Mike Shanahan (left) and Bruce Allen (right) at a Redskins practice in 2012.

There seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel for Redskins fans in late 2009 when then-Redskins general manager Vinny Cerrato resigned. Near the conclusion of that season, Washington hired Bruce Allen, son of former Redskins great George Allen, to take over and help turn the tide. Directly after the season ended, the team hired two-time Super Bowl winner Mike Shanahan as head coach.

The way that Allen and Shanahan work together is slightly different than most other teams’ GM-HC duo. In D.C., Allen makes the football decisions, but Shanahan gives input and has the final say (he is also the vice president of football operations). This design helps the team make decisions in the best interest of the team.

With the new front office in place, Washington would play well for many seasons to come, right? Wrong. They needed a quarterback, and the coach and general manager thought they found theirs when the tandem traded for Donovan McNabb. We all know how that worked out: McNabb was benched for the final three games in 2010 in favor of Rex Grossman and was traded to the Minnesota Vikings after the season.

In 2011, Shanahan and Allen did not draft a quarterback, although there was a plethora of talent (i.e. Andy Dalton, Jake Locker). This led to a quarterback competition between Grossman and John Beck. The latter ended up starting 3 games (0-3) while the former started 13 (5-8).

Despite their rocky first two seasons, there were some positives during that time. The duo had drafted well in 2010 and 2011.

2010 produced products such as Trent Williams in the first round, who is evolving into the best offensive tackle in the game, and Perry Riley in the fourth round, who is now a solid starter at inside linebacker.

Washington’s 2011 draft was also solid. First-round pick Ryan Kerrigan has evolved into a Pro-Bowl outside linebacker. Jarvis Jenkins, Leonard Hankerson, Roy Helu, Jr., Niles Paul, and Evan Royster have all contributed to the team in some way over the last two seasons, all products of this draft class.

The 2012 draft was a different story, and not in a bad way. Allen and Shanahan made the difficult decision to mortgage the future to the rights to draft Baylor QB Robert Griffin III. I’d say that decision has already worked out. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall mentioned that he’d give up first-rounders for the next five years to keep Griffin if the team had to. Alfred Morris was a gem in the sixth round, rushing for a franchise-record 1,613 yards.

Of course, RGIII put up perhaps the greatest seasons ever for a rookie quarterback. However, the lasting impression of his coach after the season was the question as to why he did not pull his quarterback from a game despite being hobbled. People tend to forget that Shanahan is probably one of the 20 best coaches of all-time and he does know what he’s doing. That decision should not stick with Shanahan. He and Bruce Allen expect Griffin back for the start of 2013.

The duo turned its attention to free agency and the upcoming draft after the playoff loss to Seattle. After horrendous secondary play in 2012, the team was looking for defensive backs. Shanahan and Allen found three bright prospects in David Amerson (2nd round), Phillip Thomas (4th round), and Baccari Rambo (6th round).

Shanahan and Allen have done an excellent job growing and developing the team through the draft. Core players such as Robert Griffin III, Alfred Morris, Trent Williams, and Ryan Kerrigan were drafted by the tandem. This is where great teams start – at the core, with an excellent front office, and homegrown talent.

Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan have been tremendous during their three seasons with the team, despite a shaky start. I’m just glad that Dan Snyder has been sitting back and letting Allen and Shanahan do the dirty work.

Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren thinks the trade for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft might have come down to the friendship between Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan and St. Louis Rams Coach Jeff Fisher. Mandatory Credit: Jason Miller-US PRESSWIRE

Remember all those little mentions in various media outlets over the past month or so about how the relationship between Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan and new St. Louis Rams Coach Jeff Fisher — who have been good friends since their days as assistants with the San Francisco 49ers in the early ‘90s — could be the key ingredient to a trade involving the Rams’ No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft and the presumptive right to select Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III?

If you were like me, you thought ‘codswallop’ to the notion that a blockbuster trade with monstrous ramifications might actually coalesce the same way middle-school boys choose pickup basketball teams: friends first.

Well, turns out those rumors may not have been all that ridiculous, at least not to Cleveland Browns President Mike Holmgren.

“I’m not going to tell you exactly what we offered, but I will say what we had offered for the pick was every bit the offer that was chosen,” Holmgren told Browns season-ticket holders during a Thursday conference call, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “There are reasons I can’t go into right now why it didn’t happen, but there’s a very close relationship between the people that were involved in getting the deal done, and the people eventually got it done. I’m not sure if any offer we made at the end of the day was going to be quite good enough.”

Also, in addition to the rapport between Shanahan and Fisher, it appears Redskins General Manager Bruce Allen and Rams executive Kevin Demoff are pals, too.

Now, several reports indicate that the Skins were first to ante up a second-round pick in addition to the three first-round selections, but Holmgren suggested the Browns actually matched  Washington’s offer.

“Most of the stories that I have seen, quite honestly all the stories that I have seen, were incorrect,” he said.

I find it hard to believe that had the Browns offered three first-round picks and a second-round selection that St. Louis would have told them no. With Cleveland’s No. 4 overall selection in the upcoming draft, the Rams could have guaranteed themselves a shot at either of the top-rated prospects at their two positions of greatest need — USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil or Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon.

But if we are to take Holmgren at his word, then this trade really did come down to an agreement betwixt friends, one that could be paying dividends in D.C. for the next decade.

Holmgren shouldn’t worry too much, though. If the state of Cleveland’s roster is any indication, his team may earn the right to draft whichever player it wants in the 2013 NFL Draft.

You can follow Riggo’s Rag (@RiggosRag) and me (@NewmanReport) on twitter.

Nov 30, 2008; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins former head coach Joe Gibbs (right) and owner Dan Snyder (left) before the game against the New York Giants at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-US PRESSWIRE

Daniel M. Snyder was born in Silver Spring, Maryland on November 23, 1965. Snyder is a University of Maryland dropout, a financial guru and until about a year or so ago, one of the most hated owners by his fans. Snyder has been the Owner and President of the Washington Redskins since 1999 when he purchased the team after Jack Kent Cooke passed away.

Since then?

The Redskins have managed a 91-117 record and Dan Snyder has managed to get on almost every Redskins fan’s bad side by charging to see training camp in Ashburn, Virginia (and to park at camp), hiring and not firing Vinny Cerrato fast enough, raising ticket prices and even suing fans that couldn’t afford to pay for their season tickets during an economic downturn. Snyder has also recently sued the Washington City Paper for libel after a post, which is a must-read for all Redskins fans (and has been used in the creation of this article), was written by Dave McKenna entitled “The Cranky Redskins Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder”. In his post, McKenna details everything that Mr. Snyder has done to piss off perturb Redskins fans over his years as owner. You may also remember hearing about a photograph that was altered to make Snyder look like the devil (featured with McKenna’s article). That suit was dropped on September 10, 2011 by Snyder and his legal team. Many fans probably believed that the tide was turning back in April of 2010 when the Redskins brought in Mike Shanahan. A million interceptions, 21 losses, one washed up quarterback and one Haynesworthless player later, not much had changed up until April 27th, 2011.

Mike Shanahan began to work his draft magic along with Bruce Allen in the 2011 NFL Draft thanks to Daniel Snyder’s hands-off approach and the team being satisfied with Rex Grossman or John Beck starting at quarterback. Washington traded down to pick sixteen and grabbed an immediate starter on defense in Ryan Kerrigan, they shuffled all around the board and ended up with 12 draft picks- most of which are still with the team today. The “they’re doing it the right way” comments began to circulate and Danny finally regained a little favor. Much like a presidential approval rating jumping from 10% to 25%; it was something. But alas, the Redskins tanked the season again having a “Beckman” combo at quarterback, albeit with a much-improved defense. We all knew that Snyder had the money and the will to make a big splash, but his latest move may have finally turned the tide.

Dec 3, 2011; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) drops back to pass against the Texas Longhorns during the game at Floyd Casey Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

As reported by ESPN.com three days ago, the Redskins and Rams agreed to a trade (in principle) to exchange 2012 first-round picks and send the Redskins’ first-rounders in 2013 and 2014 to St. Louis. Oh, the ‘Skins also threw in this year’s second-round pick as well. The Redskins and Snyder finally decided to get their man, Robert Griffin III. Well, technically whoever is left after the Colts select first, which could lead to Andrew Luck. Either way the Redskins gained instant credibility in the free agent market and people began renewing their season tickets almost instantaniously. Grant Paulsen of 106.7 WJFK “The Fan” jumped on the radio waves at about 11pm after the announcement and stayed live, on-air, taking calls for six hours. There was an air of excitement and hope not felt since Sean Taylor took back a fumble recovery against Tampa Bay to seal the Redskins’ first playoff victory since 1999. Snyder, Allen, and Shanahan were applauded by most for their guts in making the tough (and ultimately right) decision to go for a “franchise quarterback” in the 2012 draft.

But wait, there’s more. Now according to SI.com, the NFL is allegedly going to hand out penalties to teams that front-loaded contracts into the 2010 cap year so they could clear space for the capped seasons to come. This pits the NFL against the Washington Redskins. The Redskins were rumored to have been penalized $36 million in cap money; the Dallas Cowboys ($10 million) were also supposedly hit. Redskins fans immediately took to social media and the talk-back lines on many radio stations wondering how this could be and more importantly, could the Redskins fight back? Allen issued a statement late Monday proclaiming that he knew nothing of any sanctions or penalties and that he is “looking forward to free agency”; with this, the stage has been set. It appears as though fans are standing behind their owner and coach instead of across the picket line complaining about parking prices, how much a souvenir cup costs and why we can’t score a touchdown in the redzone.

Many issues still remain, but Snyder seems to be regaining favor in the eyes of fans. The only way to verify such a claim is with, you guessed it, a poll. Let’s hear it Redskins nation.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Results of your votes will be displayed in a “State of the Redskins” address in April after the NFL Draft. For more Redskins news and notes you can follow the blog (@RiggosRag) and me (@KMawyer2) on twitter.