to become the coach of the Washington Redskins, the latest step in a
major overhaul of a troubled franchise.
Shanahan’s decision to join the team was
confirmed to The Associated Press by an official within the NFL. The
official spoke on condition of anonymity because the team was not
commenting on its coaching search.
The Redskins announced they would hold a news conference Wednesday, although they did not say why.
The deal with Shanahan is for five years, the
Denver Post reported on its Web site. The hire comes less than 48 hours
after the Redskins fired Jim Zorn — and less than three weeks after
front-office chief Vinny Cerrato resigned and quickly was replaced by
general manager Bruce Allen.
All of which means that, within a month, the
Redskins have gone from an organization that revolved primarily around
owner Dan Snyder and yes-man Cerrato to one that includes two powerful
decision-makers who are sure to wield much clout.
Allen — son of Hall of Famer and former
Redskins coach George Allen — became the first person to hold the title
of GM in Snyder’s decade-plus of ownership, while Shanahan is known to
demand a heavy say-so in personnel decisions.
Shanahan will have the final authority on football decisions, according to ESPN.com.
All in all, it was quite a contrast to
Washington’s previous transition, when Joe Gibbs abruptly left as coach
and team president after the 2007 season. The Redskins went through a
whole slew of coaching candidates during a month-plus search, and wound
up turning to Zorn after others showed no interest, dropped out or were
deemed unsatisfactory. Zorn initially was brought aboard as a
first-time offensive coordinator, then was promoted to head coach two
weeks later.
No such suspense or drama this time.
“You always wonder what’s going to be happen.
You don’t want to be on pins and needles,” defensive end Andre Carter
said. “When we had the team meeting with Bruce Allen, he told us
something would happen hastily. He wasn’t joking when he said that.”
The Redskins are 82-99 since Snyder bought
the team, missing the playoffs in eight of 11 seasons, and the toll of
below-.500 seasons and accompanying fan unrest left him little choice
but to hire established names and put them in charge.
Shanahan will be Washington’s seventh coach
since Snyder bought the team in 1999 — a stretch that has included only
two playoff victories for a team that proudly displays three shiny
Super Bowl championship trophies in the lobby of its practice facility.
Shanahan won two Super Bowls in 14 seasons
with the Denver Broncos, but was fired a year ago after they missed the
playoffs for the third straight season.
Before word of Shanahan’s agreement with
Washington emerged, Clinton Portis — who played for the coach for two
seasons in Denver — described him as “the perfect guy for the job” and
a “straight shooter.”
“If you’re doing the stuff you’re supposed to
be doing, you’re fine with him,” Portis said during his weekly radio
appearance on ESPN 980. “If you’re not, no matter how much you’re
getting paid, he’s going to get you up out of there.”
Shanahan made the playoffs in half of his
seasons in Denver, and had only two losing campaigns — 6-10 in 1999 and
7-9 in 2007. His greatest successes came early, earning consecutive NFL
titles after the 1997 and 1998 seasons with a team led by quarterback
John Elway and running back Terrell Davis.
Shanahan’s career regular-season record is
146-98, including 138-86 with the Broncos from 1995-2008, and 8-12 with
the Los Angeles Raiders in 1988-89. Shanahan’s playoff record is 8-5.
Zorn went 12-20 over two seasons, but he lost
18 of his last 24 games after a 6-2 start in 2008. The Redskins
struggled despite a weak early schedule this season and finished 4-12,
their worst record since 1994.
Some Redskins players spoke Monday — the day
Zorn was let go with a year left on his contract — about a lack of
discipline this season and preferential treatment given to some
players. Running back Clinton Portis and quarterback Jason Campbell
also took shots at each other through the media Tuesday.