Mike Shanahan is doing what was always considered impossible — make Daniel Snyder a sympathetic character.
And here you thought the Rex Ryan Jets were a circus.
Gang Green’s antics in recent years pale in comparison to what is currently engulfing the Redskins thanks to their 61-year-old coach, who appears so eager to force Snyder to fire him, he is willing to torch his reputation and any future job prospects to make it happen.
Shanahan’s extended press conference Wednesday to announce he was inexplicably shutting down Robert Griffin III for the final three games of the 3-10 Redskins’ lost season was as jaw-dropping as you will ever hear from an NFL head coach — Ryan included.
As well as making the laughable claim he never talks to reporters off the record, Shanahan ridiculed Snyder’s football knowledge, denied responsibility for basically anything bad that has happened in his four years in D.C. and essentially did everything he could to get the ax short of declaring the Redskins’ nickname racist.
“What I’m trying to do is be as honest as I can, and I don’t normally do that,” Shanahan said.
Well, as long as we’re all being honest here, Shanahan is living down to his reputation around the NFL as a conniving backstabber, one who prizes the $7 million left on his contract more than he does his coaching reputation, his son’s coaching prospects or anything that happens to the roster he alone created.
That’s the only logical explanation, because Shanahan — no matter how huge his ego — has to know he isn’t getting another head coaching job now that he has gone after his current boss so publicly.
“Dan [couldn’t] care less about the other positions,” Shanahan said Wednesday when explaining why quarterback was the only position the coach discusses with Snyder.
What other owner or college athletic director is going to risk being mocked like that?
None, which was apparent even before Wednesday’s epic press conference.
There was speculation Shanahan wanted out because he had his eyes on the Texans’ coaching job (and would take offensive coordinator son Kyle Shanahan with him), but Houston owner Robert McNair was so horrified by Shanahan’s recent antics, he made it known immediately he wasn’t interested.
Snyder so far is calling Shanahan’s bluff, but you have to wonder how much more of this the owner can take.
RGIII’s benching for the rest of the season looks spiteful, too. Shanahan claims it is to protect Griffin’s health, but where was the coach’s concern during the fateful playoff loss to Seattle last January or in allowing Griffin to rush his knee rehab in time to start Week 1?
The switch to Kirk Cousins could also come back and bite the Redskins, courtesy of Shanahan. They could probably get a second- or third-round pick for Cousins at the moment, but a poor showing behind Washington’s awful offensive line in the final, meaningless three games could kill his trade value.
Not that Shanahan seems to care about any of that. He’s much more interested in goading and humiliating Snyder, who — let’s face it — is an easy target.
Snyder is indeed a candidate for the worst owner in pro sports. But Snyder’s only crime in this case was turning over his beloved franchise to a two-time Super Bowl winning coach that turned out to be a schemer.