Sports

Ex-Skins Coach Mike Shanahan Discusses RG3, Snyder on Radio

Published

10 years ago

February 19, 2015

In this Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014 file photo, Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) passes the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Landover, Md. Former Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan says things went downhill for him in Washington because Robert Griffin III and team owner Dan Snyder both wanted the quarterback to become a dropback passer, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015. (AP Photo/Richard Lipski, File)

HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Pro Football Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thought the dysfunction among former Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan, quarterback Robert Griffin III and team owner Dan Snyder was a topic of the past? Think again.

Shanahan was interviewed on D.C. radio station ESPN980’s “The Sports Fix” show for more than an hour Wednesday, dishing mostly about Griffin and Snyder — and what the coach called both men’s desire for RG3 to become a dropback passer — but also about Donovan McNabb, Albert Haynesworth and other topics.

In Shanahan’s telling, a disagreement over the direction the team’s offense would take — and whether Griffin was ready to be a classic pocket QB — led to the breakdown of their working relationship.

“I knew my time was short-lived with that type of mindset,” said Shanahan, who was fired after the 2013 season, with a year left on his contract.

Griffin was the 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he tore up his knee in a playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks. According to Shanahan, two days after that season’s Super Bowl, Griffin met with him and described “what plays were acceptable and unacceptable.”

“That term ‘unacceptable’ is used by Dan, the owner, quite often, so I (had) a little bit of a smile when I heard some of these complaints. The bottom line is he wanted to throw more, run less. … He wanted to be more of a dropback, Aaron Rodgers-type guy,” said Shanahan, who coached the Denver Broncos to two Super Bowl titles in the 1990s with John Elway at QB.

“I went and talked to Dan. I said, ‘Hey, Dan … for a quarterback to come to me, a veteran coach, and share these things, No. 1, he can’t be the sharpest guy, to do something like that, or he’s got to … feel very good about the owner backing him up. And since you have been telling me from Day 1 he’s a dropback quarterback … this is an extension of you,'” Shanahan continued. “He said it wasn’t.”

Shanahan wound up benching Griffin at the end of the 2013 season. Griffin also lost his starting job last season under Shanahan’s successor as Washington’s head coach, Jay Gruden.

Shanahan spoke on the radio at about the same time Wednesday that Gruden was declaring at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis that Griffin will head into next season as the Redskins’ starting quarterback.

Griffin did not immediately respond to a request for reaction to Shanahan’s interview; a Redskins spokesman said Snyder wouldn’t comment.

Among other subjects touched on by Shanahan:

— After Griffin hurt his knee in the first half of the playoff game against the Seahawks: “Both the doctor and Robert said he was perfectly fine.” Griffin stayed in until wrenching the knee again and needing offseason surgery.

— When Peyton Manning was a free agent before eventually joining the Broncos, “We were talking to Peyton at that time. That was a strong consideration.”

— If the Redskins’ salary-cap penalties had been announced sooner, the team probably would not have made the trade to acquire Griffin.

— His evaluation of Griffin coming out of college as a Heisman Trophy winner: “Loved his arm strength. He had velocity. He had spin on the ball. You could tell how competitive a guy he was.”

— The unprecedented trade with the St. Louis Rams that allowed Washington to draft Griffin with the No. 2 overall pick: “I did not feel good about giving up two No. 1s and a No. 2.”

— The deal that brought McNabb over from NFC East rival Philadelphia: Team official Bruce Allen “orchestrated the trade” and Snyder “was the guy who really wanted Donovan the most.”

___

Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

___

Online:

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

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WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries Kick Off Season with Community Programs in Oakland

“The Golden State Valkyries are more than a team—they’re a movement,” said Oakland Interim-Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Their touchdown in Oakland marks a new era of opportunity, inspiration, and equity in sports. This partnership reflects our city’s deep commitment to uplifting women, investing in youth, and building a community where every dream has a place to grow. We’re proud to welcome the Valkyries to The Town.”

Published

6 days ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

The Valkyries came to Oakland City Hall with a “Hoopbus.” Present were (from left to right): City Councilmembers Noel Gallo, Rebecca Kaplan, Zac Unger and Rowena Brown; Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, Valkyries President Jess Smith, a Valkyries team representative and Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones. Photo courtesy Rebecca Kaplan’s office.

Team installs new nets at playgrounds, holds flag-raisings at City Halls in Oakland and S.F.

Special to The Post

The Golden State Valkyries brought the excitement of their inaugural season to every corner of the Bay Area with a full slate of community celebrations leading up to their historic home-opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Friday.

The week featured flag-raising ceremonies at city halls in Oakland and San Francisco, three “Violet Net” installation days at Oakland parks to encourage basketball play, fun “Hoopbus” takeovers at multiple schools presented by Kaiser Permanente, and player appearances.

In total, 90 violet nets were installed on 45 basketball courts across 34 public parks throughout Oakland this week. A list of the parks receiving violet nets can be found at Valkyries.com.

About the Golden State Valkyries

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA affiliate of the seven-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, were announced as the 13th WNBA franchise on Oct. 5, 2023. According to Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering – flying through air and sea alike.

This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. Tipping off during the 2025 WNBA season, the team is headquartered in Oakland and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco. For Golden State Valkyries’ assets, including team logos, visit valkyries.com.

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McClymonds High Names School Gym for Star Graduate, Basketball Legend Bill Russell

William “Bill” Felton Russell was born on Feb. 12, 1934, and died on July 31, 2022. He achieved fame as a U.S. professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. He was the centerpiece of the Celtics dynasty that won 11 NBA championships during his 13-year career.

Published

3 months ago

February 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Bill Russell and Brian McGhee in McClymonds High School Gym, 2011. Photo courtesy of Brian McGhee.

By Ken Epstein

West Oakland’s McClymonds High School, “the School of Champions,” this week named the school’s gymnasium in honor of one of its most famous graduates, basketball legend Bill Russell (class of ’52).

Russell is widely known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In 2011, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civil honor, from President Barack Obama for Russell’s contributions to basketball and the Civil Rights Movement.

The McClymonds’ naming ceremony was held on Wednesday, the same day as Russell’s birthday. Oakland leader Bill Patterson, a longtime friend of Russell’s, was scheduled to cut the ribbon at the reopening of the gym, which had been closed for several months for renovation. Russell’s daughter Karen was scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting.

Russell’s name and signature are now printed on the gymnasium floor.

Patterson was working at DeFremery Park when he met Russell. “I befriended him as a boy and during his years at University of San Francisco” said Patterson. “We stayed friends for the rest of his life.”

Said McClymonds Principal Darielle Davis, herself a McClymonds graduate, “We are excited to honor Bill Russell for his sports accolades and because he broke color barriers. He is part of our legacy, and legacy is really important at McClymonds.”

Brian McGhee, community schools manager at McClymonds and former football player at UC Berkeley, said that Russell meant a lot to him and others at the school. “He was a beacon of light and hope for West Oakland,” he said. “He did a lot for sports and for civil rights.”

Starting in 2018, Ben “Coach” Tapscott worked with Patterson and other McClymonds grads, community members, and former coaches to encourage the Oakland Board of Education to endorse the naming of the school gym, which finally happened recently.

“We worked hard to make this happen,” said Tapscott. “He’s an important part of McClymond’s history, along with a lot of other famous graduates,” he said.

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OPINION: Politics, Football and Identity in Trump’s America

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

Published

3 months ago

February 17, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Emil Guillermo

Two Filipino American stories made headlines recently.

First, Nikko Remigio, the Filipino and African American kick returner for the Kansas City Chiefs, did not win Super Bowl LIX.

The other, Alameda’s Rob Bonta said no to running for governor. I don’t blame him. It’s not like a mass of people wanted him to run.

But I did.

Whenever there is a Filipino American in a place you don’t expect, I’m rooting for that person.

As California’s Attorney General, Bonta is probably the most active defender among Blue States pushing back against Trump’s Extreme-Right agenda.

I’d like to Bonta run for California’s top job, but he’s better off waiting in line. The Democrats need a spot for Kamala Harris, and Bonta not running obliges the hierarchy.

History can wait. Bonta’s just 52.

Harris has held off speculation of her next move, saying she just moved back to the state. But it seems governor is the path for her.

For now, Bonta needs to continue taking the fight to Trump in the courts.

Football and Identity Politics

My dad, whose birthday would have been Super Bowl weekend, came to the US in 1928 as a colonized Filipino, an “American National,” where he couldn’t be a citizen, vote, own property or even marry the person he wanted.

Not if they were White.

Still, he believed in America. He never gave up.

Sort of like Nikko Remigio.

My dad would have loved Nikko.

If you haven’t noticed, all Americans are engaged in an even bigger game that means so much more than the Super Bowl. Our democracy is falling apart.

You want to get passionate about Eagles and Chiefs?

Let’s be passionate about our Founding Fathers, too.

Nikko didn’t change the game. He touched it three times and provided more yards than all of KC’s running backs.

That’s all I needed to see.

He’s our Filipino guy.

Detractors may call it “identity politics.”

People don’t seem to understand the fight for visibility. To be recognized. To be seen. It’s all wrapped up in the big idea of Civil Rights.

I was nowhere near as good as Nikko when I played. But when you are blessed to play football, you play your hardest.

For me, that was when I was 12 and 13 playing Pop Warner football in San Francisco. I was MVP for my team as a running back.

But I was ashamed of my dad. He wasn’t like the other dads. And I remember going to the team banquet to retrieve my trophy alone.

I didn’t realize it probably meant more to him than I thought.

I wish I had shared my MVP moment with him like Nikko shared his joy with his dad, Mark, born in Seattle to two Filipino immigrants, and his mom, whose mixture of Black and White made Nikko the picture of diversity.

Filipino American and Black and White at the Super Bowl.

But don’t forget, there is one game bigger.

The Super Bowl for Democracy. We’re battling for it every day Trump pushes a cockamamie idea that shakes the foundation of our Democracy.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist and commentator. Watch his micro-talk show “Emil Amok’s Takeout/What Does an Asian American Think?” on www.YouTube.com/emilamok1 Or join him on http://www.patreon.com/emilamok