Choose Your 2014 Redskins Head Coach

So far, same answer as last season. Mike Shanahan.

Wish Mike would let Haslett go, though.

MS allow him to spend all that $$$.

Iv seen this movie before. Spend a $hit load of money on a bunch of wash ups have a terrible season coach gets fired and we start all over. Hopefully BA doesn't let that happen.

The following are excerpts from Thomas Boswell's column in today's Washington Post. In Boswell's opinion, the primary issue to consider in the decision to keep Mike Shanahan or let him go is not his management of the offense or his relationship with and development of RGIII. It is his record in managing the other parts of the team, primarily the defense.

Do you agree?

Boswell writes:

"How good is Mike Shanahan? Not how good does he think he is. How good really?

Not just as an offensive theorist, but as builder of all parts of a team, since that’s his job description. How good is he at picking coaches for all three units, then, as de facto general manager, guiding selection of every player? As he says, 'You are your record.'

Mike Shanahan has overseen franchise’s worst defense in 50 years, which counts for something.

Here’s the appetizer. In his fourth year, Shanahan has built the worst Washington defense in 50 seasons. This defense is so awful that if it slashed the number of points it allows by 40 percent in its past six games, it would still be the worst in D.C. since ’64.

In his past six seasons, two in Denver and now four in D.C., Shanahan has been the architect of defenses that look like a bridge collapse. Whether you keep him, and for how long, or fire him, depends on whether you think he can fix this problem.

Since 1954, only two Washington teams have been so bad on defense that they allowed 400 points — 412 and 421 under Norv Turner . This year’s Redskins may give up 500 points. That’s f-i-v-e h-u-n-d-r-e-d. After 10 games, they’re on pace for 498.

Because Shanahan makes every important decision, he’s responsible for every important result. In his years, Washington has ranked 20th, 22nd, 22nd and now 30th in points allowed . That’s an average ranking of 24th in a 32-team league. That’s the worst defensive standing, relative to the whole league, in the reign of any Redskins coach since Otto Graham in the ’60s.

The Redskins are currently giving up 31.1 points per game. Only one Washington team in history has been worse — it was in 1954 . In the past 50 years, the worst mark was 26.3 points. Yes, offense is up a tad in the NFL this year to 23.4 points per game versus 21.3 for the past 20 years. But even with that adjustment, the Redskins are awful in absolute terms, and also relative to the league as a whole.

In 20 years of NFL coaching, Shanahan has only had one top five defense. A half-dozen of his Denver defenses were good. He hasn’t always been bad. But for his entire career, his average rank in points allowed has been 16th — middle of the league.

It’s the trend of his past half-dozen teams, especially this one, that’s most worrisome. In Shanahan’s final two years in Denver, his Broncos ranked 28th and 30th in points allowed (409 and 448). In other words, his last two Broncos teams gave up more points than the two worst Redskins teams of the entire 16-game-season NFL era of the past 35 years.

What’s sunk this season, with their playoff odds now at 1.4 percent, has been awful defense, as well as atrocious special teams that are last or next-to-last in the NFL in kicking field goals or returning any ball that’s punted or kicked.

The Redskins allowed an average of 314 points in the three years before Shanahan arrived. That’s the baseline. Since he brought in Jim Haslett as coordinator and replaced a functional 4-3 defense with a generally inept 3-4, the number of points allowed, per full season, has skyrocketed to 398.

Nothing, except a franchise quarterback, means as much in the NFL as picking your coach. And nothing raises unexpected hell more than switching one. At least debate the issue along the right lines. With complete control, and without any major injuries this season, Shanahan has overseen the construction of the worst Washington defense in 50 years. That’s where you start.

That’s the 500-point elephant in the room."

In spite of it all I want Shanny to finish out his contract and decide from there.

KI- that is a damaging article about shanahan.
How do we want Snyder to not mettle in affairs, when shanasatan is statistically the worst coach ever?
No coach under Snyder has served their full contract. We go all in and give executive powers to 'satan and he hires his son who train wrecks with Rex, McNabb, beck, and Robert knee, and hires Haslett changing the defense and makes us the worst defense in history.

The writing is on the wall. Should have traded 3 1st to include Fisher.

This team is Chernobyl. It is forever Quarantined from priducing anything of value again

lol...what does michael scott say?

twss

Yep, Shanahan's great defenses. That was my main knock on him before the Redskins hired him and you can see he picked the wrong DC and nothing has changed or won't.

Yep, Shanahan's great defenses. That was my main knock on him before the Redskins hired him and you can see he picked the wrong DC and nothing has changed or won't.

Same here, his last years in Denver, he was going through D coordinators on a regular basis. Unlike many, I had no problem going from the 4-3 to 3-4, nor did I have any expectation the transition would be easy or "quick". It was a fundamental change which, had it worked, would have been fine by me. [I personally think the 3-4 the more flexible set and, therefore, better set - particulary as the game evolves into more of a passing era.]

Unfortunately, Haslett just hasn't gotten it done. Sure, back-end talent has been an issue but, sorry, the D hasn't executed and has schemed well. I hope going forward, we get a creative D coord who find ways to stop the medium and big gains and who gets his D off the field -- other than by allowing the other team to score.

I am grateful to Shanny for exorcising the ghost of Vinny, for working through the draft, for not giving up on younger players and creating the idea that "fairness/performance" govern who plays. (Although, recently, it seems this last has been given less emphassis).

Barring a 180 degree turnaround by the D and parts of the O, it is time to say good bye to Shanny before all the good he has done is undone by a descent into losing and defeatism.

Think my preference is strong defensive minded HC, with an aggressive minded OC who will build RG3 as a greater pocket passer.