It is easy to get excited about new QB Donovan McNabb if you are a Washington Redskins fan, but the bigger move by the team in the offseason was bringing in head coach Mike Shanahan and GM Bruce Allen to restructure the organization from the bottom up. Shanahan brings a winning attitude as a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos to the favored Redskins (-3) against the Buffalo Bills in their opener on Friday and owns one of the most impressive preseason records of any active coach at 41-19.
The Bills made a much smaller splash in hiring new head coach Chan Gailey, who was fired as offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs around this time last preseason. Gailey did not coach during the regular season and owns a somewhat impressive head coaching record at 18-14, including two playoff appearances when he was with the Dallas Cowboys in 1998-99.
Both Shanahan and Gailey have a lot of work to do with their new teams, although the Redskins definitely have more talent at this point. McNabb will not have DeSean Jackson with him in Washington, but he will have another speedster in WR Santana Moss along with promising youngsters Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas.
Shanahan is reunited with RB Clinton Portis, who he traded to the Redskins for CB Champ Bailey six years ago. Portis has never topped his two years in Denver, when he rushed for a combined 3,099 yards and totaled 31 touchdowns. He has suffered through numerous injuries, most recently aggravating his groin in practice on Tuesday. Portis faces a crowded backfield of others waiting for the opportunity to play, including veterans Larry Johnson and Willie Parker.
The biggest asset Shanahan brings to the table in Washington is that he is not afraid to shake things up with veteran players who are making big money, so Portis will need to earn his starting spot this year. We have already seen that Shanahan does not mess around with such situations if a player does not perform, as you need not look any further than how he has handled DT Albert Haynesworth in training camp so far.
Meanwhile, Gailey has tabbed Trent Edwards as the starting QB for the Bills and hopes rookie RB C.J. Spiller can get into playing shape fast after missing the first eight days of training camp before signing his first contract with the team. Buffalo ranked 30th in total offense a year ago, which is one of the main reasons they brought in an offensive-minded coach in Gailey to replace Dick Jauron.
That’s also why they drafted Spiller, who is expected to be the cornerstore to the new offensive scheme employed by Gailey, giving the Bills their most explosive running back since Thurman Thomas. He should be very active against the Redskins and will handle a variety of duties, including returning punts.
Edwards will need some more help though in the form of receivers not named Lee Evans, who has been a mainstay in the offense since his rookie season six years ago. Evans has never missed a game in his career for Buffalo and is coming off a career-low 44 catches as he deferred to Terrell Owens. He will no doubt get more looks again with Owens gone but needs a second option to step up from a group that includes James Hardy, Chad Jackson and Steve Johnson.
One key loss worth mentioning for the Bills is former LB Aaron Schobel, who ranks #2 all-time on the team in sacks with 78 and was released last week so he could pursue other options. Schobel was the defensive leader for Buffalo, and last year’s first-round pick Aaron Maybin now gets the opportunity to step in and start in the new 3-4 system under defensive coordinator George Edwards.
