WP: The Redskins might be playing to evaluate players, but it’s too early for Mike Shanahan to say so

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/the-redskins-might-be-playing-to-evaluate-players-but-its-too-early-for-mike-shanahan-to-say-so/2012/11/04/083ded50-26e0-11e2-9972-71bf64ea091c_story.html

By:UnWise Mike

You know what the real kick in the gut was Sunday? Not a one-win Carolina team handling the Redskins on their home field. Not fans high-stepping out in the fourth quarter as if they had been told to evacuate. Not almost 200 of the team’s most distinguished alumni — Super Bowl winners and Hall of Famers alike — witnessing their successors disgrace their memory.

No, the real blow came afterward, from the head coach. Of all the people to give up on the season, really, who knew Mike Shanahan would be the first?

“When you lose a game like that, now you’re playing to see who, obviously, is going to be on your football team for years to come,” Shanahan said after his team’s third straight loss and ninth in the past 10 games at FedEx Field. “Now we get a chance to evaluate players and see where we’re at. Obviously we’re not out of it statistically. But now we find out what type of character we’ve got and how guys keep on fighting through the rest of the season.”

Hear that, men? Seven games left to shore up job security. You’re not playing for the postseason anymore. You’re playing for the film room, to see if the decision-makers deign you worthy of a 2013 salary.

Maybe they'll play better now that they know their jobs are on the line...

I'm hoping it was just a "heat of the moment" thing. I'm sure Mike will explain more tomorrow. I dont think he has quit, I just think he's frustrated, pissed, and maybe burned out.

Maybe they'll play better now that they know their jobs are on the line...

Shanny using reverse psychology to motivate his player. I am sure no coach does that.

It's always been about emotions when it comes to this team... You can't get mad when the head coach says it publically because realistically this team is not good enough to overcome their own stupidity at times.

It's fine to be emotional and I'd rather Shanahan say this **** out loud for these players to hear it... Today was an embarrassment and soon or later these players have got to take exception. It is absolute weak sauce to be keep putting this **** at the foot of the coach when these players are paid to perform.

I truly believe we have some coach killers on this team that need to be driven away.

Utterly unacceptable and unprofessional.

In an ideal World, he'd suck up this ****storm and apologize to his team.

Hail.

Yeah, I see that as a motivation thing. And to be realistic, at 3-6 we would have to go 6-1 to even stand a shot at the playoffs, more likely 7-0. Mind you, our closing schedule isn't exactly a cakewalk. Obviously we're not tanking the season for a draft pick, but injuries and bad coaching on d have decimated a promising season. I hope more than anything that Haslett gets canned during the bye week and we see improvement in that unit during the last 7 games.

I'm glad he said it. Screw all the reverse psychology. He's being realistic. This team does not deserve a playoff spot. He knows it. We all know it.

I'm already looking at the upcoming free agency and the draft. I guess he's just being realistic. With our defense we will continue to lose.

UnWise Mike:

The problem with the Daniel Snyder era is that too many decisions have been made out of emotion instead of logic.

UnWise Mike 1 paragraph earlier:

New No. 1s at strong safety, free safety, both cornerback positions, inside linebacker, outside linebacker and right tackle starts to address the personnel upgrade required.

This is about as emotional and reactionary as it gets. We have "new No. 1s" at free safety, strong safety and outside linebacker -- they've just been sidelined all year. And will be back next year.

Josh Wilson isn't a bad corner at all; he's just not a #1 corner. He shouldn't be tasked with shutting down an opponent's top receiver. And he can't do his job properly if the safeties behind him are downright atrocious.

Just as a great pass rush makes a secondary look better, vice versa. Just as great cornerbacks allow safeties a certain freedom, vice versa. It's all interconnected, all 11 players. Because of injuries, suspension, and a huge cap hit -- with last offseason's resources spent predominantly on the offense (cap money in pursuing wide receivers, #1, #2, #3, #4, #6, #6, #7 picks all on offense) -- our defense has been depleted.

An offseason of getting healthy, and an offseason of being just as aggressive as addressing defensive needs as we were addressing offensive needs last offseason -- using the bulk of our cap space, and #2, #3, #4, etc. picks -- we will be far and away improved.

I don't think anyone can deny the enormous steps we've taken on offense this year. One more offseason and I think we may see the same on defense, everything finally coming together.

And frankly, UnWise Mike, if playoffs are no longer legitimately at stake -- and they're not, let's not kid ourselves -- something needs to be. "Playing for pride" obviously hasn't worked. Playing for each other doesn't seem to have. Playing for your jobs, one way to ensure everyone takes each and every practice with seriousness and professionalism. The exact opposite of "monotonous practices" as you suggest.

I'm as pissed at Shanny as anyone, and I have zero faith in him at this point.

But I think this whole "evaluating players" thing is really being blown out of proportion. Aren't you always "evaluating players," especially when you've been racked with injuries and have unproven guys stepping in to positions that they normally wouldn't fill? He even said, "statistically we're still in it." I didn't read those comments as him giving up.

Then again, maybe he should.

The truth of the matter is this: who cares what he says at this point? That's the biggest problem. What he says is meaningless, because he doesn't produce and he hasn't produced in almost three years now. If he'd said, "We're gonna keep fighting to make the playoffs," would anyone take that seriously, with this horrendous team?

The press will jump all over this and it will be dissected by these morons on talk radio, but I'd much rather hear some interesting analysis on what specifically he's doing that isn't working, on why Danny Smith still collects a paycheck, on how terribly Kyle calls games sometimes, on why his teams have yet to showcase any real heart for any sustained period of time, on why his home record is beyond belief horrible, etc., etc.

You know what is funny about all this...when Shanahan made the trade for McNabb EVERYONE was criticizing him for not coming out and "admitting" that the year was a "rebuilding" year. Remember the arguments? "You don't go get McNabb if you are rebuilding" "McNabb was brought here to win now" etc.

and now, he speaks pretty candidly about the team's prospects to the media, and many of these same people (Wise, Reid, etc) say he's wrong to be so candid.

Utterly unacceptable and unprofessional.

In an ideal World, he'd suck up this ****storm and apologize to his team.

Hail.

:laugh:

Apologize to his team? The team that has failed to show up for 2 consecutive weeks, when the season was on the line? With everything to play for?

Players should be apologizing to Coach. I doubt there's anyone involved in the organization who cares more about winning than he does, who works harder or longer, to give his team the best chance to win.

The players have let us down. The players have let Shanahan down. They should be worried about their jobs, and complaining to the media -- anonymously or not -- is only indicative of where the priorities should and shouldn't lie. Care less about what your coach has to say in the media and more about taking pride in your job and winning individual matchups.

I'm glad he said it. Screw all the reverse psychology. He's being realistic. This team does not deserve a playoff spot. He knows it. We all know it.

Well if anyone should know the shortcomings of a roster it's certainly the guy who picked all of them.

Utterly unacceptable and unprofessional.

In an ideal World, he'd suck up this ****storm and apologize to his team.

Hail.

He doesn't need to apologize for his emotional rant... These are grown ass men or so called professionals... Not teenie boppers. Even of Shanahan was an ******* for saying it, it still needed to be said because outside of our RG3 and Alfred Morris, this team has drastically underperformed and it is the veterans that are making the team worse than ever.

Something has to give and I don't care about any millionaires feeling when it comes to underperformance.

He doesn't need to apologize for his emotional rant... These are grown ass men or so called professionals... Not teenie boppers. Even of Shanahan was an ******* for saying it, it still needed to be said because outside of our RG3 and Alfred Morris, this team has drastically underperformed and it is the veterans that are making the team worse than ever.

Something has to give and I don't care about any millionaires feeling when it comes to underperformance.

So in your mind the coaches have done great. The players simply aren't trying hard enough? What Shanahan should have said is "all of us, players and coaches need to look closely at ourselves. The results are unacceptable and all of us have to do better, we owe that to eachother and to our fans." What he said wasn't needed. He's just as, if not MORE, responsible for this teams failure than any player.

He doesn't need to apologize for his emotional rant... These are grown ass men or so called professionals... Not teenie boppers. Even of Shanahan was an ******* for saying it, it still needed to be said because outside of our RG3 and Alfred Morris, this team has drastically underperformed and it is the veterans that are making the team worse than ever.

Something has to give and I don't care about any millionaires feeling when it comes to underperformance.

And you'd want to go out the rest of the season and lay your body on the line for a HC that doesn't believe in you and has, to all intents and purpose, written off the season huh?

'Cos I'm darn sure that's totally the the wrong way to motivate most 'grown ass men' you expect to give their all for you come Sunday. Men your supposedly leading.

Hail.

If he wants to motivate the players, Shanahan might do well to do an impression of Blofeld from You Only Live Twice.

"This! Is the price of failure!" (hands Brandon Banks a pink slip, everyone gasps)

Ultimate homerism to think Shanny used this as reverse psychology.

Well. It was a bit fun while it lasted. Credit to RG3. Gonna be a long frustrating damn bye week.

Ultimate homerism to think Shanny used this as reverse psychology.

Agreed. Our team is officially in meltdown mode. When you lose the locker room...you don't get it back. Hopefully Shanny has a trick or two up his sleeve that will offset some of the foot in his mouth.

Ultimate homerism to think Shanny used this as reverse psychology.

No doubt.

there is no sugar coating it I guess.

---------- Post added November-5th-2012 at 12:16 AM ----------

Lavarleap, what do you think is the major problem here?

Well. It was a bit fun while it lasted. Credit to RG3.

This made me laugh. Because that's unfortunately how I feel about the whole thing...numb. I'm like "Well, wouldn't you know it. We suck again. Guess I'll go back to the bar."

Mike is starting to remind me of Norv Turner. This isn't going to end well. Our next head coach will walk into a solid situation though.

Look people... We all know that the players looked like they gave up today. But when you have a rookie QB come to the podium and say he will never give up right after his head coach says at the same podium "obviously we're just playing to evaluate players at this point".. its simply not a good look. What message are you sending to your rookie QB? Your rookie RB?? People need to remember that Shanahan is the one who put Tyler Polumbus and Aldrick Robinson on this roster! He is as responsible for their effort and lack of talent as they are! So he is the last one that should be throwing in the towel with 7 games left.