Washington Redskins: Candidates Who Could Succeed Mike Shanahan
In Week 11 this season, the Washington Redskins won on the road by beating the Tennessee Titans 19-16 to even their season record at 5-5. Sitting there with a .500 record, and having experienced the ups and downs of 10 games for the Redskins and head coach Mike Shanahan to understand each other, you would think they were well postured to make a playoff run.
Guess again.
The Redskins promptly lost their next three games to fall to 5-8 and have all but assured themselves of missing out of the playoffs, unless Daniel Snyder can buy his way into becoming part of the NFC West division.
Two of the biggest stars on the team, high profile types, are quarterback Donovan McNabb and defensive linemen Albert Haynesworth. Throughout the year, Shanahan has found a way to alienate both of these players. His giant size ego prevents him from running a team concept that everyone is pulling together on the same rope against the enemy. It seems like it could be more of: "We have seen the enemy and the enemy is us".
Redskins nation is up in arms about the way that Shanahan has decided to bench McNabb for this weekend's game against the Dallas Cowboys and start Rex Grossman. It will not be long before Redskins fans start calling for Shanahan's head on a platter. They would be right to do so. It would be an expensive mistake for Daniel Snyder to relieve Shanahan of his job, but when you throw around as much money as Daniel Snyder does, what is $10 million here or there between friends?
So, if Shanahan gets his walking papers, who would be a likely candidate to replace him and walk into this mess?
Continue on with the slideshow to see who we recommend.
How Good A Job Has Shanahan Done This Year?
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If the Dallas Cowboys defeat Washington on Sunday, the Redskins will find themselves tied with Dallas for the basement of the NFC East division. That would also mean that the Redskins would have gone 1-6 over their last seven games, a sign that Shanahan has probably lost control of his team.
For the season, in the major four categories of running the ball, passing the ball, stopping the run and stopping the pass, the team is basically in the bottom third of the league. Their current rank is as follows: run offense (26), pass offense (10) rush defense (28) and pass defense (29).
When you think about Shanahan, you think about John Elway, and the running back by committee approach where he can run the ball all day and wear your team out. Yet, even with Shanahan reuniting with Clinton Portis, they were not able to jump-start the running game. You would have imagined that the run offense and pass offense rankings should be reversed, but they are not.
So, why do you bench Donovan McNabb when your pass offense is operating at a top 10 level?
If you see your head coach is constantly at odds with your star players, than how should that make the supporting players that are clearly at distinct notches below McNabb and Haynesworth, (in Pro-Bowls and in compensation), feel about their own job security and self-worth? Does it make them want to go to war for Shanahan? With a 1-5 record over the last six games, the proof appears to be in the pudding.
Another Reason for Giving Mike Shanahan the Pink Slip
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The new NFLPA collective labor union agreement is hopeful of completion prior to the NFL draft. A number of NFL contracts are due to be up at the conclusion of this year, due to owners not wanting to commit large sums of money without the NFLPA agreement in place.
For every one of the higher profile free agents that will be looking for a new deal in 2011, they will have to consider the plight of Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb, if Mike Shanahan is still on board. Based on how he has not been able to have any degree of harmony with the two stars, how can they expect any different treatment if Shanahan is still on board and trying to do things his way?
Based on how poorly the team is playing, and how far away they are from being an elite team, you just know that Daniel Snyder is ready to open up the pocketbook to land some new talent. But if agents are telling him that their clients don't want to play for Shanahan, that is a serious issue that can't be shrugged away.
Are There Any Internal Candidates Worth Considering?
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From an internal team perspective, you naturally look at your offensive and defensive coordinators. Since Mike Shanahan's son, Kyle Shanahan, happens to be the offensive coordinator, it is difficult to imagine that this is even a valid option. I can just see the headlines if that deal were to ever go down. Not going to happen.
That brings us to defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. A prior head coach with the New Orleans Saints, Haslett was reportedly in the mix for consideration at several of the NFL head coaching vacant jobs during the prior season. He apparently has been able to get along with Albert Haynesworth better than Shanahan has done.
Haslett at least knows the defensive personnel and what areas to address, assuming he is not willing to stand pat at being ranked 28th and 29th in the two major areas of yardage allowed. Is he a big enough name to draw in fans for the spectacle that Daniel Snyder likes to create for the Washington faithful? No, not a big enough name.
So, that means we have to go outside the organization. We need to look at unemployed coaches, coaches sitting in the studios, or in the broadcast booth, or at coordinators from other teams, Then there is the college ranks.
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What Big Name Would Snyder Throw Millions at First?
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Washington DC is not that terribly far from where Bill Cowher makes his home in North Carolina. Is this team one that he would consider wanting to head up? Certainly money would not be an issue, as Snyder can throw as much green at him as he demands. Is it a team he would want to coach though? That probably is a question that only he can answer, but looking at it from a neutral standpoint, I wonder if he sees this as just too much of a mess to even want to take this on.
Going down south a little further, the Carolina Panthers will be looking for a new coach, and will be sitting there with the first draft pick at their beckoned call. If you were Cowher, and you could live close to home, play in better weather, have a quarterback like Andrew Luck to build your team around, (assuming he declares), what would your decision be?
Then, there is the long-rumored New York Giants situation, which is one that Cowher secretly covets according to reports over the past few years. If they fail to make a splash in the playoffs, will that job open up? These are the issues that Cowher will face in the off-season, if in fact he does want to return to the rigors of coaching again.
What Other Big Names Are Still Out There ?
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Jon Gruden. Short in stature but big in personality. That is a name that would sell some seats. I see Gruden as being less selective than Bill Cowher would be. He could come in to Washington and find a way to get along with the key players that Shanahan can't seem to do.
Gruden has enjoyed success at Tampa Bay and winning a Super Bowl ring would appear to be a minimum requirement what Daniel Snyder envisions as the pedigree his head coach should have on the resume.
Other Ex-NFL Coaches To Consider
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The laundry list of NFL ex-head coaches seems to keep getting longer and longer with every passing year. Here are just a few names to throw around the water cooler when discussing possible replacements for Mike Shanahan.
Steve Mariucci, Wade Phillips, Brad Childress, Gregg Williams, Dom Capers, Brian Billick, Dick Jauron, and Jim Mora Jr. It is not unreasonable to think that Josh McDaniels and John Fox will be additional names for this list in the near future.
NFL coaches in retirement that should stay retired: Tony Dungy, Jimmy Johnson, Mike Ditka, and Bill Parcells.
NFL coaches that held the interim head coach title: Perry Fewell, Leslie Frazier and Jason Garrett.
NFL Head Coaches that might prefer college campuses more: Lane Kiffin, Butch Davis and Nick Saban.
Is there anyone realistic from this list? Possibly, but they would be a distinct plan B to either Cowher or Gruden.
College Coaches That Seem To Have NFL Head Coach Written All Over Them
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Being a Sooner graduate myself, it is difficult to keep hearing about Bob Stoops being considered elsewhere for every job that pops up under the sun. He is a winner and a class act, and that is why I like him to stay in Norman, just fine.
He would be a serious candidate to consider, but he seems to have another strong team coming back to O.U. next year.
There is one other college coach that seems to also have the NFL Head Coach tag written all over him, and that is Jim Harbaugh of Stanford University. If Cowher, Gruden, and Stoops all say no, I would not be surprised at all to see Harbaugh running the Redskins in 2011.
Coordinators Ready for the Next Step
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San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera has his defense ranked as number one in the NFL. He has been interviewed for other head coach vacancies in the recent past, so he make sense to be considered for the job.
Other highly regarded NFL coordinators that should warrant consideration besides Rivera, are: Brian Schottenheimer (New York Jets), Russ Grimm (Arizona Cardinals), Marty Mornhinweg and Jim Johnson (Philadelphia Eagles) and Rob Ryan (Cleveland).
If the quartet of Cowher, Gruden, Stoops or Harbaugh don't get the job, the hire could very well come from one of these coordinators-in-waiting.
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