If you are what your record says you are, then Mike Shanahan hasn’t improved the Redskins.
The team averaged six wins under Jim Zorn. They are 5-10 this year after going 6-10 last season under Shanahan. Saturday’s loss to Minnesota has many wondering about the direction of the team.
Looking deeper, the team’s offensive stats are very similar in 2011 to what they were in 2010. The defense has improved overall this year, but their points allowed figure stayed mostly the same. (They have moved from 21st to 19th.)
Shanahan was asked if improving the Redskins has taken longer than he expected.
“Oh yeah, a lot longer than I first anticipated,” Shanahan said Monday. “We had less depth than I thought. We were a little bit older at a few different positions and I thought we might keep those players a little bit longer than we did.”
The Redskins are no closer to solving their quarterback problem, but we think Shanahan has made some progress in Washington. His two drafts since taking over have been productive and plentiful.
When Shanahan took over, the team really did lack depth. It’s improved now.
Shanahan knows better than anyone that any progress on the roster won’t mean a thing if he doesn’t show progress in the standings next year.