Redskins: 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan reflects on time in Washington

The Redskins upcoming matchup with the undefeated San Francisco 49ers features a very notable reunion.

Kyle Shanahan’s stint with the Washington Redskins ended rather unceremoniously. After being hired in 2010 with his father, the younger Shanahan spent four seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator. He helped bring about impressive rookie returns from Robert Griffin III in 2012, assisting the Redskins en route to an NFC East championship. Just one year later, however, Washington went 3-13, and Shanahan was fired with the rest of his father’s staff.

Shanahan’s ouster from Washington would not be the end of his young career, however; in fact, it would free him to show his true potential elsewhere, out of the shadow of an ineffective front office structure.

As the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons in 2016, Shanahan engineered historic offensive success with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and company. He was a key cog in the Falcons’ 2016 Super Bowl run, and now, in 2019, two years after being hired as the San Francisco 49ers head coach, he has his team poised as one of the hottest squads in the league.

Naturally, the reunion between Shanahan and the team that fired him in 2013, the team that’s far worse off now in 2019, is a storyline that has been receiving a lot of attention in the lead-up to the Redskins Week 7 bout with San Francisco. Shanahan was asked about his time in Washington in a recent press conference. He wasn’t shy about the negative aspects of the experience.

Shanahan elaborated further when a reporter asked him if the matchup with the Redskins would be personal. Shanahan had this to say in response to that question, per ESPN’s John Keim: “It’s not my first time back [in Washington]. I’ve moved on in my life. It’s easy not to make it personal. The guys that it would be personal with don’t play in the game.”

Shanahan’s sentiments mirror those of many. It can be clearly inferred that the front office generated plenty of friction for Shanahan and his father’s staff, and that has been a common theme this season. Whether it’s the lack of a long-term plan, the lack of a developmental strategy for Dwayne Haskins, or their unwillingness to recognize reality and adapt, Washington’s front office has been the subject of frequent lament, both locally and nationwide. It’s rare that a coach is so open about his disdain for a former employer. But Shanahan knows his comments are no anomaly.

Despite this, Shanahan isn’t interested in joining the chorus; he has a new team that commands his focus, and that team is 5-0, coming off a victory against the NFL’s reigning Super Bowl runner-ups. Shanahan isn’t taking anything personal. But perhaps his comments might fuel those kinds of emotions in the organization he left.