Shanahan uses firm hand in D.C
Perhaps the best signing of any head coach this off-season was when the Washington Redskins hired Mike Shanahan as their new head coach.
Shanahan is one of the most successful head coaches in the NFL right now. He has won two Super Bowls and led the Denver Broncos to the greatest years in the franchise’s history.
After losing his job following the 2008 season, Shanahan took a year off from coaching before taking the Redskins vacant job this past December.
Since his arrival, Shanahan has been very clear of what his goals are. He wants to win and he wants players who are willing to do what it takes to win. He is showing players that you have to work hard and if you don’t you can’t be a part of the team. This past week, defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth continued his ongoing failure to win Shanahan over as he failed two conditioning tests and will not practice with the team until he passes it.
Haynesworth pouted over the team switching to a 3-4 defence which would shift Haynesworth to nose tackle. Shanahan was especially upset that Haynesworth was offered a chance to leave the team this off-season but instead took a $20 million bonus he was due and said he wanted to be a part of the team. He certainly didn’t show that when he skipped all off-season workouts, yet promised he’d show up for training camp not being a distraction, in shape and ready to help the team win.
That promise has not looked like it’s being fulfilled after failing the conditioning tests.
However with the test in which Haynesworth was asked to do, a 300 yard sprint, many veterans on the team admitted they may not be able to do that without a few weeks’ notice. That says something. This test was a test of wills between Shanahan and Haynesworth. Haynesworth reported to training camp trimmed down at 330 pounds, losing 20 but the test was clearly a punishment for Haynesworth not showing up during the offseason and showing signs uncharacteristic of a team player.
Shanahan doesn’t care if Haynesworth is the $100 million man. He’s treating him like any other player who doesn't show enough hard work and respect for the team.
Haynesworth is one of the best run-stopping defensive tackles in the game which was why he was the most sought-after free agent last year. The bottom line is that so far this move in acquiring him for that amount of money just adds to the string of bad moves that the Dan Snyder era has provided in Washington D.C. The owner of the team sticks his nose into business too much and constantly looks to quick fixes for the team rather than building the team slowly, the right way.
Now Shanahan has shown his players who’s in charge and nobody from the water boy to the highest paid player on the team will get any special treatment. All players must prove that they are there to help the team win. Players cannot be so selfish and must do what the coach asks of them.
Haynesworth acted like he was above the team by skipping OTAs and pouting over the defensive switch. Shanahan is displaying how unacceptable that is and he’s proven that he isn’t here to make friends. His goal is to help the team win and perhaps now, if Haynesworth and Shanahan cannot coexist, then it may be time to say goodbye to Haynesworth and perhaps one of the worst investments the Redskins have ever made. Not because Haynesworth isn’t a great football player (when he wants to be), Haynesworth is a tremendous player, but he is not worth what he is making.
Shanahan is earning his reputation and will soon earn his money. He can make this football team better.
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