Thomas Boswell: Mike Shanahan is a "weasel of a coach who defames his enemies, deflects blame and now may duck out of town"

[Big Weirdo]

its not 'defending' snyder, its correctly pointing out who is responsible for the product on the field.

dan snyder likes to have dinner with griff, so we are now a 3 win team with a horrible D, horrible special teams and a completely overrated offense that hasnt been able to score against mostly bad defenses?

thats ridiculous.

shanahan had this team unprepared week one vs a coach making his NFL debut. shanahan had this team unprepared the SECOND time we played the same rookie coach and were even worse. shanahan had this team unprepared to play after a bye week against dallas where we scored 16 points vs a historically bad D that everyone else shreds.

maybe people arent blaming dan snyder because this is not dan snyders fault? its the fault of the guy who assembled this team and coaches it, albeit badly, every week.

of course, maybe hes coaching badly cuz hes spending so much time attempting to cover his ass by leaking stories to his media buddies.

thanks, mike.

dick.

I hear you man, I do. But the decision to hire him came from the top. At some point Dan is going to have to take a look in the mirror and change in some way. That's all I'm saying. He can't just go through this every few years of getting a new coach. He needs a real GM to tell him to screw off while they make football decisions.

[grego]

I hear you mean, I do. But the decision to hire him came from the top. At some point Dan is going to have to take a look in the mirror and change in some way. That's all I'm saying. He can't just go through this every few years of getting a new coach. He needs a real GM to tell him to screw off while they make football decisions.

 

 

ok, but thats a different issue. 

 

yes, the guy who hired his (dan) is ultimately responsible. but i dont think anyone saw this cluster**** coming. 

 

dan was right in hiring a guy who allegedly knows about football. he just got the wrong guy. 

 

shanny, meanwhile, deserves every bit of criticism that he gets for the product hes put on the field as a bad coach.  these leaked stories constantly coming out make him a total asshole snake. its just unreal to me that this is happening. 

[Skinsinparadise]

Its about undermining the power of your coach. If you give him full control but then buddy up to a franchise player and seem to play favorites you don't see how that could make things difficult?

There are things which Shanahan is culpable for in DC. The defense, the personnel etc. He's not off the hook by any stretch. But you have to look at the history of everything in context. People on here are literally at wits end because Snyder has tried everything yet nothing works. Why is that? There's only one constant, and no matter how mad anyone gets or how much they go out of there way to say HE DID IT RIGHT THIS TIME, that constant has always been Dan Snyder.

 

I get your point, but with the team being the 2nd worst team in the NFL after year 4 under Shanny's tenure.  And Shanny's history which I outlined for excuses and scapegoats for each failure -- doesn't it seem a bit silly to think that the prime problem with a team that is now worse than the Jacksonville Jaguars is that our QB pals once in awhile with RG3?

 

IMO its like having a heart attack and being diagnosed with serious heart disease but being preoccupied with a splinter.   I'd give the benefit of the doubt more if the following was happening:

 

1.  Offense was the only team's problem -- the rest of the units looked great.   

 

2.  If Shanny didn't have the reputation of being a weasel at times when it came to spinning things in his favor with the media and trashing the players he doesn't like.

 

3. Shanny didn't have the reputation of lying to suit his agenda.  Cooley on his radio show, talked about that aspect of Shanny yesterday.

[darrelgreenie]

...As for Luck and Tannehill not sure what you are getting at...

Nooooo; none of that stuff at all.

I was refering to our e-mail conversations on the QBs from 2011 draft class.

I had Tannehill on the same tier as Luck and Griffin and was trying to get you to see why.

[Skinsinparadise]

Nooooo; none of that stuff at all.

I was refering to our e-mail conversations on the QBs from 2011 draft class.

I had Tannehill on the same tier as Luck and Griffin and was trying to get you to see why.

 

I recall you liking Tannehill a lot but as for your specific report I don't recall it.  Although, all your reports on the QBs were super detailed.  I recall you liking Wilson, too.  I recall my own impression of Tannehill was that he had the athleticism to play the boot well, had good touch on short passes, my questions about him was the deep ball, Ints, and play in the 4th quarter with the game on the line.  I live in South Florida, Dolphin fans so far are mixed on him.  

[Mr. Sinister]

As of right now, there is nothing that directly points to Griffin going behind Shanahan's back to Snyder. I don't care abut steak dinners and birthday parties. Griffin has done some regrettable stuff, sure, but I don't think he would do something like that.

 

What we have on the other hand, is a known control freak, who came from a place where it was easy to stomp out things he didn't like. I figured Mike didn't take kindly to the offseason drama, and I don't think he took kindly to the perception that Griffin saved his ass when he quit last year. Many people in many organizations have spoke about how Shanahan carries grudges. He never forgets and he never forgives.

 

Initially, I was very pissed with Snyder, but now that I've taken a day plus to think this through, the more I view Shanahan as the one mainly responsible. Snyder remained in the shadows, and let Mike do Mike, and he proceeded to screw this team, from day one, and we all bought it. We all gave the Super Bowl head coach who replaced a scrub, the benefit of the doubt.

 

Does Snyder deserve blame? Hell yes he does... For hiring Shanahan and giving him free reign over the organization. But thats a far cry from deliver gallons of ice cream to your coaches, letting an idiot like Cerrato destroy this team, and demanding to study film with Jim Zorn. But like I said before, people that aren't here in the middle of it will dust off the Snyder Hate Book, while people who are here, will see through the fog of perception, and place the blame where it belongs... Squarely at the feet of Mike Shanahan.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

What we have on the other hand, is a known control freak, who came from a place where it was easy to stomp out things he didn't like. I figured Mike didn't take kindly to the offseason drama, and I don't think he took kindly to the perception that Griffin saved his ass when he quit last year. Many people in many organizations have spoke about how Shanahan carries grudges. He never forgets and he never forgives.

 

 

 

This is a good point and practically a cliché in terms of Shanny's rep.  Numerous sources have said that Shanny holds a grudge, doesn't let things go and just doesn't forget.   Clearly at some point, Shanny in his mind was rubbed the wrong way either from RG3/Danny or both -- its totally up his alley to both leak bad stories to the media and for that matter carry out that grudge by benching RG3.  Granted AH was worthless, but am sure we all recall, Shanny didn't just want to bench him, he wanted to humiliate him, with the sprints that got televised, etc.   With McNabb it was all the leaks about how he didn't practice hard, wasn't smart, was out of shape, etc.

 

On another note, am listening to Lavar right now who I often disagree with, and his theory is that Shanny will not get another head coaching job after all of this.

 

I even wonder about the leak about RG3 not wanting the team to watch his bad plays on game tape  -- Shanny denied that story -- but a classic media technique is to leak a story, then deny it.  The damage is done because you already got people talking about it, etc.  

[MrJL]

just a question.  Has Shanny every not had trouble with a starting quality QB besides Elway?

 

I think the fact he loves the running game but switches his RB's so easily may say something about him. 

[ADF]

just a question.  Has Shanny every not had trouble with a starting quality QB besides Elway?

 

I think the fact he loves the running game but switches his RB's so easily may say something about him. 

Elway and Shanahan didn't get along either.

 

Heck... I once read that Shanahan got annoyed because Bowlen  uttered the (now famous) phrase, "This one's for John" after the Super Bowl win.

[ADF]

double post... ignore.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Elway and Shanahan didn't get along either.

 

Heck... I once read that Shanahan got annoyed because Bowlen  uttered the (now famous) phrase, "This one's for John" after the Super Bowl win.

 

WOE betide anyone be bigger in an organisation than the ego. 

 

Hail 

[Commander Adama]

Hence the leaks deflecting blame from Shanny and onto the players.

Dude knows he failed miserably and now he's protecting his "legacy" by railroading others.

 Or maybe the players themselves and other people are doing it. All the players are rallying around the coach, with quotes like:

 

"“We didn’t play good enough. It ain’t about preparation,” Moss said. “Coach been doing one of the best jobs I’ve ever been around when it comes to coaches. He’s been taking a lot off us. This time of year, you don’t want to be pounding. He’s doing a lot. For him to say that, I appreciate that. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to go out there and play. It’s not about what coach has gone out there and done. He’s doing the right thing by his players. Any player that’s played in this league would want a coach like Coach Shanahan."

 

But I guess it is better to take the word of someone so far outside the organization rather than players inside the organization. I usually drink the Kool Aid, but this year I am definitely not happy with the players or the coaches. That being said, I think this article is a hatchet job. His pointing to Albert Haynesworth to make his point?? Albert Haynesworth! Seriously?

 

People are upset, I for one understand that, but to try and lay blame like this is pure vitriol with no proof whatsoever, just speculation, yet some people in here are ready to get a rope and string him up, even though players are saying it is there fault. I say there is enough blame all around, and it was just bad, but no conspiracy theories.