When the Washington Redskins suffered through a 3-13 regular season in 2013, new Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan took a lot of criticism for his play-calling.
But a former NFL quarterback explained to *The Beacon Journal* in Akron that Shanahan is the perfect addition to Mike Pettine's first coaching staff in Cleveland.
"They'll get a guy who I think has done a really, really good job with quarterbacks, with top receivers and also with the running game," Rosenfels, who played for Shanahan from 2006-08 when they were with the Houston Texans, said Monday during a phone interview with The Beacon Journal. "I think he's got a great offensive mind."
According to Rosenfels, Shanahan learned a lot from his time with the Redskins, where he worked with veteran quarterback Donovan McNabb, and a former Heisman Trophy winner, Robert Griffin III, over the last two seasons.
"Washington, I think, has been a great learning experience for Kyle," said Rosenfels, who had his two best seasons under Shanahan and retired in 2013, finishing his 12-year career with a record of 6-6 as a starter, 30 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions. "He dealt with (McNabb), a veteran at the end of his career, and then he dealt with (Griffin), a rookie at the beginning of his career, both superstar-type guys. I'm sure he learned a lot about himself in those situations.
"I had an excellent experience with Kyle. (Texans quarterback) Matt Schaub, I think, would say the same thing. I think there's a lot of things that go into the Washington, D.C., experience from the owner (Dan Snyder) down to Donovan McNabb having a strong personality, RG3 having a strong personality. There's a lot that probably nobody knows about in those situations. All I can really speak of is my experience with Kyle, which was, of course, not perfect, as no coach-player relationship is ever perfect. But I thought I always trusted him, what he was saying, what he was doing and he was always very upfront with me about my play and what was good and what was bad."
Shanahan is known for his aggressive play-calling, as well as an ability to utilize routes that allow receivers and tight ends to get open down the field.
"He's an aggressive play-caller," Rosenfels said. "He likes taking shots. He likes putting the pressure on the defense. He likes playing the holes in the defensive secondary where you can throw the ball down the field. For being a West Coast guy who likes the three-step drops, he likes going play action and bootleg and all that stuff to set up big plays down the field to guys like (Texans standout wide receiver) Andre Johnson and obviously now to (Browns All-Pro wide receiver) Josh Gordon.
"There's not too many times you see a premier receiver become wide open in the NFL, and you saw that consistently with Andre Johnson (during Shanahan's) time in Houston. … He knows how to get a premier receiver like Andre Johnson 100-plus catches a year. I think that's probably one of the main reasons he got hired (by the Browns) is to have that chance to coach up Josh Gordon to have those type of statistics because he's a premier receiver as well."
CELEBRATION SEATTLE-STYLE
The Seattle Seahawks are anticipating a hero's welcome when they head to CenturyLink Field for their Super Bowl parade on Wednesday. And they're expecting so many fans to brave the weather that they have received an assist from Seattle's baseball team, the Mariners.
According to Profootballtalk.com, in addition to CenturyLink Field, Seahawk fans will gather at Safeco Field for the celebration.
WARNING FOR INCIDENT
Seattle gunner Jeremy Lane was covering a punt return when he was tripped up by an unidentified person on the San Francisco sideline in the NFC Championship Game on January 19. The NFL responded to the incident by delivering a warning, but no fine to the 49ers, according to CSNBayArea.com.
A previous incident with the New York Jets resulted in the firing of an assistant coach and a $100,000 fine for the team.
