Mike Shanahan Admits Difficulties Raising Washington Redskins

ASHBURN, Virginia – Staring down 10 loses for the second consecutive season, Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan admitted today that whipping the ailing team back into shape is a much tougher task than he had originally thought.

Since taking charge of the Redskins in Jan. 2010, Shanahan has been working non-stop to tighten the roster passed to him by Jim Zorn. A mere 12 of the 53 current team members have seen life beyond the bench since his arrival. Still, the Redskins notoriously boast four straight last-place finishes, which is a first in the NFC East’s 42-year history.

In the wake of the 33-26 home loss to the Vikings, dropping the Redskins 5-10, Shanahan lamented:

“We had less depth than I thought. We were a little bit older at a few different positions. I thought we might keep those players a little longer than we did.”

Agreeing with Shanahan, nose tackle Barry Cofield talked about the Redskins’ defense:

“It’s depressing. The way we got trampled, it’s the worst defense we played all year. When teams run the ball like that, it hurts me personally. It’s very disappointing, especially coming off of last week where we played well.”

Cofield continued:

“We got a lot to think about for next week. We got a lot to think about for the offseason. Hopefully guys use it as a driving force.”

Shanahan is optimistic about the future, with most of his new-found hope now riding on a new front seven on defense, and fresh running backs Roy Helu and Evan Royster, who combined for four 100-yard games the past five weeks.

“I see a big difference from two years ago,” said Shanahan, “We have a much younger football team. We have a lot more depth at a lot of different positions. I feel good about the type of players that we do have. I feel good about the direction we’re heading.”

Only time will tell.

Do you share Shanahan’s optimistic outlook about the future of the Redskins?