A Cancerous Coach

Mike Shanahan is the worse thing to happen to the Washington Redskins to date. Had proper evaluation of him been done prior to his arrival here, the Redskins would not find themselves reaping the disastrous seeds he has sown.

Think about it, what coach gets fired from an organization after winning two super bowls for it? That in itself should have been a ringing endorsement or warning to “STAY AWAY”.

Why you may ask? For starters, in four seasons under Shanahan’s watch, the team at best, has been marginal in the areas of special teams (returns), offensive line (blocking), secondary (coverage), defensive fronts (pressure/sacks) and wide receivers (catching). How do these glaring issues remain in four years time?

Then there is his accountability, or lack thereof. Every time an issue surfaces, everybody else is to blame but Shanahan.  Mind you, Albert Haynesworth was cancerous to the team and yes Donovan McNabb was not the quarterback he was in Philadelphia, but this coach, who was supposed to change the culture of this team has a doctorate’s degree in double standards. He, like many other coaches advocate the message of keeping your dirty laundry in the locker room, yet it is okay for him to throw his players under the bus. All for the sake of making himself as incapable of error as possible.

Finally there is his pettiness! Fred Davis, who’s had his legal issues, is still one of the Redskins’ most productive skilled players when healthy, has been handcuffed from touching the field because he fell asleep in one team meeting. I can’t claim to have a handle on proper team meeting etiquette, but Davis can’t be the only player to do so.  Alfred Morris, who has been the one constant in the midst of this messy season has, for whatever reason, been subjected to decreased time/carries on the field. Only God knows why this is the case.

With all this in mind, his decision to deactivate Robert Griffin III to “preserve his health moving forward” is utter bull.  What better way for a petty figure to humiliate his owner and quarterback and rebel against their relationship than to use Kirk Cousins and Rex Grossman as pawns to publicly humiliate this team?  Let’s not lose sight of the fact that Shanahan has no prior discussion with Griffin going into this announcement. To echo a point Clinton Portis made recently on NFL Network, if the health of skilled players were a priority, why not deactivate Pierre Garcon and Morris?  This without question, knowing his firing is inevitable, is Shanahan’s way of saying to Snyder and the city Washington, DC, “Eff you and your beloved quarterback…fire me already.”

This is the coach that wanted Griffin. He can deny that Griffin was Snyder’s pick, but the reality is Shanahan was given all control of player personnel decisions. This is the coach that was supposed to change the culture of Washington Redskins football for the better.  Instead, he has contributed to making this once heralded organization the laughing-stock of the National Football League.  Of course the lack of execution on the field played a part in this team’s demise, but the one who was supposed to set an example on how a premier football team is ran, did anything but that.

The questions moving forward are “Who will want to coach in Washington” and “Can order be once again restored in the nation’s capital”?

One thing we do know for certain is Donovan McNabb has been vindicated.  He should not have been treated as a woman scorned.  Maybe Griffin should’ve lent an ear to McNabb’s words. Everything he said or wanted to say about Shanahan, has come to fruition.

Last week, I flirted with a double digit win week, but fell short at nine.  With three weeks left, declining is not an option.  With that in mind, here we go:

*Broncos over Chargers

*Falcons over Redskins

*49ers over Buccaneers

*Seahawks over Giants

*Bears over Browns

*Colts over Texans

*Jaguars over Bills

*Patriots over Dolphins

*Eagles over VIkings

*Chiefs over Raiders

*Panthers over Jets

*Cardinals over Titans

*Saints over Rams

*Cowboys over Packers

*Steelers over Bengals

*Lions over Ravens

We’re back at it in seven days!

By Antoine Hoffman