04/23/24
January 07, 2010
Washington Hires Mike Shanahan as Coach: Mike Shanahan has been hired as Washington's head coach after one year away from the game. Shanahan's record is 244-146 as coach of the Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos with two Super Bowl wins. The seventh head coach since Daniel Snyder bought the team in 1999 has been told by former coach Joe Gibbs that Snyder "will not interfere at all."
As long as Snyder owns this team they will not win a playoff game let alone make it to the SB.
posted by twgibsr at 02:08 PM on January 07, 2010
I think the only place less appealing would be the Raiders, at least until Davis kicks off. I guess we'll see if Shanahan is up to the big challenge though.
posted by chris2sy at 02:22 PM on January 07, 2010
I don't understand why Shanahan took this gig. Surely he could've done better. Snyder cut Zorn off at the knees midseason and then insisted on firing him at 3 a.m. on the night the team returned from its last game.
posted by rcade at 02:27 PM on January 07, 2010
I don't understand why Shanahan took this gig.
Because Urban Meyer decided to come back to Florida, otherwise Shanahan would've taken the Florida gig. With Meyer returning to the Gators, Dan Snyder had to be the happiest man on earth since he was able to hire Shanahan.
posted by BornIcon at 02:35 PM on January 07, 2010
Shanahan was only away from the game for one year; he was fired at the end of last season and McDaniels has now been coach at Denver for just the one season.
posted by holden at 02:55 PM on January 07, 2010
Well, to be fair, he kind of mailed in that last season in Denver, so rcade is at least essentially accurate.
posted by Ufez Jones at 03:00 PM on January 07, 2010
Corrected. Thanks.
posted by rcade at 03:20 PM on January 07, 2010
It's a little sad, because you would either have to be totally desperate for a job or completely delusional to go to work for Snyder. Or both.
posted by irunfromclones at 04:16 PM on January 07, 2010
It's a little sad, because you would either have to be totally desperate for a job or completely delusional to go to work for Snyder. Or both.
I think part of the appeal for someone like Shanahan (in addition to the money) is the fact that he gets to be coach and the final authority on personnel matters. Total control is very important for a lot of these top-level coaches. The problem is that you could count on one hand the number of coach/GM types over the past decade who have actually been successful. It's just too much job for one person, and really two different skill sets. I appreciate that Bruce Allen is technically the GM, but it looks like Shanahan gets final say in personnel matters and will play an integral role in personnel matters.
posted by holden at 04:42 PM on January 07, 2010
As long as Snyder owns this team Shanahan GM/coaches this team they will not win a playoff game let alone make it to the SB.
To be fair though, I don't really see how this team makes it past third in the division, much less worry about the playoffs.
posted by igottheblues at 05:02 PM on January 07, 2010
Snyder "will not interfere at all."
hahahahahah. Oh, wait, was he serious?
posted by graymatters at 06:59 PM on January 07, 2010
I was going to make the exact same comment graymatters just made. I'd even already copied and pasted the same section of the original post. Well done, graymatters!
posted by Joey Michaels at 07:34 PM on January 07, 2010
Snyder is thinking of selling the Redskins. He wants to buy Boise State.
posted by beaverboard at 07:35 PM on January 07, 2010
So Dan Snyder hired Bruce Allen as the Skins' new GM recently, and now he's hiring Mike Shanahan as head coach and "Vice President of Football Operations." Does that VP job mean Shanahan will be making personnel decisions? If so, will he report to Allen? Or does this mean Shanahan really wants to be both coach and GM, and if that's the case, is Allen not long for his new job?
(On edit, I see holden alludes to some of the same questions, above... I shoulda read a little more carefully, natch).
posted by Hugh Janus at 08:28 PM on January 07, 2010
As long as Snyder owns this team they will not win a playoff game let alone make it to the SB.
I'd be the last person to defend Dan Snyder, but they won a playoff game in 2005.
posted by 86 at 10:00 AM on January 08, 2010
Apparently Shanahan and Snyder have been friendly for years, via offseason GM meetings. I'm sure he's read an article or two on the Redskins in the last decade so something about his relationship with Snyder is telling him this might work, and it looks more and more like the whole Zorn fiasco happened to clear the way for Shanahan.
I'd say Shanahan/Allen/Snyder's ability to hire a good defensive coordinator is going to mean much more to the Skins success in the next three years than Shanahan vs. Snyder.
On Allen's role: he's a salary cap whiz and was GM between Al Davis and Gruden previously, which is about as close to Snyder and Shanahan as you're going to find for owner/HC. He's the peacemaker.
posted by deflated at 03:00 PM on January 08, 2010
That's a great point, deflated. Now the Allen hire makes more sense to me. Thanks.
posted by Hugh Janus at 04:43 PM on January 08, 2010
Amusing that Shanahan will now have worked for both Davis and Snyder. Is there a booby prize for that?
posted by billsaysthis at 06:24 PM on January 08, 2010
Does he trade a 1st and a 3rd to Chicago for Cutler?