The Vindication of Mike Shanahan

This weekend's loss to the Buccaneers has presented Redskins fans with the most sobering reality they could possibly imagine.  Mike Shanahan may have been right all along.  Griffin's performance on Sunday was the coup de grace of a season that has seen his fall as the savior of Washington to an oft injured, insecure, indecisive passer who is not living up to the price tag this franchise put on him.  You know who alluded to that during his tenure in Washington?  The same guy who, along with his son, were nicknamed "The Klanahans" for their insistence on running read option with Griffin even though it was obvious that those plays were putting him in harm's way.  Oh, what a difference 2 years makes.  Now we have people stating that Griffin needs to run read option to be successful.  Remember the uproar when we drafted Kirk Cousins?  All of a sudden that does not seem like a completely heinous move considering Griffin's injuries, although Cousins has proven to be a less than adequate replacement.  But remember that part of the scuttlebutt surrounding the Cousins pick was that Shanahan did not want to trade up for Griffin in the first place.  Rumor had it that he wanted to stay at six and draft Ryan Tannehill.  Look at what Ryan Tannehill has done in Miami with considerably less talent around him this year than Griffin.  And while were on the subject of talent, let's look at what Shanahan brought in in the way of talent.  He had the foresight to see the talent in Pierre Garcon who up to that point had been Reggie Wayne's understudy in Indianapolis.  He showed the restraint to pass on Blaine Gabbert and draft Ryan Kerrigan.  He took a flyer on a sixth round running back coming off a winless season at Florida Atlantic.  Trent Williams, Perry Riley, Keenan Robinson, Niles Paul, Roy Helu, David Amerson, and Jordan Reed round out a decent class of draft picks that still make contributions to this team.

These players comprise the backbone of the talent for the Redskins on both sides of the ball, and they are the centerpiece of Griffin's recent comments about needing his players to "play great".  Remember last year when he made equally polarizing comments?  People pointed to Shanahan as the problem. It was Shanahan who had lost the locker room, and Griffin's outbursts were a cry for order and leadership.  Now with a new regime in place it is apparent that Shanahan may not have been the sole cause.  Jay Gruden's comments about Robert Griffin on Monday show that Shanahan's apprehension about Griffin may not have been totally unfounded.  His reliance on the read option in Griffin's rookie year may have been disastrous to his Griffin's health, but it also may have been a passive aggressive way of Shanahan showing his opinion of what Griffin can and cannot do as a quarterback.  Finally, with all the talent that Shanahan brought in, it may be the one piece he possibly was forced to take that he was most right about.  With every waning moment, it seems that Griffin may not be the best fit for this offense here in Washington, and when the Redskins pass on a much needed safety or tackle to have Roger Goodell call Marcus Mariota's name in April; Mike Shanahan will be watching and loving every second of it.

A Message to Penn State and the Big 10

The Maryland Terrapins solidified their place in the Big 10 with their pregame actions on Saturday.  Just as Maximus deliberately turned his back on Commodus in Gladiator, the Terps showed an equal amount of disrespect towards the royalty of the Big 10.  Penn State is one of the premier programs in the Big 10, and their newly ordained subjects showed them what they thought of being perceived as their inferiors.  It is no secret that the Big 10 regulars and their fans were not too high on letting Maryland and Rutgers join their pretentious club, and the fans have gone out of their way this season to express how Maryland does not belong in this conference.  By not shaking Penn State's hands, the Terps showed Penn State what they thought of their program and the Big 10 as a whole.  Maryland has decided to embrace their Lone Ranger status once again as the outsiders of an established elite.  In the ACC they were looked down upon by the whole of Tobacco Road.  Now they reprise that role in the Big 10 as the misfit university who had the hubris to disrespect Penn State in their own house.  They are now the villains of the Big 10 with a newly formed border war and a bounty on their head. 

Whatever the end game was for not shaking hands, Maryland got a renewed rivalry with Penn State at least for the short term.  Penn State fans will not forget this, and they will be gunning for Maryland next season in Baltimore.  They also have placed a huge target on themselves when they face Michigan State and Michigan in the next three weeks.  They are part of the Big 10 elite, and while I'm sure these programs have no love for Penn State they are not going to let some Johnny-come-lately do that to one of their long time brethren.  Do not be surprised if Michigan State decides to run up the score on the Terps if they find themselves up by a healthy margin, and look for both teams to show Maryland no respect when they take the field.  The Terps must embrace the mentality that it is now the Big 10 against Maryland for the near future. 

All Big 10 teams, especially Pen State, will now be gunning for them and Maryland must weather the storm under the shelter of a unilateral vision, which is to embrace the role of villain and be the thorn in the Big 10's side.  Except Randy Edsall made some half assed apology for the team's actions in the post game interview.  Why?  You're telling me that the team made this decision without Randy Edsall's knowledge.  Bull Crap.  He knew they were going to do that, he may have even told them to do it, but what he should have done was not apologize.  Edsall's post game apology seemed insincere and backhanded.  Owning up to it would have been honest and it would have showed Penn State that we are serious about this annual match up.  Edsall should have framed his response in this manner:

"The no handshake is what it is.  We felt that Penn State was not taking this game as seriously as we were, and we wanted to show them that this is not just another game for us.  We wanted to show them how serious this matchup is for us, and how badly we wanted to be only the second Maryland team in history to beat Penn State.  They know how serious we are now about this annual matchup and we cannot wait to play them next year in Baltimore."

That is not too abrasive, and it frames the non handshake as a competitive gesture rather than a sign of disrespect.  It was disrespectful, but that response would have softened the blow a little by saying it was more about pumping up Maryland than disrespecting Penn State.  Whatever the motive, no one will debate the fact that Maryland is now a marked program by Penn State and the Big 10 elite, and we have carved out our place in the Big 10.  People will be writing how Maryland has no class and should be ashamed of their team.  I would be more ashamed if I were a Penn State fan.  Penn State let the Terps disrespect them like that in their own house and lost.  Its not like the Terps are Alabama.  Penn State could have taught Maryland a lesson in manners, but instead they must wait a full year to exact revenge upon their newfound nemesis.  Let the rivalry begin.