Which Washington Redskins Coach Is on the Hot Seat?

The foundation has already been laid. A division title has been won too. Their most prized draft selection won Rookie of the Year honors last season. Basically, the rebuilding process of the Washington Redskins was supposed to be complete (or at least nearly complete).

Missed tackles are unacceptable. Having a defense that is on pace to become the worst ever is unacceptable. Dropped passes are unacceptable. Predictable offenses are unacceptable. 0-3 is unacceptable.

At this moment, something is seriously wrong with the Redskins organization.

We’re in year four of the Mike Shanahan campaign. We’re also in year four of the 3-4 defense coached by Jim Haslett. The same goes for offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who I once considered to be the heir apparent when Mike Shanahan is gone.

Before I delve deeper into this, let me clarify something: I am not calling for Mike Shanahan to be fired, nor do I want him to be.

With that being said, significant changes need to be made, whether it’s a personnel or coaching change, a trade, a player’s only meeting, etc.

Something needs to be done.

So who’s the scapegoat for this atrocious start? Is it Kyle Shanahan’s predictable offense? Is it Jim Haslett continuing to fail? Is it Robert Griffin’s inefficiencies? Is it the football gods cursing this organization for some reason?

How mad is owner Dan Snyder right now? In years past, he would be quick to pull the trigger. Mike Shanahan’s name would soon be on the hot seat, and players would start fearing for their jobs.

Even with Snyder being less involved, there is no way the Redskins organization can survive without someone paying the price.

That person should be Jim Haslett. While other coaches may be given more rope than him, he simply is not getting the job done.

The only reason why Haslett got to keep his job last season was due to the winning streak.

This struggle was expected in the transition to the 3-4 defense, but players have been drafted and signed to specifically fit this defensive scheme and it’s still not working.

According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, Haslett’s defense has finished 21^st in overall defense in both 2010, 2011 and 22^nd in 2012.

That’s not good enough. His defense looks uninspired, confused and clearly is not responding to their coach.

Throughout the first three games of this season, I’ve noticed a lot of players are throwing their arms up in bewilderment or disgust. Opposing offenses are licking their chops when it’s time to play the Burgundy and Gold.

I understand that firing Jim Haslett midseason is going to create a stir. It will cause off-the-field distractions, and the defense will not have an identity.

This will be an addition by subtraction; a quick fix until the Redskins can find a long term replacement; the opportunity to give another coach a shot (Raheem Morris—even though he doesn’t have much to be proud of either).

So what about Mike Shanahan’s job?

Shanahan gets away with a lot because of his resume. It would be unlikely that he would still be the head coach if it wasn’t for his previous success in Denver.

Dan Snyder has empowered Mike Shanahan with the whole franchise. Every decision is under his control, therefore, that buys him to the end of the season at the minimum. The same applies for his son and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

Anyway, this isn’t an impulsive either. Haslett’s poor coaching has been cumulative since his arrival back in 2010.

Does firing Jim Haslett bring this team back to the playoffs? Does this somehow improve the offense too? What does firing the defensive coordinator during the season accomplish?

It might not solve anything, but this nightmarish 0-3 start cannot go unnoticed. A message needs to be sent to this Washington Redskins team and this would be loud and clear.