Shanahan Has a 'Game Plan' At Quarterback

[Red_One43]

The team didn't feel like there was a QB or NT available in the draft who really fit our needs so we added some other players we thought did.

I can't see where I can see a serious flaw in their thinking. Things didn't shake out in our favor, but I don't see an obvious miss, or a spot where they bungled the pick.

Agreed. I think free agency will clear up most questions concerning what Mike's thinking.

[FanofallthatisGibbs]

The teams that have their core together are going to dominate next year. Teams relying on FA acquisitions will suck, although this isn't entirely unlike most years. However, this year there is far less time for preparation than years past.

About Devlin - don't get confused and think he's the next coming of Gannon or Flacco, he clearly is not.

I agree with a lot of what Canes said except that we're getting younger as fast as we can. Fletcher is still a great asset, even if he's aging. Darrell Green was the same way. No need to be kicking quality vets out the door or anything. I give this coming year's team a pass and hope that we can see dividends by the next year. Patience has to set in at some point to turn around this franchise.

I do think we'll be a smarter, harder working team than recent teams.

[fanforlife]

I really don't see how we win more than 4-5 games

Good morning CanesSkins26:

Shanny's first year in Denver he went 8-8. His second year(after another draft) he went 13-3. Considering the fact that we've just had our best draft in many years, why would you think that we'll do no better than 4-12 or 5-11?

[CanesSkins26]

I really don't see how we win more than 4-5 games

Good morning CanesSkins26:

Shanny's first year in Denver he went 8-8. His second year(after another draft) he went 13-3. Considering the fact that we've just had our best draft in many years, why would you think that we'll do no better than 4-12 or 5-11?

Because we lack talent. There are very few teams in the NFL with less talent on their rosters than us right now. We have a huge question mark at qb (not usually a good indicator of success); our most experienced wr under contract is Anthony Armstrong; our starting rb is Ryan Torrain or a mid round rookie; there are still questions on the OL (who is the starting RT and starting C?); we have no NT; our corners are still suspect and both Rogers and Buchanan could be gone in FA; our kicker stinks; we are still in the process of transitioning to the 3-4.

And saying that we had our best draft in years isn't saying much because our recent drafts have stunk. Add in a shortened offseason and it's unlikely that we will get major contributions from most of the rookies. Sure there is a still FA, but we have no idea who will sign and what impact they will have.

Realistically, talent-wise this team wont be much improved over last year's team and depending on FAs leave, could be worse in certain areas. This is a 3-4 building process; we are headed in the right direction but it is going to take time. I think that some of our fans don't realize how deep of a hole we were in when Shannahan took over and we play in a really tough division. Expecting overnight success is crazy.

[fanforlife]

we have no NT

I would venture to say that we'll see a lot more of Anthony Bryant. The guy is huge. He can stop anything that comes up the middle. With Carriker, Bryant now with Jenkins, our "D" line looks to be fairly solid.

Expecting overnight success is crazy.

I whole heartedly agree.

[langleyparkjoe]

Too many of you folks to quote but ...

I agree we can ride the Sexy Rexy train this year. I'm actually ok with that (for this year).

CS, no need to panic because of the talent thing my friend.. good chemistry can overcome lack of talent if everyone pulls together. I have no facts to back it up but I just have faith. (my fav. word as a Redskin fan)

Someone said something about giving this year a pass. I agree because just like I said last year (and my buddy Vet), we need to WAIT AND BE PATIENT!

Let's give the team some time to get the things sorted out before we all label the season as a 4/5/6 win one.

I for one will say it and not care, SB BABY!.. that's right! I HAVE FAITH! .. I'll let you guys be the "man we suck", "dag we have no talent", "gosh we need a qb".. to heck with all that, I say SB!

Dag gone it!

[Redskins_Fanatic]

Someone said something about giving this year a pass. I agree because just like I said last year (and my buddy Vet), we need to WAIT AND BE PATIENT!!

The end of this coming season will mark the 20th Anniversary of the last time this team WON A MEANINGFUL GAME. How many more years do we have to listen to "Wait for next year".

I did that with one sports franchise earlier in my life before finally pretty much giving up on them. I'm not paitent enough to wait 80+ years to see a second of my rooting interests win another Championship.

[langleyparkjoe]

Someone said something about giving this year a pass. I agree because just like I said last year (and my buddy Vet), we need to WAIT AND BE PATIENT!!

The end of this coming season will mark the 20th Anniversary of the last time this team WON A MEANINGFUL GAME. How many more years do we have to listen to "Wait for next year".

I did that with one sports franchise earlier in my life before finally pretty much giving up on them. I'm not paitent enough to wait 80+ years to see a second of my rooting interests win another Championship.

Why wait man? Jus go ahead and jump now. Do us all a favor and jump off the ship now. You can't even talk to me, your not on my level of fanhood, here's my proof... You said THIS team, I would say MY team or OUR team. 20 years and you haven't seen a meaningful game? You may want to switch cable companies because I can name 6 per year that as I've seen on tv and been there. Matter of fact man, just don't quote me because everytime you do I feel obligated to reespond.

Dag gone Teet, Tribe, Hogster.. Why do I never listen? Lolol

[Redskins_Fanatic]

lpj, yeah we are on very different levels of fanDOM. On that we will definitely agree.

I have no use for the idea of constantly running my head into a brick wall simply because it's "my team". I never have. I'm not a lemming or some herd animal who simply follows the pack. I value my own personal time, energy, and money way too highly for that.

Why should I have wasted 3+ hours and probably $40 in food and drinks watching the MNF game against Philly when it was over after the first play from scrimmage? I figure I saved myself the better part of $200 by going home 2 plays into the game that night.

I live in New England. About the only way I get to see Redskins games is at the bar. Probably about two-thirds of the time I don't bother staying for the whole game. It isn't worth it. Same thing with Boston Bruins games.

[KazooSkinsFan]

The end of this coming season will mark the 20th Anniversary of the last time this team WON A MEANINGFUL GAME. How many more years do we have to listen to "Wait for next year"

A meaningful game? Are you serious? Our taking a 24-0 lead was acceptable, but then rather then crushing our defeated opponent we let them back in the game and won by less then two touchdowns due to our weakness in turning to field goals and punts, we only scored one more touchdown. In a meaningful game we would have dominated our opponent in every way. Your so called "standard" for a meaningful game is weak and pathetic. Stick to checkers, mediocrity.

[Redskin in Canada]

I understand that some fans have too much time in their hands. The lockout has been long. The offseason seems eternal and there is no start date to free agency yet. So, what can we do? Answer: SPECULATE based on incomplete information.

1. I disagree with those who gave their optimistic predictions based on blind faith.

2. I disagree with those who are so pessimistic that are willing to throw the entire next season already under the bus.

3. I am following very closely every move made by this FO. I liked the Draft in view of our needs. There are other holes to fill but a Draft is not the place to fill them up all at once. The interesting question is: Was this the best Draft which we could have made based on the picks we had and the players available at each pick? Nobody can guarantee the right answer and not two people will agree on the "perfect choice" at each pick but OVERALL they did a pretty good job. I might have arguments about the 5th round but I have less information than they did. So, I give them a good mark OVERALL and particularly high marks to multiply our picks to still fill SOME significant holes.

4. I agree with CT that there is no harm in speculation. It is not as if Shanny is really getting guidance from this thread or board to make any move. He does what he does and he is not finished making changes and adding new players before the start of the 2011 season.

5. There is no substitute for patience. Patience with the newly drafted players. Patience with the FO while always putting every decision under scrutiny. Patience not to rush to predictions of glory or gloom and doom before free agency is concluded.

6. I will wait to make my predictions based on the ACTUAL roster that makes it to the field at the first week of the regular season. I think that all current predictions are going to change one way or another once we settle the QB position at least for the next season. In the meantime, I will enjoy following the SPECULATION in this board.

Enjoy.

[KCskin]

Despite what Rex and Donovan looked like, another WR and better blocking make both of them better.
Mike is not wrong about having options.
The Redskins are not likely to win the NFCE so he can still take a patient course.
Keep Donovan
Promote Rex
Pick up Vince
Trade for Kolb

There could be surprise in here as well.
The lockout may have kept a handshake deal in the shadows between Jax and DC.
Garrad may be part of the move that let the Jaguars move up to get Gabbert.

The QB situation is not terrible.

The passing game was better than both the running game and the defense last year.
Mike's in a good position with his ball chucker.
He has decent options and his team will be better if he does nothing at all.

[crazyhorse1]

Despite what Rex and Donovan looked like, another WR and better blocking make both of them better.
Mike is not wrong about having options.
The Redskins are not likely to win the NFCE so he can still take a patient course.
Keep Donovan
Promote Rex
Pick up Vince
Trade for Kolb

There could be surprise in here as well.
The lockout may have kept a handshake deal in the shadows between Jax and DC.
Garrad may be part of the move that let the Jaguars move up to get Gabbert.

The QB situation is not terrible.

The passing game was better than both the running game and the defense last year.
Mike's in a good position with his ball chucker.
He has decent options and his team will be better if he does nothing at all.

If he doesn't improve the OL, it doesn't matter what he does at QB. If he does improve it, he could go with McNabb. Rex is not a decent option. Anyway, I'm sure the NFL is trembling in its boots that Shanny has a plan.

[MDSKINSFAN]

I would rather have Beck start than Rex. We already know what we have in Rex: erratic play and a ton of turnovers. Might as well see if Beck is as good as Shanny thought he would be before he got drafted.

[SkinsJock]

I like that you have adopted that interpretation of "Suck and Luck"...

I'm thinking, though, that we may not suck enough to get Luck straight up... Shanny may stockpile more picks, but it's still going to be very expensive to get this kid... at least half of our '12 draft, and probably part of '13.

I guess "the plan" will become clearer (possibly) as soon as we see who is brought in here - looks pretty good that McNabb is gone and that would almost certainly mean that we'll need a FA QB

I'm not on the "suck & Luck" team but there are some that are projecting that the Redskins will pick first http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock

I don't think we're going to suddenly become a playoff contender BUT I don't think we'll be picking in the the top 5 either

[die cowboys die]

I'm not on the "suck & Luck" team but there are some that are projecting that the Redskins will pick first http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock

I don't think we're going to suddenly become a playoff contender BUT I don't think we'll be picking in the the top 5 either

i kept wondering why i was seeing so many projections of us being the single worst team in the whole league next year as well; i mean, yes, we were not very good last year. but it wasn't like we were completely hopeless in every aspect of the game.

...but then i realized; the last impression the nation at large has of our team is that nationally televised monday night massacre the eagles inflicted upon us. in that game, we certainly DID look like The Worst Team In The Entire League And Possibly In The Entire History Of Football. so it makes perfect sense to me why they have that impression. but i don't think we're as bad in general as we were in that one game.

[CanesSkins26]

I'm not on the "suck & Luck" team but there are some that are projecting that the Redskins will pick first http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock

I don't think we're going to suddenly become a playoff contender BUT I don't think we'll be picking in the the top 5 either

i kept wondering why i was seeing so many projections of us being the single worst team in the whole league next year as well; i mean, yes, we were not very good last year. but it wasn't like we were completely hopeless in every aspect of the game.

...but then i realized; the last impression the nation at large has of our team is that nationally televised monday night massacre the eagles inflicted upon us. in that game, we certainly DID look like The Worst Team In The Entire League And Possibly In The Entire History Of Football. so it makes perfect sense to me why they have that impression. but i don't think we're as bad in general as we were in that one game.

I think it mainly has to do with the fact that our qb situation is a mess.

[SkinsJock]

AND we all know how wrong the "experts" are when it comes to 'hognosticating' each week let alone a whole season

I do agree that we did not look good to a lot of fans in that game but we all saw some improvements towards the end of the season

I'm not saying we're going to be good but I do think that we are going to continue to see both the FO and the coaching staff here continue to make this team better


Let's face it this NFL situation is not going to help franchises like ours where there are going to be a whole new group of players coming in

[Countertrey]

AND we all know how wrong the "experts" are when it comes to 'hognosticating' each week let alone a whole season

He shoots! He scores!

[Red_One43]

I'm not on the "suck & Luck" team but there are some that are projecting that the Redskins will pick first http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/mock

I don't think we're going to suddenly become a playoff contender BUT I don't think we'll be picking in the the top 5 either

i kept wondering why i was seeing so many projections of us being the single worst team in the whole league next year as well; i mean, yes, we were not very good last year. but it wasn't like we were completely hopeless in every aspect of the game.

...but then i realized; the last impression the nation at large has of our team is that nationally televised monday night massacre the eagles inflicted upon us. in that game, we certainly DID look like The Worst Team In The Entire League And Possibly In The Entire History Of Football. so it makes perfect sense to me why they have that impression. but i don't think we're as bad in general as we were in that one game.

I agree that were were not as bad in general. We bounced back the next week and beat the Titans on the road. We darn near staged a miraculous comeback against the Cowboys in Dallas with reserves playing and having spotted them a huge lead. We beat a Jax team still in the play-off hunt with reserves while playing on the road. We ended the season with our best game against the G-men since we beat them in 2007. The G-men were very much in the play-off hunt at the time and again, we did it with reserves. We had 4 overtime games with another an extrta point conversion away. Now, if that ain't close. We were a block in the back short of a win against Minnesota. I am not saying that we didn't any breaks in our wins, I am saying that it was a thin line between a projected 8-8 season by a lot of folks and the losing season we had. To me, the play of the reserves, who were hungry for jobs, was an indication of what is to come. Guys who execute consistently can't beat more talented guys through the long haul of a season. The Dallas Cowboys have proven year after year that the most talented team on paper seldon win championships.

[VetSkinsFan]

Who cares what they're projecting. Without FA being done, a lot of things are up in the air. I know this is the slow time of year, but use a little critical thought before spewing nonsense.

[langleyparkjoe]

I just want to know why ya'll keep saying we'll keep McNugget? Like, what has our front office done to show they want to keep him.. or even like him to give him a chance? Can't McNugget leave once the season starts or something like that? If you dogged me out as a QB, I wouldn't want to come back so why would he come back? What can Shanahan say that McNugget will be like "ok, since you put it that way I'll forget about the benching and the 5 different reasons you gave for it. I'll put aside being benched for the rest of the year for sexy rexy who is soooo obviously better than me."

Get the *^%& outta here

[CanesSkins26]

I just want to know why ya'll keep saying we'll keep McNugget? Like, what has our front office done to show they want to keep him.. or even like him to give him a chance?

Agreed. MacNabb isn't playing for the Skins next season.

What can Shanahan say that McNugget will be like "ok, since you put it that way I'll forget about the benching and the 5 different reasons you gave for it.

He wouldn't have to say anything. If the Skins were to keep McNabb he would earn $12.3 million in 2011. No other team is going to come close to paying McNabb that much.

[SkinsJock]

I think everyone understands that McNabb is going to do whatever Mike wants & there is very little chance that he's here this September

[CanesSkins26]

I think everyone understands that McNabb is going to do whatever Mike wants

Really? Like the time he refused to wear the plays wristband?