Six questions Redskins Nation has for Shanahan
By: Turner Sports Desk
In the midst of all the change happening at Redskin Park questions remain about the future of this franchise. On paper Mike Shanahan represents a significant upgrade as a coach but his hiring does not guarantee success. With that thought in mind I came up with the following six questions Redskins fans should be asking the new coach:
Is Shanahan motivated? – On that
note I feel pretty good because Shanahan was fired. The last time Shanahan was
fired in Oakland he proceeded to run up scores on people with his Broncos and
dominate the league for next three years. Shanahan has a mean streak and I
think we need more of that around here.
Who is his Defensive Coordinator? – Lost in all of the Elway talk the
defensive collapses were the likely cause of his downfall in Denver. I would be
genuinely worried if Shanahan brought in anyone from the Denver days. We can
only hope that Shanahan has learned a lesson about picking defensive
coordinators from his mistakes.
What is his QB plan? – It appears Kyle Shanahan
will be the Redskins Offensive Coordinator so it will essentially be up to him
to determine if he can work/win with Jason Campbell.
If they determine that they cannot I expect the Skins to use the 1st
round pick on a lineman and then select a QB in the second round. Kyle Shanahan did work with Sage
Rosenfels in Houston so don’t be surprised if you see him back here around
training camp time just because of scheme familiarity. Rosenfels is currently the
3rd stringer QB in Minnesota.
What is his offensive Line Plan? – This is the “duh” question on everyone’s
mind as the Redskins offensive line is beyond tragic. Given all of the exotic
blitz schemes used by the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants perhaps a smaller more
adaptable line might be the way to go. In the zone blocking scheme Shanahan
just wants to get a hat on a hat just long enough to get the runner through the
hole.
Can Shanahan adapt his scheme? – The downfall of many NFL head
coaches (even some good ones) is their inability to adapt to what they have.
Joe Gibbs is the only coach that won three super bowls with three different QBs
proving you do not need a “franchise”
QB. Shanahan is a west coast guy but if the team is better suited for something
else can he change to win?
What will he do differently than he did in Denver? – Regardless of all
the good things we hear about Shanahan this week he got fired in Denver.
He failed miserably as both coach and GM so will he be in charge of personnel
again here? Has he spent this season studying defenses and what he would like to employ here? What is he going to do
differently to ensure he does not fall into the same rut he did in Denver?