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Do you need to restructure the scouting department or any other area of the organization?

“We’ll find out. I’m going to take a look at everybody. We’re going to get the best at every position. If we don’t have people willing to make that commitment, then we’ll have to make some changes.”

How involved do you get with the defense? Do you stick your head in the meeting room every once in a while or do you just kind of let them hire a good coordinator and let them do their thing?

“The only way I think you stay in the position of the head football coach is you better know offense, defense and special teams. You better know it as good as your assistants, or at least try to, because your team knows it. If you know offense, you know defense, you know special teams, because you’re in charge of the whole team. They have to understand that all three areas are very important. I enjoy football, in general, so that’s pretty easy for me.”

Are you aware of the possible disagreement between Jason Campbell and Clinton Portis this week?

“Yes I am.”

How would you diffuse that?

“I think, in time, what I’ll do is talk to the football team. We’ll talk about, hey, if we’ve got some problems or some business, we’ll keep it inside the organization. I understand how that happens, but what you have to do is you have to talk about these problems before they happen. They happen all the time. But some organizations, they don’t happen [publicly]. Other organizations, they do. I think players will get the message that the Redskins will stay together.”

Are you a tough coach?

“I don’t look like one, do I?”

Are you familiar with secondary coach Jerry Gray and his credentials?

“Very much so. I’m aware of everybody, every coach. That’s what I do. I study coaches. I study coordinators. I know what they’ve done. I know where they’ve been. He’s got a very, very good past. I’m looking forward to talking to him.”

When you look at this team, do you see 4-12 and a bad team? Or do you see a team that could have been 7-9 or 8-8?

“You are what you are. If you’re 4-12, you’re 4-12. I’m looking forward to watching a lot of film and evaluating this guys and figuring out how we’re going to get better.”

What do you look for in an offensive line? This team hasn’t really used the draft or a lot of resources in that area.

“You know you’ve got to have players up front. I don’t care if it’s offensive line, defensive line. You win with those big guys up front. You have to have that, so that will always be an emphasis for me because you can’t find teams that are successful without that.”

Will blocking follow the scheme you used in Denver or is that still to be evaluated?

“It all depends on the players that we have. We’ve had success doing not only zone schemes, but power schemes as well. Denver, even though it’s noted to be a zone blocking scheme, there’s a lot of things that Denver did outside just a zone, and we’ll continue to do those types of things. We’ll evaluate that once we get a better feel for our personnel.”

You might have heard that Mike Shanahan was named the 28th head coach of the Washington Redskins today. Well, as to be expected, he made time for the local media to get to know him a little bit after the official press conference. Here’s the first half of the interview session.

You said you watched a lot of games this season. What stood out about the Redskins, and how much of them did you watch?

“They lost some close games against some good football teams. They had a few injuries on the offensive line. Some games the defense played spectacular. The 7-6 game against Dallas comes to my mind. A lot of teams don’t do that against a good football team, especially the offense that Dallas is playing with. But more importantly, I’m looking forward to getting the chance to study everybody. When you watch TV, it’s not like going through cut-ups and getting the chance to isolate each guy on every play; not only one year, but a couple years. So I’m [looking] forward to not only studying them but getting to know them and getting evaluations from previous coaches on what they feel and trying to put the best football team we can on the field.”

What qualities do you look for in a quarterback?

“There’s so many different things. Number one, you’ve got to be accurate. Number two, you’ve to be passionate for what you’re doing. You’ve got to study the game inside and out. You’re looking for guys that carry that over to the football field. Some guys are talkers, other guys are quiet. I’ve seen people lead in a lot of different ways. The Joe Montanas, the Steve Youngs, the John Elways that I’ve been with, each guys is a little bit different in their own way. They’re all Hall of Fame quarterbacks. You get in there and get a guy like Steve Buerlein that would just go out there and find a way to win. Everybody had different characteristics. You’ve got to have a burning desire to want to be the best at what you do.”

Are you aware of the type of player Albert Haynesworth is and do you want him to be very comfortable in whatever defense you run?

“I’ve gone against Albert Haynesworth for a couple of years. He is a difference maker. You don’t want to go against him if you’re on the team because he is very disruptive. The thing I’m hoping is that we can keep him healthy. What that takes as you get older is a great offseason program. We’ll do the things that we need to do to get them in the right position to have success. I’m sure glad he’s on our football team.”

How do you address the need to keep problems in-house?

“I think you address it as a team. You talk about what a team is about and keeping things within. That will happen, I guarantee you. But that’s a message that you have to send, and it’s what’s important for an organization to be successful. There’s always disagreements about a lot of different things. It could specific. It could be offense, it could be defense, special teams, the PR staff, the grounds crew. But we’re a team. We’re the Redskins, and we’ll stay as the Redskins. That message will get across in time.”

Will your non-coaching duties be the same as you had in Denver? The power and the autonomy?

“I think the thing that people get a little carried away is because it was reported that I had final say. I do have final say. But I never used it in Denver. What I’m looking for is putting the strongest staff I can together, and that’s why people talk about Bruce. I said I’m so excited to get Bruce because I watched him operate when he was with the Raiders as executive of the year, when he was with Tampa Bay. I just watched him-as an agent, as a lawyer, as guy that’s in charge of the cap. I said, ‘Hey, this guy, I can’t believe is out on the street.’ And so when you get a guy like that, you say, ‘Hey, let’s gobble him up.’ I think you’ll find that it’s a team. The only way you win championships is you get the best at every position. I don’t care if it’s secretaries. I don’t care if it’s offense, defense, special teams. We’re going to get the best people at every possible position, even outside the program, to do what we need to do to get this thing where it has been.”

(photo by Brian Murphy)

It’s almost like Clinton Portis can’t help himself. He sees Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas or his former coach Mike Shanahan stealing all of the local headlines and can’t help but try to stir up drama to get some attention back on him.

During his weekly segment with John Thompson, the Washington Redskins running back had some not-so-flattering comments in regards to quarterback Jason Campbell.

“No disrespect to Jason, but everybody in that locker room can tell you, you’ll never see Jason mad, you’ll never see Jason’s tempo change, you’ll never see Jason get mad,” Portis said. “He going to get up, dust himself off, he going to give you everything he got. But as a leader, you never heard – it was always, ‘Jason couldn’t take control of the huddle,’ or he didn’t do this or he didn’t do that. That wasn’t Jason’s character.

“I think Jason, you can’t place so much on somebody who’s not ready for that situation,” Portis continued. “I think Jason has enough trouble in getting the plays in and worrying about this, compared to controlling the huddle and making sure, ‘Oh, we do this and we do that.’

Well, once word got out that Portis had badmouthed one of his teammates, you can guess how happy other Redskins were with the diva running back.

“Clinton can be one of the elite running backs in this league,” said a teammate who asked that his name be withheld. “I mean, he has definitely shown that throughout his career. But as you get older, you can’t just not practice and think you’re going to perform on Sunday. That’s not how the game goes. Plus, with the uncertainty with the offensive line this year, he got frustrated and said some things about how we’re not running the ball well and about the blocking. Sometimes you’ve got to look at yourself. Even though the guys were banged up and a lot of other guys had to come in, they all practiced. They practiced their butts off. They may not have been the best talent money can buy, but you can be damned sure they’re going to give you everything they’ve got. You can rely on that.

“And for C.P. to fire off on Jason, that’s not right. He’s always out there at practice,” he continued. “Lord knows he took some hits. He took some hits to the point where I thought he was done for the year, but the thing about him is, he rose up like a man and kept on taking it. That shows a lot of integrity on his part and we’re very thankful for that.”

We’re glad to hear that Campbell’s effort didn’t go unnoticed by his teammates. Turning back to Portis though, there have been rumors for a long time about him getting special treatment …

“With Clinton, it’s not a big secret. Everybody knows he doesn’t practice,” the player said. “And then he fires off on someone. You’ve heard people say, ‘Well that’s just C.P. being C.P.’ So what? Does that excuse him for his actions? It shouldn’t. It shouldn’t because there are 53 guys on the squad. Why should one man be different?”

At that point we suggested that maybe, with the team about to name a new head coach, this would be the ideal time to remove any locker room distractions in hopes of getting everyone else on the same page as the team tries to rebound from this 4-12 disaster.

“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “I’m sure they’ll evaluate that. There are guys you can rely on when it comes to winning. I was talking to one of the guys this week about how you look at chemistry on a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers – they don’t have many big-name superstars. They come to work on time and they show up ready to play. That’s what football is really about. You don’t need big stars. You just need guys to put their egos aside and to be there when you need to count on them to get it done. I’m sure they’ll focus on that because honestly, we don’t need that distraction. The media will run with that and then it will become an even bigger deal.”

We then asked what players think when they hear one of their teammates is running to the owner in an attempt to circumvent the coach’s authority.

“We don’t need that,” he said. “You can’t do that. You’re making yourself an individual. Why should you be special? That’s one thing I’ve never understood – why does one man feel like he’s above everybody else? That’s not right. You’re undermining your coach. Whether you like the man or not, you’ve got to show a level of respect. For you to go over the coach’s head and go to the owner – that’s really childish. It’s like having two parents and saying to dad, ‘Mom said I couldn’t do this, but can I anyway?’ You just can’t do that.”

At that point, we were able to get another player to share his take on the situation, as long as we promised to also withhold his name.

“I thought it was bad,” he said in regards to Portis’ comments on Campbell. “I mean, he ain’t even been in the huddle. I think Jason is doing the best he can with what he’s working with. He had an offensive line that was banged up and beat up, and I think he handled the situation really well. I think it’s bad when you throw Jason under the bus like that when he’s out there giving it everything he’s got. I’ve never seen that huddle in disarray. I’ve seen coaches on the sideline not getting the plays in on time and having to call a timeout, but I’ve never seen Jason panic or anything like that.”

We heard from more than a few players that the week after the Atlanta game was the best week of practice this team had all season long simply because one huge distraction wasn’t around.

“Yeah, yeah, I heard that too. I heard a lot of guys say that,” he said. “Honestly, several players said that the offense ran more efficiently because he wasn’t there. Lots of guys were talking about how much better the offense was without him. And when you’ve got guys saying stuff like that, there’s something wrong.

“Clinton’s always been the type of guy to speak freely and say what’s on his mind, but I think he’s got to be ready when it comes back at him,” he continued. “Jason can’t just sit around and keep taking that. Not when he’s out there every day and we’re talking about guys who aren’t even out there with him most of the year.”

So let us ask you – is this team better off without Portis and all of these continued distractions?

“Any team would be better off without it,” he said. “You can’t just go around throwing people under the bus. If it wasn’t Mike Sellers about missing blocks and trying to get him pulled from the game, it’s always something else. Every time you feel like things aren’t going your way you feel like you’ve got to go to the media or on the radio? That’s just got to stop. This team already has enough distractions. We need everyone to be able to focus and just play football. Last year, it was all that stuff with B-Mitch [former Redskins star Brian Mitchell]. It’s just always something with him.”

“You’ve got guys who fought through adversity all season long and he wasn’t even there,” he said. “He didn’t come to meetings. He wasn’t on the sideline with us when we were going through these rough times. And if he did come, he left by the third quarter. You never saw him around the facility or anywhere. For him to go out and throw Jason under the bus, what kind of teammate are you?”

You can’t ask Redskins players to be any more clear than that. They’ve dealt with Portis and his tiresome act long enough.

Here’s the thing – since his first day in burgundy and gold, Portis has been one of our favorite players. Hell, we liked him enough to use his likeness in our banner at the top of our website. But we simply cannot get behind a player who continually puts himself above his team and throws his teammates under the bus just so he has something to talk about during a weekly radio segment.

When healthy, Portis is clearly one of the top 10 running backs in the NFL. But at this point, we can’t help but think it might be best for everyone involved if the next time Portis takes the field, he’s wearing a different team’s jersey.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Recently, several critics have spoken up over the way the Washington Redskins choose to conduct business.

Whether it be replacing Vinny Cerrato almost immediately after his “resignation” with Bruce Allen or the fact that Jerry Gray interviewed for a head coach position that was still technically held by dead-man-walking Jim Zorn, folks seem to get worked up over every little thing happening out at Redskins Park these days.

From noted drama queen Mike Florio at ProFootballTalk.com to several local media members, we’ve all heard the bitching and moaning about how the Redskins have somehow besmirched the Rooney Rule, which exists to ensure minority candidates get a foot in the door.

The critics’ take is simple – the organization knows who it wants (Allen for general manager, Mike Shanahan for head coach) and to get by the Rooney Rule, they held some top-secret interviews with in-house candidates who never really had a shot.

In typical ProFootballTalk fashion, the point is then taken 10 steps further – maybe, just maybe – Gray knew he wasn’t going to get the job, but he did the interview anyway to earn favor with management. He helps them check the box and they take care of him when the housecleaning begins.

That, of course, is absurd.

Is it really shocking to consider that – maybe, just maybe – Jerry Gray doesn’t plan on working the same job for the rest of his life? If given the chance to earn a promotion, Gray (much like anyone else in the world) would happily throw his name in the hat, even if he likes the guy who was holding down the job at the time of the interview? So when the front office asked him if he’d be interested, he naturally jumped at the chance.

We don’t have any insider’s knowledge on the subject, but seriously, how farfetched does that sound? In the words of Joe Theismann, it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to come to that conclusion.

The same holds true for Morocco Brown, who interviewed for the general manager position while Cerrato was still collecting a paycheck. If the opportunity presents itself, Brown and Gray have every right to pursue it. Neither knows if the chance will come again, so why walk away from it because critics who have nothing to do with anything might be unhappy.

And for those who simply want to point the finger at owner Daniel Snyder, we hate to break it to you, but he’s not to blame for all of this either.

If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at Joe Gibbs. Yeah, THAT Joe Gibbs. The Hall of Famer who is responsible for those three Super Bowl trophies we see at each press conference to announce new hirings. While everyone in D.C. likes to only view Grandpa Gibbs through rose-colored glasses, he’s actually the reason the Redskins front office has had to change the way they operate.

Gibbs had every right to retire, but you see, when he decided to walk away the second time, he did it so abruptly that the Redskins front office had no backup plan. Sure, fans like us had already appointed Gregg Williams as the heir apparent, but more than one person working at Redskins Park has told us Williams never really had a shot at the job. His arrogance and brash demeanor killed any real chance he ever had at replacing Gibbs (floating rumors about million-dollar payouts if he wasn’t given the job didn’t help either).

But enough about Williams. Let’s get back to the front office. They were caught with their pants down because they believed that Gibbs was definitely coming back for another year. When he announced that he was done, there was no contingency plan. There was no coach-in-waiting. The front office scrambled to fill the sudden void and ultimately settled on Zorn as the next head coach after interviewing Jim Fassel, Steve Marriuci, Steve Spagnoulo, Ron Meeks and at least two other candidates.

Two years later, the front office is looking to fill the position once again after Zorn’s Redskins went 12-20 (or 12-21 if you go by Zorn’s “4-13 record”). Learning from the Gibbs experience, the team was much more prepared this time around. When Snyder made the decision to say goodbye to Cerrato, he moved swiftly to land Allen.

Now, with Allen on board, the two are following the same blueprint with their coaching search. If the team knows Zorn is done, why wouldn’t they begin formulating a plan to hire his replacement? Those who know Allen say he’s always got a Plan B. Not only that, but typically, he’s even got a Plan C. Don’t take our word for it, listen to Allen’s comments when he was asked about possible candidates for the now vacant head coaching job.

“I’m not going to get into that. I’m not going to discuss that because of privacy issues for them,” Allen said. “I will say this – it’s real clear that we are going to be aggressive. What we are looking for in a head coach is somebody that can lead these men that we have in our locker room to levels that they haven’t played to before. What I asked of the players on the team was a commitment that they hadn’t given before. We are going to try that type of person, who is a winner, passionate about the Redskins, and passionate about football.”

Allen gave up the gameplan right there – they’re openly admitting that they’re going to be aggressive. If Mike Shanahan doesn’t work out for some reason, he’s got Bill Cowher or someone else up his sleeve. If that person falls through, there’s another name on the list. Gibbs caught the front office off guard, but rest assured, it won’t happen again. They’re not being shady or underhanded. They are simply covering their asses and aggressively ensuring they don’t find themselves in the same position ever again. And if you or anyone else doesn’t like it, well … don’t be mad at them. Take it up with Gibbs.

(courtesy photo)

During the last five seasons, we’ve been lucky enough to experience countless road trips with the Washington Redskins. After a while, you get to know some of the guys a little bit and develop relationships with some of them – both on the roster and within the organization.

Quite possibly the two greatest gentlemen we’ve had the pleasure of spending time with during this time are Hall of Famers Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff. A couple times each season, we somehow find ourselves in the company of these guys and we always walk away with a memorable experience.

This San Diego trip was no exception.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we ended up grabbing a frosty and refreshing beverage at the hotel bar and joining a group that included the two Hall of Famers. Someone was giving us grief because in their words, in seemingly every town the Redskins travel to, “Murf has an entourage.”

We politely explained to the group that after spending more than seven years in the Army, we’ve made friends with a lot of people across the country.

This information peaked the interest of Huff, who leaned forward and asked, “Have you ever been to Vietnam?”

We politely explained to Sam that we weren’t quite old enough to have been a part of Vietnam.

Huff followed that up by saying, “I have, and it’s no joke.”

Before he could say another word, Jurgensen cut him off and said, “For Christ’s sake Sam, you were there on a USO Tour with Johnny Unitas and Frank Gifford. It’s not like you actually served over there.”

Huff tried to continue, saying, “Yeah, but we WERE surrounded.” But it was too late. Everyone in the group had already lost it.

So yeah, from now on, whenever we think of Sam Huff, one of the baddest linebackers to ever play the game, we will inevitably think of his time in Vietnam.

Nothing against rookie linebacker Brian Orakpo, who was voted to the Pro Bowl in his rookie year, but if only one player from the Washington Redskins deserved the honor, it is clearly middle linebacker London Fletcher. Besides the fact that he is currently second in the NFL in tackles with 134, he’s the heart and soul of the Washington defense. Oh, and he hits like a dump truck.

Just ask Brian Westbrook. Or DeSean Jackson. Or Laurence Maroney. Or Brandon Jacobs. Or Patrick Crayton.

The bottom line is, there is a roster full of talented players who can tell you from experience just what Fletcher brings to the table. And if they’re not available for comment, there’s always Orakpo.

“I felt great when I got it and I still feel great about it,” Orakpo said. “But when you look back at it, Fletcher has done so much for me and I will trade spots with him anytime because he deserves it just as much as me, if not more. It’s like a number game, with so many middle linebackers in the NFL.  It is what it is, but I will trade my spot with him any day, for just what he brings to the table and what he brings to this team.”

While it’s true the Pro Bowl is nothing more than a popularity contest, it would have been nice to finally see Fletcher get the recognition he deserves. Chances are this snub will only fuel the fire that much more, which means someone better warn the folks in San Diego. Someone’s not walking off that field on their own.

And for those who want to see just how fired up Fletcher will be when he takes the field, we’ve got some video evidence posted above. Consider yourself warned.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Got some bad news for you – Jim Zorn is nothing more than a poor man’s Steve Spurrier.

Yeah, we know. There’s no easy way to digest it. And honestly, we contemplated even bringing it up this close to the holidays and all, but we figured if you had to hear it, you’d want the news to come from us.

This information is especially tough to swallow after reading former safety Matt Bowen admit that the Washington Redskins gave up on their lame duck coach at the end of the Spurrier era because they knew he was a goner. Couple that with quarterback Jason Campbell’s comments from last week, when he said he thought some of his teammates might have quit on the team and it really hits home just how bad things have gotten.

For those fans who either aren’t familiar with Spurrier’s two seasons in Washington, let us break down just how memorable things were with the “Old Ball Coach” in our lives. For starters, he was the head coach of the Redskins for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. The Redskins went 12-20 during that time.

The ‘Skins started the 2002 season 4-4 and remained middle of the pack all season long, finishing 7-9. Year 2 the burgundy and gold regressed, finishing a disappointing 5-11. In 32 games under “Darth Visor,” the Redskins scored 594 points, which comes out to 18.5 points per game. Sadly, the Redskins defense gave up 737 points over the same span, which equals 23 points per game.

In unrelated news, by the time Zorn is no longer the head coach of the Redskins, he will have served a two-year sentence. With one game remaining, the Redskins are currently 12-19 under Zorn. So unless the ‘Skins can pull off a huge upset against the 12-3 San Diego Chargers (who happen to be coached by Norv Turner, a guy who might not be inclined to rest his starters against his former employer), Washington will just so happen to have the same 12-20 record as they did from 2002-03.

As you know, the ‘Skins started off the Zorn era an impressive 6-2. But then the wheels came flying off and the team finished 8-8. Year 2 the maroon and black regressed, posting a 4-11 record. In 31 games under Zorn, the Redskins have scored 511 points, which comes out to 16.5 points per game. The Redskins defense has given up 609 points over the same span, which equals 19.6 points per game.

So yeah, with one game remaining, the Redskins offense averages two less points per game under Zorn than they did with Spurrier drawing up plays for Patrick Ramsey and Danny Wuerffel. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

To recap, Spurrier’s “Fun ‘n’ Gun” offense lost by an average score of 23-18. Zorn’s West Coast offense loses 20-16. Totally different.

Digging a little deeper, we see that quarterbacks under Spurrier completed 53.7 percent of their passes for 45 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. They threw for an average of 212 yards per game with a QB rating right around 73.0. Oh, and they were sacked 81 times in two years.

Again, with one game to go for Zorn, the numbers show that his quarterbacks complete 63 percent of their passes for 33 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. They threw for an average of 219.5 yards per game with a QB rating just under 85.0. They’ve been sacked 82 times.

That means Zorn’s quarterbacks have completed 10 percent more of their passes for roughly seven more yards per game, while throwing 12 less touchdowns and 14 less interceptions than Spurrier’s signal callers. Protecting the quarterback is clearly optional with both coaches.

Not-so-fun fact: the Redskins went 2-10 in the NFC East with Spurrier in charge. The Redskins went 3-9 in the NFC East with Zorn.

In 2002, the Redskins ground game, led by Stephen Davis, rushed for 1,889 yards (118 yards per game) and 10 touchdowns.

In 2003, the Redskins ground game, led by Trung Canidate, rushed for 1,653 yards (103 yards per game) and eight touchdowns.

That translates to an average of 1,771 yards (110.5 yards per game) and nine touchdowns per season.

In 2008, the Redskins ground game, led by Clinton Portis, rushed for 2,095 yards (131 yards per game) and 12 touchdowns.

In 2009, the Redskins ground game, featuring Portis/Ladell Betts/Rock Cartwright/Quinton Ganther, has rushed for 1,444 yards (96 yards per game) and eight touchdowns.

With a game to go, that comes out to an average of 1,769 yards (113.5 yards per game) and 10 touchdowns per season.

We’ll spare you the receiver comparisons, save for one exception. Here’s our favorite stat when comparing the pass catchers of both eras:

In 2008, Antwaan Randle El had 53 catches for 593 yards and four touchdowns. In 2002, a receiver reportedly named Derrius Thompson posted 53 catches for 773 yards and four touchdowns. Same amount of catches and touchdowns, but 180 less yards while earning a much bigger paycheck than Derrius (who may or may not have also been the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish).

We realize that we’ve thrown a ton of stats and numbers at you with this, but the good news is we gave you the ending up front, Tarantino style. All of this is designed to show you that the last two years have been someone’s idea of a cruel joke. We’re all essentially Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, living the same football season over and over.

Spurrier looked completely overmatched in a sweater vest and his trademark visor. Zorn switched it up with the spiffy haircut and more traditional sideline attire. But at the end of the day, it’s the same inept offense losing week in and week out by less than a touchdown.

After the Spurrier experiment mercifully came to a conclusion, owner Daniel Snyder appeased the masses with the return of a Super Bowl winning coach by the name of Joe Gibbs. If history is to repeat itself, then we should expect similar results, with the owner turning the franchise over to a big-name coach with multiple Super Bowl wins on his resume.

Sure, we could point out that Gibbs never came close to replicating his success from his first go-round, but honestly, we’d rather save that for another day. You know, give us something to write about four years from now.