ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Redskins’ record is a matter of perspective.

Steve Spurrier infamously proclaimed 5-11 was “not very good” after his 2003 season with Washington. He quit the next day, done with the NFL after two years and a 12-20 record.

Mike Shanahan’s spin couldn’t be more different.

“Even though the record may not show it,” Shanahan said Monday, “we’re a much better football team than we were a year ago.”

The Redskins regressed from 6-10 to 5-11 this year, so Shanahan’s mark in two seasons in Washington stands at 11-21. He’s never had a worse full-season record as a head coach, and Washington has now finished in last place in the NFC East for four years running.

“Thank God I haven’t been through any like this before — I might not be in this profession very long,” Shanahan said. “But it’s something that really drives you and motivates you. It’s something that I look forward to doing, putting a great football team together and doing it the right way, and sometimes it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

Shanahan cited the team’s improved depth as evidence that he has the Redskins pointed in the right direction. Even so, there are significant upgrades needed at receiver, in the secondary, along the offensive line and in a special teams unit that had five blocked field goals this year — the most allowed by a team in the NFL in eight years.

But it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and Shanahan needs to find one.

After failing to make it work with Donovan McNabb last year, Shanahan made the bold statement that he was staking his reputation this season on Rex Grossman and John Beck. Grossman ended up committing 25 turnovers in 13 games, and Beck lasted for all of three winless starts.

“I don’t care what anybody says, I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of — and I know that I will achieve it,” Beck said Monday before stuffing his belongings into a large clear plastic bag at his locker. “I thought it was going to happen this year. It didn’t. But it’s going to happen. I’m not going to let it not happen.”

Grossman’s self-confidence was just as strong. While Beck is under contract for next season, Grossman is a free agent — but it’s possible he could be brought back to mentor a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft.

“There’s a lot of things that I can do to improve,” Grossman said. “But definitely there was a lot of good, and we’ll see how they evaluate it.”

Shanahan has already starting looking for someone else. For weeks now, he has been spending about a half-hour in the mornings looking at video of the top college prospects. The Redskins hold the No. 6 overall pick in the April draft.

“Everybody’s looking for a franchise quarterback,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “You want one of those guys that there’s no question about. There’s probably only about five or six of them in the league. Then there’s a lot of guys who can play and there’s some guys who need to be replaced. You’re always trying to find that one and (we’re) still working to do it.”

The Redskins’ noteworthy free agents include linebacker London Fletcher, safety LaRon Landry, tight end Fred Davis, defensive end Adam Carriker and running back Tim Hightower. Shanahan said Fletcher is a priority to re-sign, while Landry’s value is subject to his return from a left Achilles injury and Davis has just completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drugs policy. Davis was one of three Redskins players suspended this season, the latest black eye for the franchise.

But the Redskins, being the Redskins, couldn’t wrap up the season without one final bit of consternation. Shanahan, as is his usual routine, gave his parting words to the players in the locker room Sunday after the final game. On Monday, with the coach not even in the room, the players heard from Navy SEALs and a marine as part of a program mandated by the NFL.

While many players said they found the presentation inspiring and that it helped them put football in perspective, backup offensive lineman Sean Locklear tweeted that it was the “Worst exit meeting ever!” because no coaches or front office people spoke. He later went back on Twitter to apologize.

“I talked to Sean after the game and, obviously, he must not have liked my speech,” Shanahan said with more than a touch of sarcasm. “Obviously he must have been disappointed in it. I’ve only been doing it that way for a number of years, and he must be used to a different way. So I apologize, Sean, it’ll never happen again — at least not with me.”

——

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

ASHBURN, Va. – The Washington Redskins’ record is a matter of perspective.

Steve Spurrier infamously proclaimed 5-11 was “not very good” after his 2003 season with Washington. He quit the next day, done with the NFL after two years and a 12-20 record.

Mike Shanahan’s spin couldn’t be more different.

“Even though the record may not show it,” Shanahan said Monday, “we’re a much better football team than we were a year ago.”

The Redskins regressed from 6-10 to 5-11 this year, so Shanahan’s mark in two seasons in Washington stands at 11-21. He’s never had a worse full-season record as a head coach, and Washington has now finished in last place in the NFC East for four years running.

“Thank God I haven’t been through any like this before — I might not be in this profession very long,” Shanahan said. “But it’s something that really drives you and motivates you. It’s something that I look forward to doing, putting a great football team together and doing it the right way, and sometimes it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

Shanahan cited the team’s improved depth as evidence that he has the Redskins pointed in the right direction. Even so, there are significant upgrades needed at receiver, in the secondary, along the offensive line and in a special teams unit that had five blocked field goals this year — the most allowed by a team in the NFL in eight years.

But it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and Shanahan needs to find one.

After failing to make it work with Donovan McNabb last year, Shanahan made the bold statement that he was staking his reputation this season on Rex Grossman and John Beck. Grossman ended up committing 25 turnovers in 13 games, and Beck lasted for all of three winless starts.

“I don’t care what anybody says, I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of — and I know that I will achieve it,” Beck said Monday before stuffing his belongings into a large clear plastic bag at his locker. “I thought it was going to happen this year. It didn’t. But it’s going to happen. I’m not going to let it not happen.”

Grossman’s self-confidence was just as strong. While Beck is under contract for next season, Grossman is a free agent — but it’s possible he could be brought back to mentor a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft.

“There’s a lot of things that I can do to improve,” Grossman said. “But definitely there was a lot of good, and we’ll see how they evaluate it.”

Shanahan has already starting looking for someone else. For weeks now, he has been spending about a half-hour in the mornings looking at video of the top college prospects. The Redskins hold the No. 6 overall pick in the April draft.

“Everybody’s looking for a franchise quarterback,” offensive co-ordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “You want one of those guys that there’s no question about. There’s probably only about five or six of them in the league. Then there’s a lot of guys who can play and there’s some guys who need to be replaced. You’re always trying to find that one and (we’re) still working to do it.”

The Redskins’ noteworthy free agents include linebacker London Fletcher, safety LaRon Landry, tight end Fred Davis, defensive end Adam Carriker and running back Tim Hightower. Shanahan said Fletcher is a priority to re-sign, while Landry’s value is subject to his return from a left Achilles injury and Davis has just completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drugs policy. Davis was one of three Redskins players suspended this season, the latest black eye for the franchise.

But the Redskins, being the Redskins, couldn’t wrap up the season without one final bit of consternation. Shanahan, as is his usual routine, gave his parting words to the players in the locker room Sunday after the final game. On Monday, with the coach not even in the room, the players heard from Navy SEALs and a marine as part of a program mandated by the NFL.

While many players said they found the presentation inspiring and that it helped them put football in perspective, backup offensive lineman Sean Locklear tweeted that it was the “Worst exit meeting ever!” because no coaches or front office people spoke. He later went back on Twitter to apologize.

“I talked to Sean after the game and, obviously, he must not have liked my speech,” Shanahan said with more than a touch of sarcasm. “Obviously he must have been disappointed in it. I’ve only been doing it that way for a number of years, and he must be used to a different way. So I apologize, Sean, it’ll never happen again — at least not with me.”

ASHBURN, Va. (AP)—The Washington Redskins’ record is a matter of
perspective.

Steve Spurrier infamously proclaimed 5-11 was “not very good” after his
2003 season with Washington. He quit the next day, done with the NFL after two
years and a 12-20 record.

Mike Shanahan’s spin couldn’t be more different.

“Even though the record may not show it,” Shanahan said Monday, “we’re a
much better football team than we were a year ago.”

The Redskins regressed from 6-10 to 5-11 this year, so Shanahan’s mark in
two seasons in Washington stands at 11-21. He’s never had a worse full-season
record as a head coach, and Washington has now finished in last place in the NFC
East for four years running.

“Thank God I haven’t been through any like this before—I might not be in
this profession very long,” Shanahan said. “But it’s something that really
drives you and motivates you. It’s something that I look forward to doing,
putting a great football team together and doing it the right way, and sometimes
it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

Shanahan cited the team’s improved depth as evidence that he has the
Redskins pointed in the right direction. Even so, there are significant upgrades
needed at receiver, in the secondary, along the offensive line and in a special
teams unit that had five blocked field goals this year—the most allowed by a
team in the NFL in eight years.

But it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and Shanahan needs to find
one.

After failing to make it work with Donovan McNabb last year, Shanahan made
the bold statement that he was staking his reputation this season on Rex
Grossman and John Beck. Grossman ended up committing 25 turnovers in 13 games,
and Beck lasted for all of three winless starts.

“I don’t care what anybody says, I know what I can do and I know what I’m
capable of—and I know that I will achieve it,” Beck said Monday before
stuffing his belongings into a large clear plastic bag at his locker. “I
thought it was going to happen this year. It didn’t. But it’s going to happen.
I’m not going to let it not happen.”

Grossman’s self-confidence was just as strong. While Beck is under contract
for next season, Grossman is a free agent—but it’s possible he could be
brought back to mentor a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft.

“There’s a lot of things that I can do to improve,” Grossman said. “But
definitely there was a lot of good, and we’ll see how they evaluate it.”

Shanahan has already starting looking for someone else. For weeks now, he
has been spending about a half-hour in the mornings looking at video of the top
college prospects. The Redskins hold the No. 6 overall pick in the April draft.

“Everybody’s looking for a franchise quarterback,” offensive coordinator
Kyle Shanahan said. “You want one of those guys that there’s no question about.
There’s probably only about five or six of them in the league. Then there’s a
lot of guys who can play and there’s some guys who need to be replaced. You’re
always trying to find that one and (we’re) still working to do it.”

The Redskins’ noteworthy free agents include linebacker London Fletcher,
safety LaRon Landry, tight end Fred Davis, defensive end Adam Carriker and
running back Tim Hightower. Shanahan said Fletcher is a priority to re-sign,
while Landry’s value is subject to his return from a left Achilles injury and
Davis has just completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drugs
policy. Davis was one of three Redskins players suspended this season, the
latest black eye for the franchise.

But the Redskins, being the Redskins, couldn’t wrap up the season without
one final bit of consternation. Shanahan, as is his usual routine, gave his
parting words to the players in the locker room Sunday after the final game. On
Monday, with the coach not even in the room, the players heard from Navy SEALs
and a marine as part of a program mandated by the NFL.

While many players said they found the presentation inspiring and that it
helped them put football in perspective, backup offensive lineman Sean Locklear
tweeted that it was the “Worst exit meeting ever!” because no coaches or front
office people spoke. He later went back on Twitter to apologize.

“I talked to Sean after the game and, obviously, he must not have liked my
speech,” Shanahan said with more than a touch of sarcasm. “Obviously he must
have been disappointed in it. I’ve only been doing it that way for a number of
years, and he must be used to a different way. So I apologize, Sean, it’ll never
happen again—at least not with me.”

———

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

(c) 2012, The Washington Post
Mike Shanahan will close his 28th season as a coach in the NFL on Sunday, when his Washington Redskins play what is essentially a meaningless game in Philadelphia. And though he has seen almost everything in pro football — he has been hired and fired, made and missed the playoffs, won and lost the Super Bowl — he has never faced the circumstances he does now. Whatever happens against the Eagles, Shanahan will have back-to-back losing campaigns for the first time in his 17 full seasons as a head coach.
For the Redskins, who haven’t had consecutive winning seasons since 1991-92, such is life. But for the man who was hired to overhaul the entire organization, this is new.
“I couldn’t have handled it earlier in my career,” Shanahan said Friday, not long after the Redskins practiced for the final time this season. “You don’t know the big picture. You’re just trying to survive. Unless you’ve been with different programs or organizations that have been down or have been up, you can’t really relate to where you’re at now. I can relate to this.”
Shanahan opened his Redskins tenure by going 6-10 in 2010. Win Sunday, and he only matches that record. Lose, and he has his worst record as a head coach. Jim Zorn, whose tenure running the Redskins was mocked from near and far, won 12 games in his two seasons with Washington. The Redskins must win Sunday for Shanahan to match that.
Yet ask Shanahan to take stock as he winds down the second of two difficult seasons, and he is unwavering.
“I feel very good about this football team and the direction we’re headed,” he said, “because we’ve got the right people.”
Regardless of Sunday’s outcome, the Redskins will finish in last place in the NFC East for the fourth consecutive year. Yet Shanahan can sit behind his desk — tape of a practice session frozen on a television screen over one shoulder, the Redskins’ entire depth chart on the wall he faces — and emphatically restate his belief that the franchise he oversees will win, and soon. He does so, he said, because he can draw on all those experiences, good and bad. What others see? How others evaluate his team? It doesn’t matter to him.
“He doesn’t let perception become reality,” said his son Kyle, the Redskins’ offensive coordinator. “He knows what he’s doing. All of us know what we’re doing, but the difference with him is, he’s so strong in his personality and he’s had so much success his whole career, he’s seen it all. He knows when things are done right, when things are done wrong. And he knows we’re doing it right.”
There are, Mike Shanahan believes, several aspects to “doing it right,” many of which occur far from the practice field. For the past several weeks, he has begun many mornings by watching a half-hour of film on college quarterbacks, a different one each day, maybe 70 or 80 plays. The Redskins clearly are searching for a quarterback to eventually replace current starter Rex Grossman. And Shanahan will have the most significant role in selecting that player, be it through free agency or the college draft, this year or the next or the year after that.
“The key is you have to keep the right people coming in through the draft, through free agency,” Shanahan said. “You can’t make a lot of bad decisions. You’re going to make some, but if you do, admit it was a bad decision and move on.”
That, essentially, is what has happened at quarterback in Shanahan’s two seasons in Washington. In 2010, he traded for Philadelphia’s Donovan McNabb, wasn’t pleased with the results, then traded him away after one season. He started Grossman when the 2011 season opened, benched him during a four-interception outing against the Eagles in October, and inserted John Beck. Beck led one touchdown drive and moved the ball in that fourth quarter despite playing without left tackle Trent Williams, left guard Kory Lichtensteiger and tight end Chris Cooley, all of whom were injured earlier in the game.
Beck started the next three games — a decent performance at Carolina, a disastrous one against Buffalo in which he took 10 sacks, and a jittery follow-up against San Francisco when he got rid of the ball too quickly. All three were losses. Offensive players, quietly and not, expressed a preference for Grossman. A week later, Shanahan turned back to him. Entering Sunday’s game, Grossman is tied for the league lead with 19 interceptions.
“You make 1/8the decisions3/8 based on what you see,” Shanahan said. “If John didn’t play the way he did for that quarter 1/8against Philadelphia3/8 — the drives, all that — then we wouldn’t have gone to him. . . . You want to do the best thing for your organization. Does John have a chance to be that No. 1 guy? We felt like we had a good feel for what Rex was and what he was doing. But losing those three starters, are you better off with a quarterback that’s a little more mobile? We didn’t know that.”
The episode raised questions about Shanahan’s acumen as a talent evaluator, in no small part because he said, in a moment of bravado, that he would stake his reputation on Grossman and Beck. But even as the Redskins continue their search for stability and stardom at quarterback, Shanahan believes the structure for evaluating who will be next, at any position, is in place.
Scott Campbell, the director of player personnel, oversees the college scouting process. Morocco Brown, the director of pro personnel, is heavily involved in evaluating potential free agents. Every position coach will have input on potential draftees and free agents. Shanahan said he does not feel the need to bring in another personnel man.
“The thing that people think is that I’m sitting here doing all the evaluating,” he said. “My main thing is I get everybody involved. That’s how you eliminate mistakes.”
Beginning with last year’s draft and free agency, Shanahan believes the Redskins have limited theirs. Coaches believe the shift from a 4-3 defensive alignment to a 3-4 has gone well because they correctly evaluated free agent acquisitions Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen and first-round draft pick Ryan Kerrigan. They also believe second-round pick Jarvis Jenkins, a defensive lineman who missed the entire season with a knee injury, will have a big impact in 2012, further strengthening a front seven that has helped the Redskins move from 31st in total defense a year ago to 13th this season.
“You’re changing not just one guy; you’re changing all 11 guys,” defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said. “You’re really starting it over from square one last year. And we made great progress, but we got to keep working at it. We got to keep getting better at it.”
That, Shanahan believes, will happen, and soon. He can tick off the plays from 2011 that still knock around in his mind: a third-and-21 conversion that allowed Dallas to turn a win into a loss, a missed field goal in overtime of the second Dallas game, an offensive pass interference call that negated a game-tying touchdown against New England, five losses by one touchdown or less, Those plays build his case that his last-place Redskins aren’t terribly far from first.
“You win those games, we’re playing for something right now,” Shanahan said. “You’ve got to keep things in perspective.”

ASHBURN, Va. (AP)—Instead of playing for the playoffs, Mike Shanahan is
playing to match Jim Zorn.

The Washington Redskins must win their regular-season finale Sunday against
the Philadelphia Eagles for Shanahan to equal the two-year record of his
predecessor, a coach who was undermined by management and fired in the middle of
the night.

But, unlike Zorn, Shanahan is not a condemned coach playing out his final
days on the job under owner Dan Snyder. As the Redskins (5-10) wrap up a fourth
consecutive last-place NFC East finish—an unprecedented run in franchise
history—there is no sense that change is coming.

“There’s no doubt in my mind. Hopefully, there’s no doubt in Dan’s mind,
too,” Shanahan said Thursday. “Like I talked to him about when I first got
here, I said: `Dan, if you don’t plan on me coaching here five years and doing
it the right way, you’re hiring the wrong guy.’ It’s going to take some time to
do it right.”

Although Shanahan is 11-20, he has had it easy when considering what it was
like before his arrival. Zorn’s 12-20 record is somewhat remarkable given that
he was at the mercy of a front office led by Snyder and personnel chief Vinny
Cerrato, whose dubious drafts and free-agency choices weakened the roster and
whose faith in the coach was so tenuous that Sherm Lewis was hired out of
Bingo-calling retirement to call the offensive plays.

“I actually enjoyed playing for coach Zorn, and I enjoy playing for coach
Shanahan,” defensive lineman Kedric Golston said. “I think the difference is
that right now we’re building something not to be a flash in the pan. We’re
rebuilding something that would be able to compete and sustain for years to
come. I often look at it like building a building: the higher the building, the
lower you’re going to have to dig the foundation.”

After dismissing Zorn following a 4-12 season in 2009, Snyder gave Shanahan
a $35 million, five-year contract and full control over football matters.
Shanahan is likely safe for at least another year if only because another
coaching move would again validate Snyder’s reputation for impatience and thus
make it difficult to find a quality replacement.

Of course, nothing is a guarantee, given Snyder’s track record in 12 years
of ownership. The owner has stayed mum all season, declining to answer questions
about the team when appearing at various functions. Spokesman Tony Wyllie said
Snyder was unavailable for comment Thursday.

Records aside, the Redskins appear in better shape than two years ago.
Shanahan has instilled a sense of order and professionalism lacking under
Cerrato and Zorn. Washington had the oldest opening day roster in the NFL last
year, but a large draft class has added in some promising young talent.

Shanahan’s major stumble has been his choice of quarterbacks. He wasted a
year with Donovan McNabb, and neither Rex Grossman nor John Beck has proven this
year to be the long-term solution, a significant setback to the rebuilding
process.

“I’ve been here 3 1/2 years, and it’s always been `hopefully next year,’ so
you definitely get tired of it,” cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. “And hopefully
that won’t be the case next year.”

But at least he’s not expecting any offseason chaos.

“I feel like from the top down we know who our coaches are going to be next
year,” Hall said. “That’s a complete 180 from what happened with Zorn.”

It’s been decades since a Redskins coach had a winning tenure. Norv Turner
went 49-59-1 and was fired. Interim replacement Terry Robiskie was 1-2. Marty
Schottenheimer was dismissed after one 8-8 season. Steve Spurrier quit after
going 12-20, and Joe Gibbs was 31-36 before retiring a second time.

The players and coaches are confident Shanahan will buck the trend—as long
as he’s allowed to continue his work.

“There’s some stability,” said safeties coach Steve Jackson, another of
the dwindling holdovers from the Zorn years. “And the biggest thing is you know
who the guy in charge is, and he sets the course. Regardless of how it looks
right now, we know where we’re headed.”

———

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP