NFL

Washington Redskins and Mike Shanahan have agreed in principal to a five-year, $35 million contract that will make him their head coach and executive VP of football operations. If there was ever any doubt that Shanahan and owner Dan Snyder could co-exist under the same roof, Shanahan put that to rest during Wednesday’s press conference: “I’ve never met a guy more positive and passionate about the Redskins,” Shanahan said. “(Snyder’s) desire to do things the right way gives me every opportunity to be successful,” Shanahan said.

The 57-year-old Shanahan, who is widely considered to be an offensive genius, spent this past year out of Football but was admittedly preparing for a return (FOXSports.com’s John Czarnecki reported about Snyder’s interest in Shanahan long before previous head coach Jim Zorn was fired). Shanahan said he watched “four or five” games every weekend and closely followed NFL news. With public perception something that has always concerned the vain Shanahan, he even studied how players and coaches conducted media interviews for future do’s and don’ts.

Perhaps watching those “four or five” games each weekend paid off in the end as Shanahan has wasted not time building an all-star coaching staff. Kyle Shanahan, Mike’s son, has already been named the new Washington Redskins offensive coordinator and it is being reported that Texans OL coach Alex Gibbs may be on board in the next few days. As for the defense, NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora is reporting that the Redskins are prepared to interview Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer for the same position in Washington should Cincinnati lose Saturday’s Wild Card game. Ex-Rams DC Jim Haslett, who coached the UFL’s Florida Tuskers this past season, is believe to be in the running as well.

Shanahan may be the VP of Football Operations and havefinal say on all Redskins football decisions as he did in Denver but emphasized they would be made jointly with new general manager Bruce Allen rather than in a vacuum. A Super Bowl-winning executive with Tampa Bay Buccaneers and award winning GM with the Oakland Raiders, Allen will serve as the sounding board that Shanahan claims he lacked in Denver.

“Bruce will not agree with me on a lot of things,” Shanahan said. “That’s what I was looking for. Do I have the final say? Maybe you could say that, but together I will never use that because we will work as a team.

With the hiring of Shanahan, one thing is certain: the Redskins will be back in the playoff hunt sooner than later. Even though the team finished with a disappointing 4-12 record, several high-prices free agents and good draft picks litter the team and Shanahan will be looking to take full advantage of the existing personnel.