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Sports

Redskins dismiss Shanahan

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Ashburn, VA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Washington Redskins have fired head coach Mike Shanahan after four seasons.

The Redskins were a disastrous 3-13 this year, closing the campaign with eight straight losses, following a surprising NFC East title in 2012. Shanahan's tenure in Washington ended with a mark of just 24-40.

"Redskins fans deserve a better result," said Redskins owner Daniel Snyder in a statement Monday. "We thank Mike for his efforts on behalf of the Redskins. We will focus on what it takes to build a winning team, and my pledge to this organization and to this community is to continue to commit the resources and talent necessary to put this team back in the playoffs."

Three of Shanahan's four years in the nation's capital ended with losing seasons. After records of 6-10 and 5-11 in Shanahan's first two years, the Redskins turned it around behind rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III in 2012.

The Redskins won their final seven games of the 2012 campaign to finish 10-6, beating the Dallas Cowboys on the final night to win the NFC East. Washington fell to Seattle in the wild card round of the playoffs and Griffin suffered a devastating knee injury in that game, starting a downward spiral for coach, player and owner.

Griffin's rehab through the summer and training camp was the biggest story heading into 2013 for the Redskins, who opened the year with three straight losses and never got untracked.

There was a reported rift between Shanahan and Griffin, whose health was always a question throughout the year. Shanahan and the organization decided to shut down the quarterback with three games remaining in the season.

"It's always tough to have depth, and that's what I thought really hurt us this year was depth on the special teams and depth on the defense," said Shanahan in a brief statement with the media on Monday. "We didn't have the speed we had a year ago.

"But the thing I feel good about... is the problems with the (salary) cap are over with. I believe (the team) is better off today than four years ago."

Shanahan, who had one-year remaining on his five-year contract, previously served as head coach of the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Raiders. He led Denver to a record of 138-86 with a pair of Super Bowl titles during his tenure with the club from 1995-2008 and was 8-12 in a brief stint with the Raiders in 1988 and '89.