In his first offseason with the Washington football team, Shanahan is approaching the position differently. In addition to keeping Portis, he has brought in Larry Johnson and now Wee Willie Parker, a former world champion with the Steelers. None of the runners has had a good season in a couple years. They will be in an open competition for playing time, which might bring out the best in their production but will be poison gas in the locker room.
Washington now has three fading stars, signed to short-term contracts. None of them are really being overpaid -- and all three combined are much cheaper than a first-round pick -- but this seems like a strange direction for the team. However, it may reveal something about Shanahan's strategy for 2010.The team is going to be in transition next year, and while they will hopefully show improvement, Shanahan has already concluded that they have no legitimate shot at the playoffs. Switching to a 3-4 is a long-term project, as is building a new offensive line for the zone blocking and finding a winner at QB. A solution at running back will be the last piece of the puzzle, not the first. Bringing in three fading stars to compete for the job may squeeze enough collective juice to win a few games ... but not much more.
Shanahan's focus is on the upcoming seasons. He has a window, based on his reputation, to build his team before fan and owner frustration bears down on him. His trick will be to hold off the hounds long enough to let the foundation settle. Portis, Parker and Johnson will be the lightning rods for the next year or two.We'll know that Shanahan is ready to pull the trigger on a legitimate playoff run when he finally loads in a new kid to carry the ball.
3 comments:
Agreed.
It is interesting, with all these not-quite-great running backs in the fold, I'm reminded with how Washington won all the Super Bowls they have in my lifetime--with great running backs, and an OK QB.
Jay Schroeder and Mark Rypien won playoff games with great running backs and great O lines. Shanahan, genius that he is, won Playoff games with John Elway. We'll see if he can build a franchise without a Hall of Fame QB.
Sorry Big BM, I'm going to have to call "Bullshit!"
While Shanahan won playoff games with Elway, he won Superbowls with Terrell Owens and a great defense.
The offense was dominant because they had a great RB, very skilled O-line, plus a Hall of Fame QB.
Folks are quick to give Elway the credit for Shanahan's record.
Isn't it possible that Shanahan, by his tuteleage and the team he created, deserves credit for Elway's records?
We shall see ...
With these three RBs, Shanahan could be said to be "reviving the opposum," if you will.
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