The latest out of the NFC East..
- In a conversation with Chick Hernandez of CSNWashington.com, Redskins GM Bruce Allen said he didn’t fire Mike Shanahan as coach sooner because he wanted to give him a chance to change his mind with wins over the Cowboys and the Giants. “We wanted Mike to have an opportunity to rectify the ship and sail it in the right direction and get a win against the division teams,” Allen said. “It didn’t happen. And that left us really with no choice. …He understood it. It was the right thing for this football team at that point.”
- Before today’s announcement that Bill Callahan would be retained as Cowboys offensive coordinator, Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com argued that rather than creating potential distraction, the club should let Callahan out of his contract if he wants to take a job where he’ll be happier. Callahan was also linked to the Browns’ OC job.
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Mike Jones of the Washington Post what the Redskins‘ gameplan will be in free agency. Upgrading the secondary, Jones writes, figures to be high on their list. Some of the top defensive backs expected to be available are cornerbacks Aqib Talib and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Bills safety Jairus Byrd, and Browns safety T.J. Ward.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.