HTTR24-7:Interview Transcript W/ Michael Lombardi 11/14/12..

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

After the Giants game, ES posters and media talking heads were high on the future of the Redskins. Even the Giants players themselves were amazed with the direction this team is going.

Were we/they high on the team or Robert Griffin?

[darrelgreenie]

At this point, it's becoming like we're piling on. It's amazing how there wasn't a peep of any of this before our losses to the Steelers and Panthers. The question posed about the Bucs shouldn't have even been posed considering we all know exactly HOW the Bucs got to where they're at right now and how it directly relates to us.

Whether all of this Shanahan bashing is true or not, it's annoying that NOW, all of a sudden, everyone seems to know we have glaring issues that are beyond fixable. Yeah. Good timing, I guess.

Well it depends on what you mean by 'any of this' but people have been discussing general management of the team under the Mike Shanahan regime. Maybe those discussions were drowned out if not out right shouted down but they were there. I've been questioning the HC as GM model from the outset.

I think characterizing this article or criticism of Mike Shanahan as a GM as 'bashing' seems like an knee jerk hardcore apologist position.

Exactly. They'd rather complain and just throw these very true conditions out as "excuses". As if there is no such thing as a good excuse. As if they've never had any themselves.

Set backs are an opportunity. The cap hit and personnel misques represent an opportunity to fix that areas mistakes once and for all.

[Lavarleap56]

This is exactly what I believe should be the next step once you give up on Shanahan!

Snyder works with Allen on PR and very high-level football visionary items. Allen hires a GM (or promotes someone like Brown) and works with that guy to revamp the personnel department. Then, they find a coach. I would be so excited to have that type of setup!

Current setup

Executive VP/GM Bruce Allen

Director of Pro Personnel: Morocco Brown

Director of Player Personnel: Scott Campbell

VP Football Administration: Eric Shaffer


Area Scout: Cole Spencer , Darryl Franklin,Tim Gribble,Jim Zeches,David Whittington,Kyle Smith

Pro Scout: Alex Santos, Richard Mann II

[Hooper]

Shanny is far from perfect. In fact, he's made some terrible moves.

But he has had suffered some really bad luck at the same time.

Not ready to jump ship.

For one thing, I don't have a lot of faith in Snyder making a great decision in his next hire.

Gruden? HA. Am I the only one who remembers how things ended for him in Tampa? Him and Bruce Allen were a worse combo than... well, Shanny and Bruce Allen.

A smart young coach with a strong GM? Does anyone ever see that happening here?

I don't have the answers. But I think our best best -- and it's a longshot -- is sticking it out with Mike.

Also, as much as I enjoy listening to Michael Lombardi, HE WAS AN AWFUL PERSONNEL GUY IN THE NFL.

[Boss_Hogg]

Were we/they high on the team or Robert Griffin?

Peter King, an avid Skins hater (he voted to keep Art Monk out of the HOF) predicted Skins will win multiple championships. He cited not only RGIII, but Mike's track record with building potent offenses in Denver.

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...ships-.-Plural.

[darrelgreenie]

How did this article and conversation become a discussion about getting rid of Shanahan? It is not.

[DC9]

Has this idea even been bought up to Dan? Isn't that the job of Morrocco Brown oversee?

Yeah, but we don't know how long of a leash Morroco has. He's HIGHLY regarded around the league and it's expected that he'll have a brite future somewhere. Who knows, Mike may like the scouts in place.

I know that the first year Shanny was here, they used the grades of the previous scouts for the 2010 draft class because Mike wasn't hired until January/Feb that year and there was no way he could put together a group of guys who would be able to do the required work before the draft. It was expected that a new group would be brought in the next year, though... I didn't hear if one was or not, but I believe it's mostly the same guys.

That, and we don't know if Mike listens to the scouts and Morroco on things or what he has them doing... remember, he's the king dingaling, for all we know he could have them cutting up tape for him to watch and that's it. I am not making excuses for Morroco, but he's very highly regarded as a young, up and coming personnel mind... but in fairness, he could be flopping as well. I just don't think he's been given the chance because of the current structure.

EDIT: And these problems existed in Denver for Mike, and Vinny was the culprit before here... so we don't know. But as I said... it's just difficult to tell who does what badly the way things are currently set up, atleast as an outsider looking in.

[pjfootballer]

Ouch.

I mean, i know i should say more, a one word post is nearly flag worthy. But really, that's all there is to say...

Ouch.

I was thinking the same thing. I'm just so tired of going through this year after year. Everything is always negative. I really thought we'd turned the corner when we drafted Griffin, that all the negativity would go away. But such as us, it never does. God, this article just punches you right in the gut!

[DC9]

Current setup

Executive VP/GM Bruce Allen

Director of Pro Personnel: Morocco Brown

Director of Player Personnel: Scott Campbell

VP Football Administration: Eric Shaffer


Area Scout: Cole Spencer , Darryl Franklin,Tim Gribble,Jim Zeches,David Whittington,Kyle Smith

Pro Scout: Alex Santos, Richard Mann II

I keep Brown and Shaffer out of all of those guys... the rest owe me a "why I should keep my job" report by the end of this year.

[DC9]

I've heard this sentiment a quite a few times around here, but how do we know Morocco isn't part of the problem? If I understand correctly (and I'm simplifying the process here), he gets all the info together on pro and college players, gives Shanahan a list of "good" players, and then Shanahan makes the ultimate decision. How do we know Shanahan hasn't just been given bad info?

That's a fair question, but it's difficult to tell under the current structure. When you have a Czar like Shanny, it does two things...

1) It makes it hard for the public to know who ****ed up, so Shanny can take the blame and all of the issues stay internal (or Shanny takes the credit)

2) It makes it hard for the public to know who ****ed up, so we don't know what the problem is...haha

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Peter King, an avid Skins hater (he voted to keep Art Monk out of the HOF) predicted Skins will win multiple championships. He cited not only RGIII, but Mike's track record with building potent offenses in Denver.

http://www.extremeskins.com/showthre...ships-.-Plural.

ok but I'd go as far to say that most of the praise was for Griffin and to a lesser degree, Kyle

The Giants' players specifically were talking about RGIII

[authentic]

I obviously was not there but have heard that Snyder/Shanahan incident did happen.

What I think should happen?

I think Snyder should use his money to have the best personnel and training department money can buy. I think Bruce should vacate the GM title and do the same work he is doing under a different title. Hire a true hot GM prospect ( Not a retread ) and then allow him to find the right coach ( Not a retread) .. We need guys leading this team who have that burning desire to be great and that usually comes from unproven commodities trying to make a name for themselves.

Then I would let my state of the art personnel department go to work and see what happens..

I don't see what the big deal would be in getting this done. Other than egos need to be set aside. The first place i would look is Houston, Baltimore, or Seattle's FOs..

[thesubmittedone]

Well it depends on what you mean by 'any of this' but people have been discussing general management of the team under the Mike Shanahan regime. Maybe those discussions were drowned out if not out right shouted down but they were there. I've been questioning the HC as GM model from the outset.

You've been questioning the model, that's nice. You question everything, dg. Oldfan as well. Hardly worth me including you in my point, but that's fine. I guess I should've worded it differently. Maybe there was a "peep" if it.

I think characterizing this article or criticism of Mike Shanahan as a GM as 'bashing' seems like an knee jerk hardcore apologist position.

I was being inclusive of all of these threads. We've got a ton of them with post after post doing little but criticizing everything he's done here. Maybe I'm being rash in including this thread as another one of those, but that was my point in saying it's seems like we're just piling on now.

Set backs are an opportunity. The cap hit and personnel misques represent an opportunity to fix that areas mistakes once and for all.

Agreed.

---------- Post added November-15th-2012 at 11:33 AM ----------

Shanny is far from perfect. In fact, he's made some terrible moves.

But he has had suffered some really bad luck at the same time.

Not ready to jump ship.

For one thing, I don't have a lot of faith in Snyder making a great decision in his next hire.

Gruden? HA. Am I the only one who remembers how things ended for him in Tampa? Him and Bruce Allen were a worse combo than... well, Shanny and Bruce Allen.

A smart young coach with a strong GM? Does anyone ever see that happening here?

I don't have the answers. But I think our best best -- and it's a longshot -- is sticking it out with Mike.

Also, as much as I enjoy listening to Michael Lombardi, HE WAS AN AWFUL PERSONNEL GUY IN THE NFL.

This is exactly how I feel about everything. I want Mike to have 5 full years here with complete control. If anything, we'll come out of it a younger football team with a franchise QB that doesn't have a bunch of players that are headcases. To me, that's actually worst case, which isn't bad considering what we've had before. Best case is Mike recognizes what needs to fixed even within himself and starts putting together wins.

[gortiz]

This is a hell of thread LL …and thanks for sharing your interview with Mike, who I think along with Greg Cosell , is one of the few guys that give it to you straight, with no bells and whistles, cute buzz words, or bias.

I know all types of excuses can be made about the success some teams and their FIRST year coaches have had in a relatively short amount of time (e.g. Harbaugh/Ravens - had Lewis and Reed, Mike Smith/Falcons - they were in bad shape, Harbaugh/49er’s had a bunch of talent and 1st rd. draft pics, Coughlin/Giants, Sparano/Miami - albeit short lived, Morris/Bucs - see Sparano, Parcells/Boys - turn them around, Payton/Saints – Brees vs. McNabb?) but the truth of the matter is all those teams had real bad records before these guys came on, and they turned the damn thing around within a two years, and most within in one.

Mike has totally failed to do that now in year three, and he has had more resources and a much stronger fan base to work with then almost all of those teams.

Now maybe the damage done by Vinnie and Dan goes so deep, that yes the skins were in worst shape then the aforementioned teams, but the thing is, the results are not there and so far, the team is getting worse each year, that is what is scary. The cuppard seems real bare.

Lombardi I think is just as disillusioned as us … why is the line so bad? He’s had three years. How did he miss so badly on McNabb? The Haynesworth thing was a complete circus. Look at how Atlanta handled Robert Edwards…why could he not get the best out of Carlos and Laron or AT LEAST ONE OF THEM?

When you step back and see the forest for the trees, it’s bleak man. Even with RG3.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I keep Brown and Shaffer out of all of those guys... the rest owe me a "why I should keep my job" report by the end of this year.

It is ridiculous that we have 2 pro scouts to cover the 1,600+ players in the NFL. At any given time, our team should have a ranked list of players at every position so that we know where we stand (according to our own metrics) at all times. I'm not sure how 2 scouts could maintain that.