What To Look For In A Coach

[method man]

I'm a Stanford fan and I've watched quite a bit the last couple years. Shaw is a good but not a great coach. He'll make calls sometimes that do not make sense and he stuck with Nunes too long last year, possibly costing us a title game.

 

I know he is old but I'd love to have Zimmer here. Watching Hard Knocks, the guy clearly commands the respect of his players. It also seems like he is a guy who is willing to put his best players on the field (ex. UDFA Vontaze Burfict last season) as not all coaches do this. The key would be to get a brilliant offensive mind to pair with RG3 and that might be Kyle.

 

Honestly,I would not mind keeping Shanny around as the "President." As we know now, Bruce does contracts and Shanny handles personnel. Looking at our drafts and free agency signings, I've gotta say that Shanny has done a solid job in this department.

[DC9]

Does David Shaw have any NFL experience? Why would he step in and command the locker room's respect? I dont see how we have the linemen to run the Stanford offense. 

 

Seems like our talent would be better suited to run a more spread look to thin the defense out and give Griffin more quicker, easier looks. 

 

Eagles, Raiders, and Ravens.  Quality control, QBs, QBs/WRs.

 

I don't disagree.  But we are going to have to upgrade our line to run any other scheme anyways...

I agree that a GM should come first. I also like the idea of David Shaw.

 

And it won't be popular, but Josh McDaniels. His problems in Denver were in trying to be the GM, not coaching problems. I also would bet that, like Bellichick, he has learned a lot from that experience.

 

I've kicked this around as well.

What makes you guys think Pep Hamilton wants to leave Andrew Luck?

[Rufus T Firefly]

I've kicked this around as well.

 

Well la-di-da for you.

[bearrock]

I don't know if you fire shanahan necessarily, but he hasn't earned an extension yet and I don't know if he stays without one going into the last season of his contract.

I agree with the other posters though, main problem is not having a legit gm. I would pay 7 mil a year to ozzie rather than a hc. I think good personnel guy is harder to find. Good hc makes a difference but coaches like harbaugh and reid came in and made a difference because the personnel was there.

With that said shanahan's tenure in dc is harder to judge because of the whole cap penalty

[Warhead36]

I don't like College coaches but I think Shaw could be successful.

 

Briles is too old, and his results at Baylor are more due to gimmicky scheme and ridiculous athletic advantages that I don't think would work in the pros.

 

I like Pep, but I think he's a tad too inexperienced to be a Head Coach right now. In like 2-3 years he'd be the perfect candidate. Right now he's a bit too close to Raheem Morris territory.

[mike42]

Need a new GM that will hire a coach that is younger, wants to prove himself and WANTS to coach the redskins. Tired of seeing Snyder knocking on the doors of "has been" retired coaches, begging them by waving millions of dollars and giving them more power than they can handle.

 

In 2009, when Shanahan wasn't interested, Snyder should have simply moved on.

[No_Pressure]

I do not want our current front office picking another head coach...EVER!

I want a return to the power structure of the glory years - Find a top notch GM, then have him hire the coach he wants.

 

 

I don't think Allen needs to be fired (in the sense that his useful duties can and should be performed without the title of General Manager), but I would like to point out that A.J. Smith already works for our team and fits your description of a powerful personnel guy at GM. It would only require a title change to see him in charge of our club...

[SJValleySkinz]

I don't think Gruden is the answer. He may do better than Shanahan but these "star" coaches come into teams as entities onto themselves and don't establish an identity through the team, which doesn't fly with today's NFL player. This is IMO why younger coordinators that have never been head coaches are becoming so successful. The other option that seems to have worked for a few teams is hiring someone like Andy Reid because they come in with a chip on their shoulder. Lastly, college coaches that are succesfull without a five star recruiting class (Harbough and Marrone who is doing a good job in Buffalo come to mind) tend to be better coaches than glorified car salesmen like Spurrier and Saban. David Shaw seems to be the hot name and I know this won't happen until he coaches at a BCS program but I've always been curious to see what Chris Petersen could do in the NFL.

 

These would  be my preferences for each category:

Coordinators-Mike Priefer (Vikings) Pep Hamilton (Colts) Mike Pettine (Bills)

PO'd Ex Head Coaches Lovie Smith

College Coaches David Shaw, Charlie Strong although he'd be difficult to entice, Bill O'Brien.

[DC9]

Well la-di-da for you.

Oh *hugs* Rufus.  You old windbag.  Just wanted you to know you weren't alone man.

[mi6]

Bruce Allen is a joke!  He is a decent PR guy, and that's it. 

 

Time to get some one who is young, hungry,  is an offensive guru, and knows how to motivate  a team!   I am all for Pep Hamilton, or the OC from 49ers, or the Saints.

[DC9]

Bruce Allen is a joke!  He is a decent PR guy, and that's it. 

 

Time to get some one who is young, hungry,  is an offensive guru, and knows how to motivate  a team!   I am all for Pep Hamilton, or the OC from 49ers, or the Saints.

 

Bruce is a "Team President" type.  He's the buffer between the football side and the ownership-event side.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Bruce is a "Team President" type.  He's the buffer between the football side and the ownership-event side.

Yep, if we were to replace Shanahan I would give Allen the GM role, hire or promote a personnel/football ops guy, and let them hire the coach together. Then, the football ops guy works with the coaching staff to make personnel decisions.

The hierarchy would be Snyder, Allen, Football Ops, Coach.

[MrJL]

I do not want our current front office picking another head coach...EVER!

I want a return to the power structure of the glory years - Find a top notch GM, then have him hire the coach he wants. This is how former Skins player and current Packers President Mark Murphy did it. He picked Thompson, Thompson picked McCarthy and the personnel. It's how the Ravens do it with Ozzie running the show, and they've won 2 SBs w/ 2 different coaches.

 

 

If our current front office is not good enough to pick a coach, how are they good enough to pick a GM to pick the coach?

 

I see these posts all the time and they all lack that kind of logic.  No matter what we do, no matter how close we are, no matter what extenuating circumstances there are we're never given any benefit of the doubt.  No the problem is some fundamental flaw.  And the person posting has the answer to that fundamental flaw.  But they never even seem to realize they offer no way to get to that answer.

[DC9]

Yep, if we were to replace Shanahan I would give Allen the GM role, hire or promote a personnel/football ops guy, and let them hire the coach together. Then, the football ops guy works with the coaching staff to make personnel decisions.

The hierarchy would be Snyder, Allen, Football Ops, Coach.

 

Morroco Brown has been waiting a long time.  I'm all for giving him a shot.  I agree.

[bradboyd80]

The ONLY reason I can see for giving Shanahan the fifth year of his contract is because of the **** he was dealt. I mean, IMHO, this roster is far and away better than what it was when he took over. But if we do finish 4-12 or worse, then I do like the idea of bringing in Shaw and/or Hamilton with the early 2nd rounder and a decent amount of cap money to play with.

[WinSkinsWin83]

Morroco Brown has been waiting a long time. I'm all for giving him a shot. I agree.

Agree Morocco Brown is ready. He's been here forever and probably wishing and praying for the opportunity.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Oh *hugs* Rufus. You old windbag. Just wanted you to know you weren't alone man.

Well lord knows I do get lonely.

[RemoveSnyder]

I don't think it's necessary to make a complete reversal of offensive scheme in order to attain success. In fact, I bemoan the fact that there hasn't been enough development or any development of Shotgun Spread in this offense. In first reaction, though the names mentioned here are all worthwhile people, my first inclination is to pair Griffin with a true designer of Spread. I feel a match to a sister offense benefits him in the immediate.

 

I do like the idea of being as multiple as possible. I don't mind having a traditional set to always fall back upon, to have as another base.

 

I don't think you have to scrap the entire aspect of Shotgun Spread or Pistol or even Option offense element from the organization just in order to get in league with someone that comes from a successful organization and/or program. I don't think we need to switch to a "rugby" style just cause it works in their own situations.

 

Incorporation of the Tackle Over set, the Max lineman sets, that sounds great as another element but probably slightly tired and perhaps as predictable, if used exclusively.

 

I know Shaw is a wonderful motivator. I like him very much as a Head Coach because of his stability and personality. I don't know the extent of his own innovations, whether he's a mad scientist with the Xs and Os or if he's a true delegator. I have no complaints about seeking his interests.

 

However from my following of the NCAA, and specifically toward the Spread offense and Pistol offense persuasion, the names of:

Tony Franklin (OC, Cal) and Kliff Kingsbury (HC, Texas Tech) are the true developers of the offensive game in college. When I think of an OC, I think of those guys. Even Kevin Sumlin is someone who I would think of as an ideal pairing with Griff, to develop, mature & grow and meanwhile have an accompanying sister-scheme offense to what Griff has maturated in already.

 

I even feel that old timers like Art Briles and David Cutcliffe would engender greater responsiveness from Griff than what we currently have. Scheme wise I think Cutcliffe's passing tree, in his Pistol offense, is better than what Kyle has done for us. Not to mention Cutcliffe's relationship to the Mannings and his notoriety as a QB whisperer. Another Pistol guy out there is Chad Morris from Clemson. He's basically riding a high crest with studs like Boyd and Watkins, Hopkins, Ellington ... but he's a proficient Pistol OC.

 

That's just a few on the offensive side, at least from college.

 

[NIKKI8]

I  was on the David Shaw bandwagon last year right before the seven game win streak. He say's that he isn't interested in the NFL right now but I guess a big contract would probably change his mind. I really hate to see a head coaching change but this team lacks so much and has fallen so far this year that somebody needs to be accountable for it. Everybody loves to talk about the lack of 1st round picks because of the RGIII trade but they should have known when they made the trade that the scouts were going to have to work harder and do a better job on the draft picks they did have and instead of choosing guys like LiRibeus, Gettis, Kerrigan, Gomes, Amerson & Thompson They could have had TY Hilton, Josh Norman, JJ Watt, Richard Sherman, D.J. Swearenger & Kenjon Barner. I think they overpaid for free agents like Bowen, Cofield, Chester & Morgan,  I know the salary cap penalty hurt but they could have done a much better job building this team in 4 years than they have. They needed to coach much better than they have because of the limitations they were dealt. Teams like the Dolphins, Bills, Eagles, Colts, Browns, Chiefs, Bears & Titans are much more competitive than the Redskins are with recent coaching changes. I'm not sure what the answer is to fix this but I am tired of being patient and waiting but I guess I really have no choice because I bleed burgandy & gold.    

[Momma There Goes That Man]

Agree Morocco Brown is ready. He's been here forever and probably wishing and praying for the opportunity.

How can we criticize Shanahan for poor drafting and roster quality and then act like Brown would be an improvement? Isn't he also weighing on the personnel decisions and scouting or have we just been ignoring him?

[Conn]

I'm a Stanford fan and I've watched quite a bit the last couple years. Shaw is a good but not a great coach. He'll make calls sometimes that do not make sense and he stuck with Nunes too long last year, possibly costing us a title game.

I know he is old but I'd love to have Zimmer here. Watching Hard Knocks, the guy clearly commands the respect of his players. It also seems like he is a guy who is willing to put his best players on the field (ex. UDFA Vontaze Burfict last season) as not all coaches do this. The key would be to get a brilliant offensive mind to pair with RG3 and that might be Kyle.

Honestly,I would not mind keeping Shanny around as the "President." As we know now, Bruce does contracts and Shanny handles personnel. Looking at our drafts and free agency signings, I've gotta say that Shanny has done a solid job in this department.

I think the biggest problem with Shanahan is the fact that he's the personnel guy. He has not done a solid job in that department, unless your definition of solid is "anyone better than Vinny". We are not an overly talented team. We are a mediocre team with mediocre depth. Solid, if that's your definition. But not above average. We still win and lose the same games we did under Gibbs, under Vinny and Zorn, and we're still falling far behind the premier teams in the league in terms of talent on the roster.

[Conn]

Morroco Brown has been waiting a long time. I'm all for giving him a shot. I agree.

It's an intriguing idea, and it makes sense.

And I know that Vinny/Danny ignored Brown's scouting work in the past and that was why Shanahan kept him around--he did good work that was being thrown aside.

But I have to say, is Shanahan also ignoring Brown's work and making his own decisions?

Because if he's not, then I'm not sure why we'd want to promote from within a FO that has put together such an untalented team.

Again, unless Shanahan has been doing his own thing all this time and Brown's talent evaluation genius is just wasting away.

[DC9]

It's an intriguing idea, and it makes sense.

And I know that Vinny/Danny ignored Brown's scouting work in the past and that was why Shanahan kept him around--he did good work that was being thrown aside.

But I have to say, is Shanahan also ignoring Brown's work and making his own decisions?

Because if he's not, then I'm not sure why we'd want to promote from within a FO that has put together such an untalented team.

Again, unless Shanahan has been doing his own thing all this time and Brown's talent evaluation genius is just wasting away.

 

Fair point.  But remember, in terms of offensive linemen and even skill players -- Mike has his own philosophy.  I'm not sure who weighs in on drafting defensive players or what.  I remember reading stuff like "Haz really liked this guy so we took him," but I don't know how much of that type of thing is ever true.  I'm not sure Morraco has done much other than scouting the players and grading them, but I can't speak confidently about that.

 

I can say that he has interviewed for two different front office jobs with other teams the last couple of years (Cardinals and Bears I believe) so he's close to being ready.

 

A lot of unknowns there, but I'm not sure that I am for going completely out of house.  Maybe it's the best thing.  I think we'd need more details in order to make that decision as a fan base.

[darrelgreenie]

In the hypothetical situation where we need a new FO here is what I would want:

 

o AJ Smith would be gone. I never liked him in San Diego and his mere presence on our staff bothers me.

o Bruce Allen would be gone in favor of an actual GM.

 

GM: a young Jr. GM that has learned behind a good GM from a successful franchise e.g. Eric DeCosta

 

HC: An offensive minded coach Pete Carmicael, Tom Clements Green Bay OC that isn't from a total different scheme.

Other options: I would like to hire this man Phillip Montgomery (OC from Baylor) as the QB Coach or WR coach or offensive assistant just invent a position to get him on the current staff working with Griff and adding some Baylor into our offense.

[method man]

I think the biggest problem with Shanahan is the fact that he's the personnel guy. He has not done a solid job in that department, unless your definition of solid is "anyone better than Vinny". We are not an overly talented team. We are a mediocre team with mediocre depth. Solid, if that's your definition. But not above average. We still win and lose the same games we did under Gibbs, under Vinny and Zorn, and we're still falling far behind the premier teams in the league in terms of talent on the roster.

 

26 of our 53 roster members are guys we drafted. This figure does not include those who have been picked up through UDFA like Logan Paulsen and Gumbs and guys who would be on the roster if they were not on IR (like Keenan Robinson and Richard Crawford). 

 

Are we drafting plethoras of superstars in the mid-to-late rounds? No but Morris, Riley and Young, all above average talents being picked up in the 4th rd and later, is a solid output.

 

Furthermore, he has been able to pick up a decent number of guys on the street and has had them be solid contributors (ex. Tapp, Baker, etc.)

 

Is Shanny the best of the best? No but the guy has done a good job building talent given the penalties imposed on us