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.

No player in recent memory has contributed as much heart and as much earnest devotion to this team, down after down, quite like London Fletcher.  Fletch has anchored this defense for the past few seasons and has done so without fail.

He’s a ball-hawking, field general of a middle linebacker that does on sheer strength of will what younger, bigger and faster players at his position struggle to accomplish.

He’s simply one of the greatest Redskins of the past decade and then some.

The clock, however, always wins.  Despite a much deserved appearance in the Pro Bowl this year, there is no ignoring the fact that London Fletcher is 36 years old and for all the checks Dan Snyder can cash, no dollar amount is large enough to coax the clock into slowing down.

That said, the Redskins should start looking to the future and who they can add to the middle of their defensive unit to solidify what is already a young, explosive group featuring Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan.

If we’re talking about the draft – and I am – here are a few names that stand out:

Najee Goode, 6’0″ 245, West Virginia: I’m sort of a homer. Actually, I’m a huge homer; I love my Mountaineers. Still, there’s no denying Goode’s productivity in Morgantown over the past few years. Goode played at every linebacker spot in West Virginia’s 3-3-5 stack and proved he’s as versatile as he is ferocious at the point of attack.

He’s not towering at 6’0″ but he has great strength and better-than-expected speed. His grasp of the game and his ability to move around at the linebacker position would make him ideal to come in and get groomed to take over once Fletcher takes his final bow. Even better, he’s not projected until the late rounds, so he could be a steal just like current Redskin and former Mountaineer star Chris Neild.

Vontaze Burfict, 6’3″ 250, Arizona State: Burfict is a big time name that we would go after only if we were willing to give up any hope of making a play for Robert Griffin III.

…(crickets)….

Not that it’s likely we would do that, but Vontaze Burfict is a dominant athlete who owns the middle of the field and was widely regarded as one of the best defensive players in the Pac 12. While his 2011 season was a bit quiet in comparison to his performance in 2010, Burfict has the skill set that, under the correct tutelage, would allow him to excel tremendously in Jim Haslett’s scheme.

Tank Carder, 6’3″ 237, TCU: Most people remember Carder from the Horned Frog’s rose bowl win two years ago. The same player showed up in the second half of 2011 but was a little quiet for the first stretch of the season.

Still, Carder is a tough kid who loves contact and can play with range. He’s somewhat slight right now to be coming into the league as an inside linebacker but therein lies the beauty of NFL weight training programs.

If Carder can stack on some weight, he could potentially excel in a 3-4 scheme where his size and athleticism would make him a run stop machine. He would be a great addition to plug into the Kerrigan/Orakpo dynamic and a terrific understudy to one of the best veteran defensive players in the business.

I’m not Walter football so I won’t give an in depth draft analysis for each linebacker in the 2012 draft class. I’ll let you fine people comb through the draft boards at your leisure. These three stand out to me, though, as potential heirs to the Fletcher mantle.

London Fletcher hasn’t said he’s done yet and the Redskins’ ownership has stated its interest in bringing him back. But you can’t put a price on being proactive and it’s hard to expect Fletcher doing this for more than another year or two.

That said, whoever the Redskins choose to pick up London Fletcher’s mantle should be forewarned. It’s a role that Fletcher redefined in DC and it’s measured not by sheer athleticism or premature hype but heart. Light years of heart.

The Redskins will win because Good Rex is coming out to play. After a nice thanksgiving dinner, Rex Grossman will look to get the job done in Seattle. With the O-line looking better, Rex will have more time to find his improving receiving core. The go-to guys must run precise routs so Bad Rex won’t emerge and raise his completion percentage to other teams.

The Redskins will win because Santana Moss is back and will make plays in his return. After being side- lined for the past month, Moss will be out for revenge and will take out his anger on the Seahawks secondary. The chain moving veteran is back and the team is happier than ever, and the rest of the receivers are starting to click as well. (more…)