DeAngelo Hall is one of a number of Washington Redskins players who seems happier now that Mike Shanahan is gone. Hall’s latest comments tell us that defensive coordinator Jim Haslett should be just as thrilled about Shanny being gone.
Hall, who said a few months ago that Shanahan was always in Haslett’s ear telling him what to call, told CSNWashington.com’s Chick Hernandez that there were certain situations in 2013 where Shanahan actually stepped in and overruled Haslett.
“Yeah, I mean, it was probably more difficult for Jim than us,” Hall said, as transcribed by Dan Steinberg of DC Sports Bog. “You know, we were going through all week practicing a certain call, knowing that we were going to call it in certain situations. And there would be certain times where Mike would overrule Jim.
“And I told Jim, I understand where you’re coming from. There are certain techniques and things that I want to do that Mike would tell me the same thing — ‘Well, you know, I kind of want you to play it like this as opposed to that.’”
Shanahan was an offensive assistant/coordinator for 20 years before he became head coach of the Denver Broncos. Haslett, a former NFL linebacker, has always specialized in defense. As Steinberg noted, a Washington Post story from December indicated that Shanahan micromanaged Haslett from Day 1.
One of Shanahan’s first calls came in September 2011, during a game at Dallas. With the Cowboys on their own 30 with 2 minutes 20 seconds to play, Shanahan called an all-out blitz — “Cover-0,” as it is known — and it backfired, resulting in Dallas quarterback Tony Romo finding wide receiver Dez Bryant for a 30-yard gain. Dallas eventually kicked a field goal for an 18-16 victory, and Haslett was left to shoulder the blame.
While I don’t doubt that any of this is true, the Redskins need to be careful. They have not played a single game under Jay Gruden and already we have prominent players like Hall and Robert Griffin III acting like all of Washington’s problems have been solved now that Shanahan is gone. If the Redskins go 7-9 and miss the playoffs this season, it will be hard to keep using Shanny as a scapegoat.
