Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan won’t be fired after Sunday’s season finale at Philadelphia simply because owner Dan Snyder fears how the fans would react. It’s not as if Shanahan is beloved by Redskins fans, though they seem to have softened slightly toward him this season compared with a season ago, when they were ready to jettison the coach after a 6-10 start. In fact, a likely 5-11 finish (“Not too good,” as Steve Spurrier said before resigning) probably should result in calls for his exit.
The fans scare Snyder, though. FedEx Field has become neutral territory. After Snyder removed 10,000 seats under the guise of establishing a party deck, the stadium has become 50,000 Redskins fans and 20,000 visiting fans. For some games — against New England and the NFC East opponents — the crowd was perhaps 50-50.
Indeed, many longtime fans have surrendered tickets. They are tired of 2-6 records at home, tired of high prices and long days just for the honor of seeing their team lose.
But more than anything, fans say they are tired of the constant coaching changes. Snyder has had seven coaches in 11 years. Joe Gibbs retired, and Steve Spurrier quit despite Snyder’s objections. Norv Turner, Marty Schottenheimer and Jim Zorn were fired. Terry Robiskie merely oversaw the final three games in 2000.
Constant change has cost the team any momentum it might have created under one regime. Quarterbacks Patrick Ramsey and Jason Campbell, both first-round picks, found themselves unwanted after coaching changes. Shanahan’s transition to a 3-4 defense took two seasons. A successor who wants to go back to a 4-3 would need two more.
It’s too much. Instead, Redskins fans have decided to hunker down with Shanahan.
The good news is Shanahan is a solid coach. Once he rid the roster of problems such as Albert Haynesworth and learned to work better with the media, Shanahan settled down and has done a nice job with an injury-riddled team. The improvement of the offensive line with multiple backups was amazing.
Since he bought the Redskins, Snyder mostly has hired big names who came off as know-it-alls and left with stained reputations. Shan?ahan’s arrogance seems broken, though. An 11-20 mark should humble anyone.
There’s no need to change coaches. The Redskins need changes at quarterback, offensive line, receiver and cornerback. Switching coaches would represent another step back.
If the Redskins go 5-11 next season — making Shanahan a combined 16-32 over three seasons — then Snyder must consider whether Shanahan really can win. Nobody survives such a record.
If the Redskins stink with a rookie quarterback, Shanahan can say he’s still building for the future. If it’s another crummy year with Rex Grossman, then Shanahan just can’t pick a quarterback.
For now, the fans are willing to stay with Shanahan, hoping for the better rather than the worse.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
