We were told that Redskin Head Coach, Mike Shanahan spent his time watching games during his year away from football. Shanahan said he visited teams to see what they were doing to get a better feel for things he could not see as a narrowly focused coach. This begs the question of why he hired Jim Haslett as Defensive Coordinator. A simple glance of Haslett’s resume reveals nothing that says he is capable of building a consistently effective defense, let alone a dominant one.  As I go through his career starting with his stint as an Assistant Coach at the University of Buffalo in 1988 up to his last gig as head coach of the Florida Tuskers of the United football league I see nothing of note.

Since I am not one to complain without offering solutions the following Coaches are people I would have at least brought in or contacted:

• Vic Fangio – Linebackers Coach, Baltimore Ravens - #1 ranked defense.
• Clarence Brooks – Defensive Line Coach, Baltimore Ravens – #1 ranked Defense.
• John Mitchell – Assistant Head Coach/Defensive line Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers - #5 ranked defense.
• Pepper Johnson – Linebacker Coach, New England Patriots - #2 ranked defense.
• Jim Washburn – Defensive Line Coach, Tennessee Titans -  #28 ranked defense (but historically much better)
• Romeo Crennel - Took Chiefs Job
• Jack Del Rio - Stayed in Jacksonville

The biggest difference between the guys on my shortlist above and Jim Haslett is all of the guys on my list are winners while Haslett has not won anything of note. That is not to say Haslett cannot be a winner but the Redskins need to surround themselves with guys that can lead from the front.  If Shanahan made his rounds, checked the stats and actually watched games it makes me wonder how he settled on a guy that was coaching in the UFL over the guys actually getting it done on very good defensive teams. The stats and resumes are there for your review would you have picked Haslett?