So, it\u2019s not unusual for there to be high optimism for Redskins fans during the offseason. This one feels real though. With Cerrato, Zorn and Campbell gone, replaced by Allen, Shanahan and McNabb it\u2019s easy to see why Redskins fans are excited.<\/p>\n
It doesn\u2019t help matters much that Shanahan has said he expects to \u201cwin now.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Most of us were expecting a \u201crebuilding year\u201d but there\u2019s the coach saying that\u2019s not the case. It\u2019s easy to believe him, the man does have two Super Bowl rings after all, and we are seeing things run much different than they have in the past.<\/p>\n
Dan Snyder, an oft media recluse, has done a couple of interviews and the team has made it very apparent who\u2019s calling the shots. There are real quotes, from real people with actual names; No more of this \u201csources close to the team\u201d crap. No conjecture, no innuendo, no speculation; Allen and Shanahan are running the show.<\/p>\n
Allen and Shanahan seem to have a good mutual respect for each other. That\u2019s the good news. The end of the road for Shanahan in Denver stemmed from a difference of philosophy with his GM in Denver.<\/p>\n
Jim Haslett as defensive coordinator is also note-worthy. Like many coaches of his stature, he got his shot at head coach by being good at his position of Defensive Coordinator. Again, like so many coaches that get promoted from coordinator to head coach, he wasn\u2019t very good. Greg Williams didn\u2019t do very well in Buffalo, but was considered a \u201cdefensive genius\u201d in Washington.<\/p>\n
So, many rational \u2018Skins fans have upped their expectations. In January, the general average prediction for the 2010 regular season record was 8-8. In August, it\u2019s not uncommon for many otherwise rational fans to believe that 10-6 and even 12-4 are possible\u2026after a 4-12 season.<\/p>\n
I know what Shanahan said; I like what Shanahan said. No coach should ever \u201cadmit\u201d they are in a \u201crebuild\u201d mode. How are the players supposed to react when a coach comes out and says \u201cwell, we are rebuilding, so it\u2019s gonna take us some time?\u201d If they don\u2019t feel the pressure to win now, why should they win now?<\/p>\n
The coach in that situation has already given them a pass. \u201cNobody really expects us to win, so let\u2019s just go out there and try our best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not very motivational, huh?<\/p>\n
If you want the best from your players, you must demand the best from them. Hold them accountable.\u201d You are paid to win, so do it. Nobody is paying you to be second best.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sounds a lot better.<\/p>\n
How do you hold a player accountable? Look no further than Albert Haynesworth. After all the noise he made In the off-season, and his shenanigans missing OTA\u2019s and mini-camp, he came in to camp touting himself as being in the best shape of his career.<\/p>\n
Shanahan gave him a reality check with a conditioning test. This test was widely reported inaccurately as most media outlets made it sound like Haynesworth was the only player to have to do it. In reality, the other players had done it, but during the OTA\u2019s and mini-camps that Haynesworth missed. So, in a sense, he was<\/em> the only player to have to do it\u2026at the start of training camp.<\/p>\n Albert may have been in the best shape of his career (going from round to oblong, is still a shape) but the test brought him back down to Earth to realize that he was going to be expected to put his money where his mouth is. An ounce of humility goes a long way. Shanahan has pounds of it for Haynesworth.<\/p>\n Now that he\u2019s passed his conditioning test Albert has a new challenge; get off the second-squad defense. Notice how Haynesworth\u2019s outlook has changed. He is ready to play nose-tackle after saying for months he\u2019d rather be traded.\u00a0 He wants the job that he was ready to pass up before. When he\u2019s done fighting for it, he\u2019ll have better respect for it because he will have earned<\/em> it.<\/p>\n Shanahan has made it clear, not only to Haynesworth but to the team, that the days of two sets of rules (those for the big money players and those for everyone else) are over. No more will it be Clinton Portis and the A-squad, it will be the A-squad with or without Portis. It will be the A-squad with or without Haynesworth.<\/p>\n Now granted, the chances of Haynesworth or Portis riding the bench come game-one are slim, but it\u2019ll be because the coach has wrung the talent out of them, not because they were paid to be starters.<\/p>\n The fact is that this is a rebuilding season, and there are a lot of needs that still need to be addressed. You can only do so much with the talent that you have. Allen and Shanahan are new to the NFC East, but they are not new to the game.<\/p>\n I stand by my 8-8 prediction. New coach, new team, new offense and defense; I imagine they will do well early but fade in the middle of the season as is typical for teams with an overhaul such as what we\u2019ve experienced. It\u2019ll take opponents time to really figure out what we can do before they start to exploit our weaknesses.<\/p>\n The most sobering thought is that we are an injury away from seeing Rex Grossman at QB.<\/p>\n For all the right reasons I hope I\u2019m wrong, and for all the wrong reasons I hope I\u2019m right.<\/p>\n One thing\u2019s for sure, we are on the right track.<\/p>\nGo \u2018Skins!<\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"