New Offensive Coordinator: Kyle Shanahan (HOU OC: 2008-2009; HOU QB Coach: 2007; HOU WR Coach: 2006; TB Off. Quality Control: 2004-2005)

Shanahan's offense in Denver ranked in the top-five 9 times in during his 14-year tenure.

Overview
Prior to the start of the 2009 season it was rumored Dan Snyder wanted Mike Shanahan as the next head coach of his Washington Redskins, and sure enough that’s where Shanahan landed this offseason.

Before his dismissal by the Broncos following the 2008 campaign, Shanahan served as Denver’s head coach for 14 years. During that span he led the Broncos to two Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998. In all, he served as a member of the Broncos coaching staff in five Super Bowls, having been defeated in 1986 and 1987 when he worked as their offensive coordinator, and again in 1989 when he was the team’s quarterbacks coach. Shanahan also coached in Super Bowl XXIX as the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator when they defeated the San Diego Chargers 49-26 following the 1994 regular season.

Overall, Shanahan compiled a 138-86 (61.6% winning percentage) regular season record during his 14 years as head coach with the Broncos. He also led them to seven playoff appearances, going 8-5 in the postseason with the two Super Bowl titles amongst his victories. During his final three years with the franchise however, Denver failed to make the playoffs as they finished with records of 9-7, 7-9, and 8-8. This ultimately led to Shanahan’s firing as it marked the first time in his coaching career that his team failed to make the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.

Playoff appearances and Super Bowl titles aside, Shanahan’s Broncos were often noted for their offensive prowess. Within his fourteen seasons as head coach the offense ranked among the top ten in points scored ten times, and among the top five four times. In terms of yardage the offense ranked among the top five within that category on nine separate occasions. When all was said and done, the Broncos ended up leading the NFL in total yards (83,771), rushing yards (30,993), and first downs (4,678), while ranking third in points scored (5,449) during Shanahan’s 14 year tenure with the organization.

Joining Mike Shanahan’s staff in Washington as offensive coordinator is his son, Kyle. Kyle Shanahan has spent the last two seasons working with the Houston Texans under that same title. During their 2008 outing, Kyle’s first as a coordinator, Houston’s offense ranked third in the NFL in terms of yardage. They would go on to rank fourth within that category in 2009. Prior to his two years as a coordinator with the Texans, Kyle served as their quarterbacks coach in 2007 and their wide receivers coach in 2006. He first ventured into the NFL coaching ranks as an offensive quality control coach on Jon Gruden’s staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Quarterbacks: Donovan McNabb; Rex Grossman; Colt Brennan

The Redskins acquired Donovan McNabb for a 2nd-round pick in this year’s draft and a conditional 4th-rounder (which could become a 3rd-round selection) in 2011. With McNabb on board, along with the coaching change that has taken place, there’s reason to expect a productive season from McNabb in his first year with the Redskins.

McNabb should have a strong grasp on the West Coast Offense (WCO) that will be implemented by Mike and Kyle Shanahan after spending eleven years within Andy Reid’s version of the same system. He’s also likely to receive stronger support from the ground game than he had in Philadelphia, as Reid was often criticized for his out of balance pass-to-run ratio while McNabb was under center. Mike Shanahan meanwhile has demonstrated on more than one occasion during his tenure with the Broncos that he favors a run oriented version of the WCO as opposed to the pass heavy variation run by Reid. This should prove beneficial to McNabb.

As in years past, McNabb should still be considered a mid-tiered starter among fantasy quarterbacks. He should be a safe bet to throw for 3300-3500 yards while connecting on anywhere from 20-24 touchdown passes. If the Shanahan’s can alter their offense around McNabb better than Reid and his staff did during “Five’s” tenure with the Eagles it could produce surprising results. It will also go along way should either Malcolm Kelly or Devin Thomas blossom in their third year at wide receiver. Nonetheless, Chris Cooley and Fred Davis will prove to be worthwhile outlets for McNabb.

Running Backs: Clinton Portis; Larry Johnson; Willie Parker; Mike Sellers (FB); Ryan Torain

While McNabb may receive more run support within Shanahan’s version of the West Coast Offense, trying to decipher which of the three running backs atop Washington’s depth chart will prove the most useful throughout the season is a bit of a challenge. Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker have all served as lead backs throughout their careers. In fact, all three went into last season as their teams expected bell cow running back (Portis with the Redskins, Johnson with the Chiefs and Parker with the Steelers) but didn’t meet expectations as their seasons were either derailed by injury, or in the case of Johnson, due to off field issues.

Portis will enter camp as the incumbent starter, and his familiarity with Shanahan’s offense should benefit him (Shanahan coached him in 2002 and 2003), but he’s had a lot of wear and tear put on his body over his last six years with the Redskins and can’t be relied upon like he once was throughout the full course of a year. The same can be said for Larry Johnson who’s had some great outings with the Chiefs, but hasn’t rushed for more than 874 yards in a season since 2006. Willie Parker meanwhile, like Johnson, was added via free agency and signed a 1-year deal that could be worth as much as $3.1 million. He’s said to be in an open competition with Portis for the starting job heading into camp.

By the time Week One rolls around, things in the Redskins backfield should be clarified a bit more as it’s possible one of their top three options will be released by then. At the moment, it’s a toss-up as to who will be the most fantasy relevant with Portis getting a slight edge and Parker as a sleeper should he somehow get the starting nod. Larry Johnson seems unlikely to be used as anything more than a situational back or injury replacement throughout the season.

Wide Receivers: Santana Moss; Malcolm Kelly; Devin Thomas; Roydell Williams; Bobby Wade; Joey Galloway

Amongst the Redskins group of wide receivers, the two players that seem the most noteworthy of monitoring throughout minicamp and the preseason are Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas.

Santana Moss has been around long enough that fantasy owners, along with the Redskins new coaching staff, should know what to make of him. As long as he’s healthy he’ll produce anywhere from 800-1000 yards with 3-5 touchdowns. Kelly and Thomas however are two young players from the 2008 draft entering their third years in the league.

If either can make a meaningful impression on Shanahan early on, they could find themselves contributing immediately as an impact player within the offense. Also working to their advantage will be having a quarterback the caliber of Donovan McNabb throwing to them rather than Jason Campbell. Should Santana Moss show any signs of slowing down, or be hampered with any type of injury it’s possible that both Kelly and Thomas could crack the starting line-up at some point this season.

I wouldn’t grab either player with the expectations of them producing like a number two fantasy receiver, especially with pass catching tight ends like Chris Cooley and Fred Davis around, but at this point in time both warrant consideration as a third or fourth wide receiver that possesses legitimate upside.

Tight Ends: Chris Cooley; Fred Davis; Sean Ryan

When Chris Cooley suffered a season ending ankle injury last season Fred Davis made himself relevant within the offense by catching 48 passes for 509 yards and 6 touchdowns in 10 starts. With Chris Cooley making a healthy return in 2010 however, it’s hard to say how the new coaching staff will manage to utilize both tight ends throughout the season. Kyle Shanahan is on record stating the Redskins will put whatever their best personnel is on the field however, and if that means going with two tight ends and two wide receivers rather than one tight end and three wide-outs so be it.

All in all, Chris Cooley is the Washington tight end that will go first off the board in fantasy drafts and will very likely deliver with a strong season. Fred Davis will be worth a grab in the later rounds however, and could be a decent tight end to use in tandem with another should you fail to land one of the higher ranked players at the position.

Questions or comments are always welcome.