The Washington Redskins must beat the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday for coach Mike Shanahan to match the 12-20 marks of predecessors Steve Spurrier and Jim Zorn, neither of whom saw a third season. Talk about a low benchmark.
Shanahan said he has no doubts he will keep his job come Monday. Snyder fired Zorn hours after the 2009 season, while Spurrier resigned from a golf course soon after the end of the 2003 season.
The roster was barren upon his arrival, Shanahan said. Worse than he thought. Shanahan’s still talking about a five-year plan. Meanwhile, San Francisco first-year coach Jim Harbaugh doubled the 49ers’ six wins from a year ago.
A review of the rosters inherited by each of the three coaches shows Shanahan was no worse off than Spurrier or Zorn. Shanahan took over a team that had a solid Clinton Portis; Chris Cooley and Santana Moss in their prime; and LaRon Landry, Carlos Rogers, Andre Carter and London Fletcher on defense. Spurrier had the best defense and offensive line of the three. Zorn took over a wild-card team with some rough spots.
Here’s what all three had in common: They didn’t inherit rosters that were ideal for their philosophies. Spurrier took over from Marty Schottenheimer, whose offense was the antithesis of Spurrier’s passing attack. After replacing Joe Gibbs, Zorn tried to convert a run-based offense into one that focused more on the pass. Shanahan switched to a 3-4 defense that’s still looking for pieces after two seasons.
The poor fits are perfect examples why the Redskins have never gained any traction during owner Dan Snyder’s 12 years. They keep changing directions with new coaches and end up where they started: losing.
It’s why fans are willing to endure Shanahan. It’s not that they believe in Shanahan as much as they’re afraid another change will prolong the losing.
At least Shanahan started with a quarterback. He just chose not to use Jason Campbell, who wasn’t nearly as bad as fans thought, at least in comparison to successors Donovan McNabb, Rex Grossman and John Beck. Spurrier brought in his own quarterbacks who were roughly akin to Grossman and Beck, while Zorn had Campbell.
Still, Shanahan may be correct that the roster he inherited didn’t have any depth. Former vice president Vinny Cerrato and Snyder had two disastrous drafts after Gibbs left, depleting the offensive line and missing on receivers. The 2008-09 drafts produced tight end Fred Davis, linebacker Brian Orakpo, cornerback Kevin Barnes and nothing else. It didn’t help that Shanahan’s first draft in 2010 netted linebacker Perry Riley and offensive tackle Trent Williams, who had not proved deserving of the fourth overall selection even before he was suspended for drug use.
Shanahan shouldn’t use personnel as an excuse. Good coaches produce wins, not records worse than perhaps the team’s two poorest coaches of the last 30 years.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
