’ll see what happens. Even though Shanahan sounds convincing, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of the Haynesworth trade talks.


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      Would the Lions be interested in Haynesworth?

      April 6, 2010 /

      According to NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora, the Redskins are willing to “unload” defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth after unsuccessfully trying to trade him to Philadelphia as part of the Donovan McNabb deal. Apparently, Haynesworth didn’t make a good impression on new head coach Mike Shanahan, so the Redskins are ready to part ways with the massive DT, even though he just signed a seven-year, $100 million deal with Washington in 2009.

      Canfora writes that several executives believe the best and most likely option for Haynesworth is Tennessee, “where he played his best football and where he remains close with defensive line coach Jim Washburn.” The problem is that Haynesworth signed for $42 million in guaranteed money and other teams will be hesitant to put a bullet in their financial situation in order to acquire him. (Apparently other owners aren’t like Daniel Snyder, who gives away money like it’s Skittles.)

      While a return to Tennessee does make sense, I wonder why Canfora didn’t mention Detroit as another possible landing spot for Haynesworth. Lions’ head coach Jim Schwartz built his defense around Haynesworth in Tennessee and Detroit needs a DT seeing as how they’ve been linked to Ndamukong Suh at No. 2 in this month’s draft. If they acquired Haynesworth, then they could use their first round pick to address their need at offensive tackle.

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      NFL, NFL Draft

      Washington Redskins 2010 Team Needs

      February 9, 2010 /

      As part of our 2010 NFL Draft coverage, I will be breaking down positional needs for all 32 teams, starting in reverse alphabetical order. First up, the Washington Redskins. Check out other team needs by clicking here.

      1. Offensive Line
      People can blame former head coach Jim Zorn for all of the Redskins’ offensive woes last season, but the fact of the matter is that if the team doesn’t re-build their offensive line this offseason then Mike Shanahan won’t succeed either. Shanahan will implement the zone blocking scheme in Washington, but the problem is he doesn’t currently have the right players to fit the scheme. Chris Samuels (neck) career is in jeopardy, Randy Thomas isn’t durable and is aging, and the team lacks serious depth at all five positions. There’s a large contingent that thinks the Skins should draft a quarterback in April, but offensive line is far and away their biggest need and might be addressed with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round.

      2. Running back
      Clinton Portis has clearly lost a step, but what’s worse is that he began the offseason by criticizing Jason Campbell for not being a leader and just recently, he admitted to asking for fullback Mike Sellers to be benched during a game last season. The problem is that even if the Skins did want to rid themselves of Portis, he’s guaranteed $6.43 million in 2010. Regardless, running back remains a need, as Laddell Betts, Quinton Gantehr and Marcus Mason should be viewed only for depth purposes.

      3. Quarterback
      This is all contingent on whether or not Shanahan views Jason Campbell as the right player to run his offense. Campbell isn’t Joe Montana, but he would be fine if he had more weapons at his disposal and played behind a real offensive line. But if Shanahan wants to draft a quarterback at No. 4, then Campbell will likely serve as the starter until the young signal caller is ready to take over. But if the Redskins do go that route, they run the risk of alienating Campbell (which Daniel Snyder did last year too by pursing free agent Byron Leftwich), who may request a trade. We’ll see what Shanahan decides.

      Cornerback and overall depth in the secondary are also needs for the Skins this offseason.


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      NFL, NFL Draft

      Redskins reach 5-year deal with Mike Shanahan

      January 5, 2010 /

      ESPN.com is reporting that the Redskins have reached a 5-year contract agreement with Mike Shanahan to become their next head coach.

      Under the terms of the new deal, Shanahan will team with Redskins executive vice president and general manager Bruce Allen, but Shanahan will have the ultimate authority on football decisions. Shanahan will be introduced as the Redskins head coach at a 2 p.m. ET news conference Wednesday.

      As the contract was being signed at the Redskins’ training complex, Shanahan and owner Dan Snyder posed together for a picture. Then, with the deal signed, Shanahan, his agent Sandy Montag, Allen and Snyder headed out for a celebration dinner in Washington, D.C.

      The contract is worth approximately $7 million a year, the Denver Post reported on its Web site. Now that Shanahan has been hired elsewhere, the Denver Broncos, who fired Shanahan one year ago, will recoup $7 million in offset money over the next two seasons under the terms of the agreement they had with the coach.

      Finally, Daniel Snyder made a good football decision for his franchise. Shanahan is absolutely the right fit for an organization that is in desperate need for a leader that can give them direction and build a solid foundation.

      But the key now is that Snyder needs to get the hell out of the way. He’s meddling has cost his team before, so if he continues to play the role of owner-knows-best, then this will be a wasted hire.

      You found the right guy Dan, now sit in the back and let Shanahan drive the ship.

      NFL

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