For The Redskins To Succeed, Shanahan Must Create a Culture Of Winning

The unthinkable has happened here in Washington.

The Redskins have announced a coaching change.

Mike Shanahan was named the Redskins head coach after nearly a year of speculation that he would take the job.

I remember reading a Pro Football Talk post last spring that detailed Dan Snyder's attraction to Mike Shanahan and how Snyder would land him in 2010.

This, of course, has happened. But has Snyder really planned anything else other than another giant splash that reverberates around the SportsCenter studio walls?

Shanahan's hiring has managed to make headlines even though the Redskins have been non-entity in the NFL this year. And with good reason.

He's a successful coach with two Super Bowl rings. He put together an incredible offensive line with Denver and made zone-blocking schemes relevant. Throw in the number of talented players he's coached and drafted, and it's obvious a lot of people are going to be excited.

However, there's plenty wrong with this team, meaning Shanahan will have his work cut out for him. The roster may look like a disaster, but it mustn't be the first thing Shanahan should look to when analyzing what ails this team.

The mentality of the Redskins isn't a good one. The players admitted communication was poor in 2009. They also felt tension in the locker room. Certain players received preferential treatment, and there were no ground rules laid for the team as a whole.

These aren't problems that will just blow away with the hiring of a new coach. It will be Shanahan's job to ensure that the players are unified together as a team.

Where Jim Zorn failed in setting himself up as the undisputed leader of his football team, Shanahan must be firm. It's one thing to be a player's coach, it's another to have the players coaching.

With Shanahan, gone are the days where Clinton Portis doesn't attend practice; gone are the days when the team goes to the media with their sour grapes; gone are the days when the players are left to their own designs.

Or at least, we hope so.

Shanahan has to lay down the law not only for his players, but for his employer. If Snyder wants to win, he needs to let Shanahan coach his way. Snyder might feel the need to be buddies with Portis or Albert Haynesworth, but he'll have to quash that desire and back off.

Everything Snyder has tried to do for this team has backfired. Now that he has a proven coach and a capable front office, it's time for him to fade into the background.

Shanahan knows how to assemble a football team. He has an eye for talent, and has succeeded operating with several different offensive philosophies.

However, the personnel aspects of his duties are for another analytic article.

What I'm really writing about here is the Redskins' heart.

And they don't have one anymore.

Sure, certain players bring intensity and effort, but collectively as a team the Redskins don't seem to care. Be it the huge paychecks, big egos, or poor leadership, the team lacks the drive to become a winner.

That mentality is contagious. You can't get rid of that atmosphere overnight.

Change, like the switch from Zorn to Shanahan, is good. It can help jumpstart a team in the right direction. Yet it remains up to the leader of the team to establish the right mentality.

That's step number one for Mike Shanahan. If he can't accomplish it, all his efforts will fall upon a team unwilling to unite. He will have failed from the start.

And the Redskins will be no better than where they are right now.