My evaluation of Shanahan starts now

[44 goes 50 gut]

I need to see improvement, but I don't buy the "it's his roster" yes most of the roster was picked by the current regime, and whats left of the old are arguably the "happy accidents" of Snyderatto.

But realistically and without letting emotion come into the discussion, how many of the current players are stop gaps, patches and temporary filler as opposed to ideal players he would pick if he had more than 3 drafts, and more cap space in the last free agent signing period?

Albert Haynesworth and D Hall are still bad decisions that are hamstringing Shanahan (see the cap penalties). The roster is riddled with "the best we can do under the circumstances" The safety position, the CB's, the O line especially.

Look at the roster position by position and ask yourself what spots are "set" "on paper":

QB at the expense of 3 firsts a 2nd and a 4th, plus what they paid for McNabb. He couldn't take Locker (IMO he was going to) last year so he had to go all in this year.
WR (as the expense of most of the cap and several later round picks) seems like it's where Shanahan would want it on paper.
DL Well done rebuild here, the best unit on the team for skill + depth IMO.

TE the only position he inherited depth from Snyderatto and it's flawed (Weed), and now back to being a questionable position due to Cooley being cut.
RB has always been a "off the pile" position for Shanny but is hardly what anyone can call "set".
LB arguable, but at the expense of first round Picks in both era's no depth at either outside or inside. Good starters though, one of them wont be here much longer.
OL patchwork, he inherited total garbage and two retirements, still clearly a WIP despite multiple picks.
DB's the unit that is still the least improved and has seen the most turn over. Also the most temporary "warm bodies" and the least high picks devoted to it, also has an aging (some would say washed up) left over.

That doesn't look to me like most of the team is where Shanny would want it "on paper". Obviously no team is perfect, and at some point he has to start winning anyway. But in my opinion in an ideal world he should get another year, another draft and free agency... But I recognize that he wont. In fact I suspect anything less than .500 this year will result in firings, because that's how Snyder rolls