The Mike Shanaplan

I thought this was a great article and brought great insight into the organization. The Bleacher Report usually sucks to me but Tom Natail did a good job on this one.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/689977-the-mike-shanaplan

Good Article.......I could not agree more. They did what they needed to do to start putting the necessary pieces in place for a francise QB....which I am sure they will go after next draft!
HTTR

this could potentially be one of the worst teams ever assembled in Washington.

not quite sure about that...

Lets wait and see what happens at the QB position and via FA before we start calling this a re-build because imo a rebuild doesn't begin by giving up draft picks to trade for aging short term starters like McNabb and Jamaal Brown.

The Burgundy and Gold are part of the Mike Shanahan plan, and its the same plan Mike Shanahan has always had he's trying to win.

Its more re-tool/re-fit then re-build.

And you know what? It just might work because imo he's that good of coach.

Decent read, agree with most of it but I don't see the team taking a big step backwards this year. Let's see how the roster looks after free agency before we consider this a throw away season.

not quite sure about that...

I think last year we had a terrible team. Wrong personnel for a new 3-4 defense, big holes in our interior offensive line, a QB more suited for a playoff-ready team (and a bit washed up), a young and inexperienced RB group sans Portis, and really not much of a receiving group. Throw on top of that the head coach and a $100 million dollar turd having a d*ck swinging contest, the whole McNabb benching fiasco (signaling the failure of the McNabb trade), and a head coach that had a slight "let's see if we can win now attitude".

For 2011-12 I think we're going to have a young team with hard-working/good character players that are rebuilding. I see a coach and a front office that are building through the draft, trying to establish discipline and leadership (which I hope this means that they will get rid of Haynesworth and stop the circus atmosphere behind that issue). And who are building the team from the ground up. As I said before, I wish this type of rebuilding would have occurred last year, but I am glad this is happening now.

On a related note, a good article by Chris Russell on Shanahan's plan:

"Did Shanahan give it away?" (http://redskins.espn980.com/bloggers/chris-russell/item/59-did-shanahan-give-it-away)

An honest assessment would probably make one wonder how the hell we even won 6 games last year. Our o-line was generally poor to below average. We had a QB who didn't know the system well enough to execute it. We only had moderate success in running the ball. Lastly, our WRs were one borderline starter and a bunch of castoffs. And the offense was the GOOD part of the team.

I doubt we win 6 games this year absent some major FA mojo but in the end we added a significant infusion of youth and hopefully a useful amount of talent for the long haul. If you can cme out of a draft with 4 starters (eventually) you're getting the job done. I think it is hard to see less than 4 legit starters out of this draft even if none of them is major stud.

This team may suck but perhaps for once we're sitting at the bottom of the mountain ready to make the hike up rather than barreling down the other side with old and/or overrated/misfit players.

An honest assessment would probably make one wonder how the hell we even won 6 games last year. Our o-line was generally poor to below average. We had a QB who didn't know the system well enough to execute it. We only had moderate success in running the ball. Lastly, our WRs were one borderline starter and a bunch of castoffs. And the offense was the GOOD part of the team.

I doubt we win 6 games this year absent some major FA mojo but in the end we added a significant infusion of youth and hopefully a useful amount of talent for the long haul. If you can cme out of a draft with 4 starters (eventually) you're getting the job done. I think it is hard to see less than 4 legit starters out of this draft even if none of them is major stud.

This team may suck but perhaps for once we're sitting at the bottom of the mountain ready to make the hike up rather than barreling down the other side with old and/or overrated/misfit players.

Nice analogy! I agree with your post. A lot of folks in this thread are in a bit of denial, be honest this season is going to suck for the Washington Redskins. There is not enough quality FA out there to suddenly make this a winning team.

IMO, it looks like the skins are trying to build a solid team then place then place that franchise QB into the mix much like BAL, NYJ, ATL, etc...

Nice analogy! I agree with your post. A lot of folks in this thread are in a bit of denial, be honest this season is going to suck for the Washington Redskins. There is not enough quality FA out there to suddenly make this a winning team.

IMO, it looks like the skins are trying to build a solid team then place then place that franchise QB into the mix much like BAL, NYJ, ATL, etc...

That is exactly how I feel as well. I felt we should have kept J.C. that last year and start this process then. It will take about 2-3 years before we become true contenders question is will Danny Boy be willing to wait that long?

It's not my intention to critique the writers analysis because he does present some udeniable findings. However, to say on the one hand; [quote] Even though it’s going to be a hard season to watch with either Rex Grossman or the unproven John Beck at quarterback, there needs to be a solid foundation set before the team decides to pencil in a young quarterback, and I believe they are taking the cautious steps in doing so. [unquote]

Opinions vary but, I do believe having a solid foundation already in place for a young QB can only serve to speed his development while not having it contribute to what many are saying doomed John Beck in Miami.

On the other hand the writer went on to say [quote] This is the make-or-break year for Mike Shanahan and his coaching staff, if they show progress, then he’s a genius; if he doesn’t, he will be another disappointment to surface in the Nation’s Capital. [unquote]

I don't believe this year will be make-or-break for Shanahan simply because of the facts presented above. What we've just witnessed throughout the course of the draft is the beginning of the building of that foundation. There has to be a starting point and I think most will agree this could very well be it.