Shanahan is here

A few preliminary thoughts:

- Mike Shanahan is famously authoritarian. There will be no question who is in charge of this team, and I doubt anyone would dare trying to go over his head.

- Presumably Shanahan will implement a full-time zone blocking scheme, and that will obviously have implications for how the offensive line is rebuilt. I have been very critical of Casey Rabach in the game reviews because he simply lacks the strength and bulk to handle linemen. But now, mobility will be at a premium. Rabach is still very good and coming off initial blocks to slip to the second level and take out linebackers. In other words, the new scheme could hide his weakness and maximize his skills.

- The big question now, of course, is about the defense. The names Mike Zimmer, Jim Haslett, and our friend Jerry Gray have all popped up in the media. The good news is that poorly-regarded Bob Slowik, who some feared would be given the DC job, is apparently being looked at for a more junior role. It would appear we may not get an answer on this until Cincinnatti is out of the playoffs, so that Zimmer can have a chance to interview.

Some good links:

- Tandler affirms that the job titles given to Shanahan and Bruce Allen are not merely window dressing, and Dan Snyders really is out of the football decision-making business.

- Hogs Haven is thrilled to have Shanahan's son Kyle as offensive coordinator, and has some solid reasons to back it up.

- Curly R is cautiously optimisitic about the new management set-up. But he also remembers that Dan Snyder has supposedly made the decision to step aside before.

- Read this full article from the Washington Post. It is called, tellingly, "The Rise and Fall of Jim Zorn." I figure Zorn knew he was doomed as soon as he was disinvited from the weekly football discussion lunches with Snyder.