Even though I tend to lean toward Om's position myself, and for multiple reasons, many unknown, I have an unusually deep well of patience, I understand the desire to do a complete re-build of the team by installing not just a system but a philosophy incorporating a grand strategy of team development similar to Pittsburgh, New England-teams that are dominant forces over multiple seasons . However,there is a question of do-ability within the context of recent Redskin history as Boone has alluded to.
Why was Vinny Cerrato dismissed and replaced with Bruce Allen and then Shanahan brought in in the first place? I believe that it is likely that at least a part of the reason was the sudden increase of fan dissatisfaction with chronically disappointing seasons culminating in last season's near total dysfunction both on the field and off. Fan displeasure overflowed from online screaming and became palpable. Public demonstrations of displeasure abounded at FedEx from wearing brown bags and embarrassingly sloganed clothing to the even more explicit move of cancelling season ticket purchases.
All of this was not lost on an owner who made himself rich by astute knowledge of marketing and customer bases. Losing a loyal customer base is a cause for dismissal of any marketing manager, I wager, and this owner is not stupid by any means in that area.
What was needed? Emergency treatment, a type of "franchise CPR", if you will. I think the seismic shifts between seasons were an effort to soothe a growling tiger by throwing it a piece of meat. In other words, "get this team respectable and winning FAST-whatever it takes!". The owner, I believe rightfully so, was afraid of the reaction of an intensely loyal fan base to the lack of a sign that things were likely to improve any time soon. He did not want the fans looking at Oakland or Cleveland and wondering if that was the impending future-and, I believe, he realized that he wasn't going to be able to do it himself. Allen and Shanahan were brought in here to do a turnaround not a re-build. It may turn out that a re-build happens eventually but now the emphasis, I believe, is on immediate improvement by whatever means are necessary.
You remember all the talk, both in the media and online about all the new hot QBs coming out in the draft? We were rumored as highly likely to grab one of them-but we didn't. Why? For one thing-a gaping hole at LT, but the other, were any of those QBs good enough to do a quick turnaround? Bradford looks like he may be but what about the rest? I think Allen and Shanahan knew this from studying them-that Bradford was the best of the lot for quick improvement but unavailable without "giving up the farm". So what was the next best tactical move? Grab a really good experienced QB witrh the best resume you can find if you can work a liveable trade for him.
Bingo-McNabb.
All the personnel changes, system changes, scheme changes, training changes, I think, are directed toward getting the Redskins first competitive, and second, playoff contenders within a two to three year window.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that in my view. As I noted in another thread, the coaches who built the dynasty teams had their new team in the winning column within a couple years after they arrived on the scene.
Growing pains associated with all the changes-we have lots of them, but improvement has been made and I think will continue.
When you're dealing with an injured person bleeding from a wound-you stop the bleeding first-then work on healing the wound.