[irish]

Originally Posted by skinsguy

Welcome Starry Plough! I'm in the category of keeping Mike Shanahan for at least his last season. My thoughts seem to be that Mike is "hands off" when it comes to the defense. I'm sure he has some input into bringing defensive personnel to the team, but I tend to believe that he relies heavily on Jim Haslett to take care of that side of the ball. I might be completely wrong on that, but it seems that way considering how much more improved the offense is compared to the defense.

When Joe Gibbs was coaching in his second tenure, the main complaint amongst many Redskins fans here was that his offense was anemic. The defense was always a top 10 defense [Gregg Williams being the DC] that kept the Redskins in every game they played, but the offense was unspectacular. We even had fans saying they'd rather see the Redskins lose but put up 30+ points and be entertained than what they were seeing out of Joe Gibbs' teams.

With that said, we ['skins fans] have gotten what we have asked for. An offense that can move the ball easily and put up points, an offense that entertains us and is spectacular, but a team that still finds ways to lose games. I would probably ask those 'skins fans who were the loudest boo birds during the Gibbs' era, how entertained are you now?

Where I think Mike's downfall lies is that he expects the defensive coordinator to be in full control; to bring in the guys on defense he wants, to bring in the defensive philosophy that he feels works best, and to have the defense playing top ten football. That hasn't happened. So, do we blame Mike Shanahan for the defense, or do we blame the front office for supplying Mike with Jim Haslett? I guess that is the real question. If it was the front office telling Mike that Jim is the best option, roll with Haslett and see what he can do for you, then I find it difficult to blame Shanahan for Haslett's inability to improve the defense.

That's why I feel the 'skins keep Mike Shanahan with the caveat that Jim Haslett is jettisoned by the end of the season in favor of a better defensive coordinator, or that if the 'skins keep Jim Haslett on, Mike Shanahan becomes more involved on the defensive side of the ball, because obviously Haslett needs help.

Gibbs 2.0 is a big part of why this organization is still playing talent catch-up.