New Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan has directed many drafts in his career, first as coach of the Oakland Raiders, then with the Denver Broncos. He joined The Score in Denver to talk about drafting quarterbacks and how he’s going about rebuilding the Redskins. To listen to the interview, go to Sports Radio Interviews.
Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan says his job is to put quarterback Donovan McNabb in a position to succeed.
When will Denver’s first round quarterback pick, Tim Tebow, be able to start in the NFL?
Shanahan: Oh, I can’t answer that, but I can say is I would never bet against the kid. He’s one of the most enjoyable people I’ve ever been around. You’re talking about a class guy, and almost too good to be true, and then when you meet him, he’s the real deal. What you see is what you get, and I’m a really big fan of his. I think Josh [McDaniels, the Broncos coach] will do, and I don’t want to speak for Josh, but he can run the offense he’s been running very, very well.
It will take him time to adjust to an NFL system, but along the way he can really keep a defense off balance by implementing some of the things he did in college and obviously him learning the system as time goes on.
What are Shanahan’s thoughts on Jimmy Clausen falling out of the first round?
Shanahan: I actually went and worked Jimmy out when we worked out Sam [Bradford] one day, and I got a chance to work out Jimmy the second day. And he had a heck of a workout.
You really don’t know. You really don’t know what people are thinking, especially in the later rounds. Everybody’s got needs.
He’ll go early here in the 2nd round; I know Kansas City won’t pass him up, obviously, with Weis coaching him before. It will be interesting to see what type of future he has, but it really doesn’t matter where you go. You got to take advantage of the opportunity when someone does pick you, and hopefully he’ll take advantage of it.
What does he expect from Donovan McNabb?
Shanahan: I love the older quarterbacks. You get a guy like Donovan McNabb, obviously he’s been there, he’s got credibility, he’s really a class individual, he’s a natural leader, he’s been there during the big games, and now what I’ve got to do is surround him with a supporting cast so that he can just do his job and doesn’t have to worry about the other things.
But I think we’ve got a system that he’ll really enjoy. He’s hungry right now. He’s kind of like me. Anytime that you get fired or lose your job, you’d like to go out and prove to people that you can still coach or still get the job done. So he’s in a situation where he’s fired up, it’s been neat to be away for a year and to come back, be energized and look forward to just getting back to the competition.
Can Shanahan comment on Albert Haynesworth’s status with the Redskins?
Shanahan: I don’t plan on trading him. Rumors came out, but I don’t really spend a lot of time with them. What I would really like to do is evaluate the people that we have. I’m not going to make moves on anybody until I go through mini-camps, I go through the preseason, and see exactly what I got, and see what type of team players they are. I’ll find out in the next couple of months exactly where our players are at, and find out, after probably our first two preseason games, where we’re at relative to our talent. And if you do make any changes then it’s usually through free agents on other teams.
More from SRI
Rolando McClain talks about being drafted by the Oakland Raiders
Mike Tomlin discusses drafting a center in the first round
New Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan has directed many drafts in his career, first as coach of the Oakland Raiders, then with the Denver Broncos. He joined The Score in Denver to talk about drafting quarterbacks and how he’s going about rebuilding the Redskins. To listen to the interview, go to Sports Radio Interviews.
Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan says his job is to put quarterback Donovan McNabb in a position to succeed.
When will Denver’s first round quarterback pick, Tim Tebow, be able to start in the NFL?
Shanahan: Oh, I can’t answer that, but I can say is I would never bet against the kid. He’s one of the most enjoyable people I’ve ever been around. You’re talking about a class guy, and almost too good to be true, and then when you meet him, he’s the real deal. What you see is what you get, and I’m a really big fan of his. I think Josh [McDaniels, the Broncos coach] will do, and I don’t want to speak for Josh, but he can run the offense he’s been running very, very well.
It will take him time to adjust to an NFL system, but along the way he can really keep a defense off balance by implementing some of the things he did in college and obviously him learning the system as time goes on.
What are Shanahan’s thoughts on Jimmy Clausen falling out of the first round?
Shanahan: I actually went and worked Jimmy out when we worked out Sam [Bradford] one day, and I got a chance to work out Jimmy the second day. And he had a heck of a workout.
You really don’t know. You really don’t know what people are thinking, especially in the later rounds. Everybody’s got needs.
He’ll go early here in the 2nd round; I know Kansas City won’t pass him up, obviously, with Weis coaching him before. It will be interesting to see what type of future he has, but it really doesn’t matter where you go. You got to take advantage of the opportunity when someone does pick you, and hopefully he’ll take advantage of it.
What does he expect from Donovan McNabb?
Shanahan: I love the older quarterbacks. You get a guy like Donovan McNabb, obviously he’s been there, he’s got credibility, he’s really a class individual, he’s a natural leader, he’s been there during the big games, and now what I’ve got to do is surround him with a supporting cast so that he can just do his job and doesn’t have to worry about the other things.
But I think we’ve got a system that he’ll really enjoy. He’s hungry right now. He’s kind of like me. Anytime that you get fired or lose your job, you’d like to go out and prove to people that you can still coach or still get the job done. So he’s in a situation where he’s fired up, it’s been neat to be away for a year and to come back, be energized and look forward to just getting back to the competition.
Can Shanahan comment on Albert Haynesworth’s status with the Redskins?
Shanahan: I don’t plan on trading him. Rumors came out, but I don’t really spend a lot of time with them. What I would really like to do is evaluate the people that we have. I’m not going to make moves on anybody until I go through mini-camps, I go through the preseason, and see exactly what I got, and see what type of team players they are. I’ll find out in the next couple of months exactly where our players are at, and find out, after probably our first two preseason games, where we’re at relative to our talent. And if you do make any changes then it’s usually through free agents on other teams.
More from SRI
Rolando McClain talks about being drafted by the Oakland Raiders
Mike Tomlin discusses drafting a center in the first round
