Kyle shanahan on the skins qbs he had

[skinsdad62]

• ohn Keim, ESPN Staff Writer

My colleague in Atlanta, Vaughn McClure, had a terrific interview with formerWashington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, whom I always found insightful. Sure enough, when talking about the quarterbacks he’s coached, Shanahan was revealing. And when it came to four Redskins quarterbacks he coached, Shanahan was really good. Here it is, along with a nugget from myself on each player. You can read the entire interview here.

Donovan McNabb: "Donovan had an extremely big arm. He could throw the ball down the field far. You had to protect more and make sure those edges weren't short, but there was no receiver who was too deep for him. He let it go, and that was fun to toy around with, because he made some big plays."

Robert Griffin III: "Robert as a rookie, he was the first time I had to deal with a guy from a different system. He played in a system, with the zone read, that was just different football than in the NFL. I knew he was going to be our guy, so I spent a lot of time really studying and trying to put together an offense that fit him but still fit into our system. That was really fun for me. It was tough at first because I was studying stuff that I wasn't always that into. We got like a 200-play cut-up of every zone-read clip that Cam Newton had, (Tim) Tebow had. We went back to a few that Vince Young had. Even a guy like Tyler Thigpen, who did a few in Kansas City. Then I tried to develop how we could do it. We did it all out of the pistol so we could run the rest of our offense. It was fun to put something together that made sense, but we weren't totally sure if it would work. Once we went through that season, it did work. ... It was a very fun year, and Robert was very good at it. He was uniquely fast and had a big arm. He had world-class speed. The zone read was a track race to the sideline, so it made him special at it."

My take: Griffin’s 2012 season was as fun as any I’ve covered on this beat, because of what he did and because of the offense they ran. Every week when I re-watched the games I’d see something new or different by a defense -- or subtle adjustments by the Redskins in the zone read, whether the run or pass game. The pass game was explosive, especially off zone-read fakes or stretch zone play-action passes. And that win against Dallas on Thanksgiving was phenomenal; you knew you were watching a special athlete have a special day. I still shake my head on occasion as to where he's at in his career.

Kirk Cousins: "Kirk's one of the sharper guys I've been around. He processes things so fast. He lets it rip. He's as tough as can be. Like what I said about Rex, he'll hang in there and doesn't flinch. Kirk has a chance to be a great quarterback some day."

My take: I’ve written this before, but he still has strong supporters in the organization. Cousins is not a game-manager and never will be. As a rookie he took some chances with passes in preseason games that coaches warned him about; they were completed but they revealed his mindset, and it’s why he will throw some interceptions. It’s funny that Shanahan compared him a little to Grossman because before the 2012 draft, I remember talking to a scout who did the same.

the last one is what sticks out to me about KC . perhaps we as fans need to accept that he will throw picks but hope that his good plays out weigh the bad ones

 

[Sharkinva]

If you throw 45 TDs and 30 picks, but your team finishes 12-4 and in the hunt for the Super Bowl, NO one cares.

If you throw 30 TDs and 20 INTs but your team finishes 4-12... its obviously all the Qbs fault.

we went 18 and 18 last year... IM just saying

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Kyle was and continues to be an excellent OC IMO. I believe he'll shine with Matt this year and probably get the best out of his zone blocking scheme even with Polumbus and Chester.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I'm still pissed at all the clowns I heard on the radio claiming Kyle was an idiot and only employed because of his dad. I hope Atlanta rips it up this year although with that OL I have my doubts.

 

[BeaReylo]

Kyle was and continues to be an excellent OC IMO. I believe he'll shine with Matt this year and probably get the best out of his zone blocking scheme even with Polumbus and Chester.

I agree with that. Plus Polumbus and Chester are better suited for zone blocking than power. And from what I have read Polumbus was played out of position. Either way I wish all three the best of luck, except when they play Wash LOL.