The preseason is over for the Washington Redskins and head coach Mike Shanahan has a lot on his mind. Not only must he game plan for the “New Orleans-Bounty-Gate-Saints” who host the Skins down at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for Washington’s regular season opener, but he must cut his roster down to the final 53 men in just over 24 hours. This is a hard time in the NFL and probably a time when a lot of people are glad they are not head coaches.
That said, as we launch into the regular season, if one was to look at the Redskins’ preseason in budgeting terms, that person would find two compelling line items that stand out in the “Mike Shanahan” column. For these two line items, one is a plus and one is a minus.
Plus = The Team is Now Young and Deep
The difference between this early regular season and Shanahan’s first early regular season here is as different as night and day. Shanahan has built the Redskins into a young, talented, dynamic team and it is oh, so good to see. Think about this time in 2010. We were dealing with the Albert-Malcontent-Haynesworth debacle as well as wondering why Philadelphia Eagles’ head coach Andy Reid would let his long-time quarterback, Donovan McNabb, be traded to a division foe.
Just before the season opener – in early September of 2010 – there were 14 players over the age of 30 on the roster. To make things even worse (and this is no disrespect to those players – many of them were/are amazing players), the truth is that many of those old dogs were having to learn new tricks… i.e., new offensive and defensive schemes with a new coaching staff.
In the two years that Shanahan has been here, he has added not only depth, but young depth. There are 41 guys on team that are 25 years old or younger. Only 6 guys are older than 30 now (which is a about 8%) and the average age of the team is 25.9 (assuming my math is correct) years. Obviously, this math will change once the roster is whittled down to 53 men (not including the practice squad) but I’d bet that the average age will likely not change very much.
There is definitely a place for veterans on a team, no doubt about it. And the ones that are here are character guys. They are talented and extremely physically fit (I swear, All-Pro veteran middle linebacker London Fletcher is only 28 years old). But wide out Santana Moss (32); and linebackers Lorenzo Alexander (29-going-on-40-in-maturity) and Chris Wilson (30) are all guys who look and play like they’re 25. They bring an essential maturity and leadership to the team as well.
Building a younger team with a lot of depth is a definite plus.
Minus = Be Careful With That Competition
Mike Shanahan preaches “competition, competition, competition.” Obviously, this is one of the things that motivates guys to go out – whether at practice or during a game – and leave nothing on the field. But head coaches can overdo it. Not often perhaps, but often enough that it bears mentioning.
Even players on a team labeled “starters” can be unsure of the team’s loyalty to them. A guy like tight end Chris Cooley getting cut (at least he had time to prove that he’s healthy during training camp), proves that no one is really safe. It’s cliché, but there’s a reason “NFL” is also an acronym for “Not For Long.”
Beyond the motivational factor, having competition so much in the forefront of these players’ everyday lives can also be a cause for an unhealthy tension in a locker room. Not the same type of tension that comes before a big game or when a guy transitioning into a new position takes his first snaps; but the type of tension that has guys at each others’ throats or being unnecessarily impatient with teammates.
Successful franchises have competition but they also make players confident in their place on the team. Having been a competing athlete myself, I know that there can be a thin line between healthy competition and raging battles. If athletes do not feel at least marginally safe, “battle mode” can surface without warning. It’s up to the coaching staff to keep this from happening. Even leaders on a team can become too worried about their jobs to actually lead the team, no matter how much character they have.
It’s good that the guys on the Washington Redskins have so much class and character. This could very well be what’s kept them in the win column so far just in this 2012 preseason.
Too much emphasis on competition is a definite minus.
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As we move into the next 30+ hours and the regular season, a lot will happen out at Redskins Park. Some guys will be released and some guys will breathe sighs of relief – albeit temporary relief – that they still have their playbook iPads. Coaches will finish game-planning for September 9th. This is an important year for this team and especially for Mike Shanahan.
Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin, III needs to be developed in a manner that showcases his strengths while he learns the playbook and becomes accustomed to the speed of the NFL. At the same time, Shanahan must let him be the man and the player that he won the Heisman Trophy being. That’s not an easy thing to do and unfortunately, this organization does not have a good record with young quarterbacks. The way Shanahan develops Griffin will be scrutinized throughout the season so the youngster needs to be treated like a professional football player, not a commodity. Nor should he be treated with kid gloves. Let’s hope that this line item doesn’t go into the minus column in January 2013 when we’re seeing the 2012 regular season in the rear-view mirror.
Hail.