n 2010, the Redskins hired a new head coach named Mike Shanahan. They went 6-10 and finished 4^th in the division. In 2011, Shanahan remained head coach, and they went 5-11, finishing 4^th in the division again. The Redskins got a new running back, a new quarterback, and a new wide receiver in 2012 and went on to sweep their long-time, hated rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, and win the division, finishing 10-6 before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Seattle Seahawks. The following year, Shanahan’s fourth season as head coach of the Redskins, they were swept by every team in their division and went 3-13, finishing 4^th in the division. Then right after the season ended, the Redskins fired Shanahan after 4 seasons and a disappointing 24-40 record

Was this really your best move, Washington?

This move shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Redskins fans. Mike Shanahan received a tremendous amount of criticism last year after the Quarterback Robert Griffin III tore his LCL and ACL in the playoff loss to Seattle but was put in to play by Shanahan. That same injury came back to haunt RG3 this past season, as he did not perform nearly as well as he did in his rookie season. This season, the relationship between the coach and the second-year QB grew very strained, as did Mike Shanahan’s relationship with the Redskins owner Dan Snyder, as they did not see eye-to-eye either. Towards the end of the 2013 Washington Redskins season, Shanahan actually decided to bench RG3 for the remainder of the season to focus on his health. Kirk Cousins filled his spot, and they did not fare any better, losing their final two games to divisional rivals Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

The Redskins aren’t the only ones who have fired their head coach. The Browns let go of their head coach Rob Chudzinski, the Minnesota Vikings gave the pink slip to their head coach Leslie Frazier, the Lions released their head coach Jim Schwartz, the Bucs had their head coach Greg Schiano “walk the plank”, and the Texans actually fired their entire coaching staff after hiring new head coach Bill O’ Brien, all on what was known as “Black Monday.” The following week, the Titans fired their head coach Mike Munchak. However, some coaches have been able to hold onto their jobs, such as Jets’ head coach Rex Ryan and Cowboys’ head coach Jason Garrett, even if for one more year.

Perhaps there is some good may come out from releasing Shanahan. The Redskins can finally decipher what the problem is within their team and hopefully find a solution in time for the next NFL season to begin. After dealing with the insanity for the past four seasons, perhaps the Redskins will have a spectacular off-season to begin a new season. Was this the Washington Redskins’ best move? We shall see.