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It used to be that a coach had to win by Year 5 to keep his job. Those were in the pre-internet, max-media days when a Tom Landry or Joe Gibbs could go 0-5 or 0-9 and not be fired after that first season amid a chorus of blogs and ESPN shots.
Now it seems to be Year 1 or 2 in most cases before the pressure starts to mount.Do we have an exception here?
Points in mitigation for Shanahan include the overall age of the team in 2010 (oldest in NFL), the number of draft choices on the club (among fewest in the NFL), and the reality of two mega-contracts for Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall, the ramifications of which the club is still dealing with in re the out years of all those bonus dollars against the cap.
A final point and perhaps the most important would be the lockout-induced poor free agent offseason in 2010 where fourth and fifth year starters were extended with their current clubs for another season and not made available. For first year coaches that meant not being able to fill major holes with players age-wise you felt you could build with long-term.
On the other side of the ledger is the failed attempt to bring in Donovan McNabb to skip a year in the rebuilding process (with a younger passer) and a continued dependence upon injured players to return to the field such as Jammal Brown and LaRon Landry, both of whom could have been released after 2010 with a small hit on the cap (and in Brown’s case no 5 year extension).
In going around and around on this, one thing that keeps sticking in my mind is the fact that few of the quarterbacks available to the Redskins in 2010 and 2011 have been successful in the NFL. The trade for McNabb was a mistake, but so would have been drafting Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Colt McCoy or dealing for a guy like Kevin Kolb or Carson Palmer. The team could have signed Matt Hasselbeck but he is 36 years old and immobile and didn’t really fit this offense.
Other than Andy Dalton there didn’t appear to be any bargains out there. Would you prefer to see Ike Skelton or Tim Tebow rather than Robert Griffin under center? Cam Newton is excellent but as a first overall choice should have been and there was no way Carolina was trading that pick at the time.
So, with the construction of a defense in 2011 (which should have started in 2010 with a regular free agent offseason) and the drafting of Griffin and Cousins in 2012, I am willing to see this as a do-over Year 2 for Shanahan and Allen.
While saying that I am really looking now at the OL and how the front office and coaching staff are managing the personnel. Shanahan drafts and signs players that other teams tend to pass on due to size or strength issues, all in the name of fielding a quick, flexible front. We will see if the bets on LeRibeus, Gettis, Chester, etc. and some of the returning depth players pan out. Trent Williams by all indications was having an outstanding camp before the bone bruise put him on the sidelines. But for a #4 overall pick, showing dominance and true athleticism in Year 3 at age 25 is expected now as he enters his prime in the NFL. If you are drafting correctly, his performance should not be a surprise.
Now it seems to be Year 1 or 2 in most cases before the pressure starts to mount.Do we have an exception here?
Points in mitigation for Shanahan include the overall age of the team in 2010 (oldest in NFL), the number of draft choices on the club (among fewest in the NFL), and the reality of two mega-contracts for Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall, the ramifications of which the club is still dealing with in re the out years of all those bonus dollars against the cap.
A final point and perhaps the most important would be the lockout-induced poor free agent offseason in 2010 where fourth and fifth year starters were extended with their current clubs for another season and not made available. For first year coaches that meant not being able to fill major holes with players age-wise you felt you could build with long-term.
On the other side of the ledger is the failed attempt to bring in Donovan McNabb to skip a year in the rebuilding process (with a younger passer) and a continued dependence upon injured players to return to the field such as Jammal Brown and LaRon Landry, both of whom could have been released after 2010 with a small hit on the cap (and in Brown’s case no 5 year extension).
In going around and around on this, one thing that keeps sticking in my mind is the fact that few of the quarterbacks available to the Redskins in 2010 and 2011 have been successful in the NFL. The trade for McNabb was a mistake, but so would have been drafting Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Colt McCoy or dealing for a guy like Kevin Kolb or Carson Palmer. The team could have signed Matt Hasselbeck but he is 36 years old and immobile and didn’t really fit this offense.
Other than Andy Dalton there didn’t appear to be any bargains out there. Would you prefer to see Ike Skelton or Tim Tebow rather than Robert Griffin under center? Cam Newton is excellent but as a first overall choice should have been and there was no way Carolina was trading that pick at the time.
So, with the construction of a defense in 2011 (which should have started in 2010 with a regular free agent offseason) and the drafting of Griffin and Cousins in 2012, I am willing to see this as a do-over Year 2 for Shanahan and Allen.
While saying that I am really looking now at the OL and how the front office and coaching staff are managing the personnel. Shanahan drafts and signs players that other teams tend to pass on due to size or strength issues, all in the name of fielding a quick, flexible front. We will see if the bets on LeRibeus, Gettis, Chester, etc. and some of the returning depth players pan out. Trent Williams by all indications was having an outstanding camp before the bone bruise put him on the sidelines. But for a #4 overall pick, showing dominance and true athleticism in Year 3 at age 25 is expected now as he enters his prime in the NFL. If you are drafting correctly, his performance should not be a surprise.
