Mike Shanahan Reaches Agreement with Washington Redskins!

Mike Shanahan has reached an agreement in principle to become the next head coach of the Washington Redskins. The agreement, from a source close to the negotiations, is said to be for 5 years at approximately $7 Million a year. It was the same figure he was making as the Head Coach of the Broncos.

What isn’t known at this time is what exactly Mike’s role will be aside from Head Coach. In Denver, Mike was the Head of Football Operations and oversaw the General Manager and all the Coordinators.(Editor’s Note – Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Shanahan will have the same role as he had in Denver, meaning he will have final say) He was also extremely influential in the teams personnel decisions. That area, some believe, was the reason for the downfall in Denver. Shanahan had a long string of Draft failures from Ashley Lelie to Maurice Clarett. He also had some very questionable Free Agent signings from Dale Carter to Travis Henry.

One thing is for certain. The Redskins are getting a true Offensive genius. Mike Shanahan’s version of the West Coast Offense is a proven formula for success. Running Backs from Orlandis Gary and Ruben Droughns enjoyed great success in running behind the Mike Shanahan Zone Blocking scheme. Quarterbacks like Jake Plummer and even Jay Cutler have also benefited from the Shanahan system. He is very good at creating matchup problems for the defense but more importantly he plays to his players strengths. With Jake Plummer, Shanahan knew that Jake wasn’t a great “Pocket Passer” so he devised an Offense that was based more on Play-action, Bootlegs and Roll-outs to get Jake on the run while throwing. It worked well enough for Denver to have a 13-3 season in 2005 that took them to the AFC Championship game.

How will this translate to Washington. Well, first of all it will be very interesting to see what happens with Clinton Portis who was traded to Washington from Denver in the blockbuster Champ Bailey trade. A close friend and trusted source was covering the trade and told me more than anything it was a personality clash between the two that led to Shanahan looking to deal Portis. That, coupled with the fact that Mike didn’t need a top talent back to get results led to the deal. If Portis does stay with the Skins, he could benefit greatly. In Denver, Portis rushed for 1500+ yards in his rookie season and 1500+ yards in his second year. He also set an NFL record with 5 Touchdowns against the KC Chiefs. He was very dynamic in the Zone Blocking Scheme.

Another person who could greatly benefit from Shanahan is Jason Campbell. Shanny is known to work wonders for Quarterbacks and his offensive game planning might be built around Campbell’s mobility much like Jake Plummer’s was years ago. It also wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see players that were underutilized in Denver to make their way over to Washington. Coaches like to stick with their guys and players like Peyton Hillis and Tony Scheffler could be in nation’s capital before you know it!

What’s the Skinny on Shanahan to Washington? – They are getting a proven coach, a proven winner and a guy who will command respect out of a locker room that was lacking discipline. Shanahan will come in right away, lay down the law and get guys believing that they are going to be winners. They face a tough road ahead however as they are strapped against the salary cap and might not be able to get top tier talent. That is where the genius of Shanahan comes in however, as he has always been able to get the most out of players you never heard of!