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The situation the Redskins find themselves at 3-6 heading into the bye week is exactly why hiring a coach who insists on doubling as the de facto head of personnel is a bad idea at the NFL level.
Coaches consistently say as Parcells did that they want a say in determining which 'vegetables' are going to be put in their 'stew'.
And while there is merit in the head coach being a part, a significant part in mapping out which players stay and which players go, there has to be a counter-balancing force that looks beyond the immediate and looks out for the future of the franchise.
In 2010, coming off a 6-10 year where the Redskins were the oldest team in the NFL, most credible GMs would never have signed off on trading for Donovan McNabb or Jammal Brown.
Why? Because even if they came in and played well were only short term fixes on a team whose base of talent was weak.
Would Beathard have traded #2 and #3 picks away for post 30 year old players whose teams had determined they were excess baggage?
No.
And I don't think in the current period you would see Jerry Reese of the Giants make those kinds of moves either.
Those high draft picks ARE your future. And if you are going to trade several of them away right off the bat then you better be pretty sure the club is ready to compete and contend.
And no one thought this team coming down the stretch in 2009 under Zorn was just a couple of players away from being a club that could go deep into the playoffs.
That judgment was made BEFORE people realized that Shanahan upon his arrival was going to change the defense to a 3-4 and and there was going to be a lockout.
Most GMs I think under those circumstances would have counseled saving the picks and taking the competitive hit on the field in 2010 with rookies and undrafted free agents and look to 2011 to hit the ground running.
Head coaches don't want to hear that because that means the CURRENT season which is all they are usually focused on becomes more of a training ground than a chance to make an immmediate impact and splash in the division.
But that creative tension IMO has to be there otherwise you end up with impulsive decisions like the one to acquire the 33 year old McNabb for a team whose roster was full of 30 year old players, many of whose careers were winding down like Portis, Moss and Cooley.
Coaches consistently say as Parcells did that they want a say in determining which 'vegetables' are going to be put in their 'stew'.
And while there is merit in the head coach being a part, a significant part in mapping out which players stay and which players go, there has to be a counter-balancing force that looks beyond the immediate and looks out for the future of the franchise.
In 2010, coming off a 6-10 year where the Redskins were the oldest team in the NFL, most credible GMs would never have signed off on trading for Donovan McNabb or Jammal Brown.
Why? Because even if they came in and played well were only short term fixes on a team whose base of talent was weak.
Would Beathard have traded #2 and #3 picks away for post 30 year old players whose teams had determined they were excess baggage?
No.
And I don't think in the current period you would see Jerry Reese of the Giants make those kinds of moves either.
Those high draft picks ARE your future. And if you are going to trade several of them away right off the bat then you better be pretty sure the club is ready to compete and contend.
And no one thought this team coming down the stretch in 2009 under Zorn was just a couple of players away from being a club that could go deep into the playoffs.
That judgment was made BEFORE people realized that Shanahan upon his arrival was going to change the defense to a 3-4 and and there was going to be a lockout.
Most GMs I think under those circumstances would have counseled saving the picks and taking the competitive hit on the field in 2010 with rookies and undrafted free agents and look to 2011 to hit the ground running.
Head coaches don't want to hear that because that means the CURRENT season which is all they are usually focused on becomes more of a training ground than a chance to make an immmediate impact and splash in the division.
But that creative tension IMO has to be there otherwise you end up with impulsive decisions like the one to acquire the 33 year old McNabb for a team whose roster was full of 30 year old players, many of whose careers were winding down like Portis, Moss and Cooley.