TUESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2010 BASEBALL
Pitching mechanics are under scrutiny
nationals from D1
als played down the severity of his ailment. (“I hesitate to even call it an injury,” Manager Jim Riggleman said.) Strasburg said the soreness in his shoulder dis- appeared two days after he was unable to make his start. Nationals pitching coordina-
tor Spin Williams called Stras- burg’s ailment a “100-inning tired arm” that is “typical” of most players in their first year out of college. The only thing atypical, Williams said, is Stras- burg’s circumstances: Rather than anonymously being shut down for a week in the minors like dozens of first-year hurlers, his scratched start and subse- quent recovery was covered ex- haustively. “You’ll see a strong Strasburg
come out in his next start,” Wil- liams said. “He’ll pitch as good or better as he did before he felt this.”
But if Strasburg experiences
the inflammation again, it would be cause for alarm. Stras- burg also fought inflammation once in college, and if it surfaces again, it would lend credence to the possibility that his soreness lies in his motion. “The real concern is what I
callanupside-downarmaction,” White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said on MLB Network RadioonSIRIUSXMafter Stras- burg went on the disabled list. “I amnot wishing this guy bad, but for him to be having problems right now when they are really, really watching him, what are they going to see when they are trying to get 220 innings from him? He does something with hisarmaction that is difficult, in my mind, to pitch a whole lot of innings on.” Cooper told the radio show
that Strasburg’s arm action re- minded him of KerryWood and Mark Prior, two young flame- throwers whose arms blew out after overwhelming career starts. After Cooper made the comments, McCatty contacted Cooper and chatted about Stras- burg’s delivery. During the Nationals’ latest
road trip,McCatty held court in the clubhouse on the subject of Strasburg’s long-term health. McCatty’s conclusions: He is aware of the conversation about Strasburg’s arm motion. He
KLMNO
EZ
SU PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL SALLY JENKINS Kyle Shanahan’s age is just a number jenkins from D1
Texans: the youngest coordinator in the league, he directed the league’sNo. 4 offense, scanning fields and tearing up defenses with a play-calling ability that seemed almost computer-like. WhenMike Shanahan sat
down to create a playbook for the Redskins, it was Kyle who showed him things about the passing game. Mike’s signature in winning
JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST
“Hemay throw like that for 20 years,” pitching coach Steve McCatty says of Stephen Strasburg. “Hemay have a problem.”
doesn’t necessarily think Cooper is wrong. And he’s not changing Strasburg. “He’s throwing 100 miles an
hour; he’s got a great curveball and a great change-up,”McCatty said. “ ‘Sorry, Stephen. Just in case you may get hurt, we’re going to change you.’ Now, there’s certain things everybody could do different. I wish I was smart enough to say that.” At one point, McCatty ex-
plained the motion Cooper was talking about. “I know the arm up, one up, one down. I haven’t seen Prior a whole lot, but I know he was like that.” As McCatty spoke, Strasburg
walked behind McCatty and overheard the topic of conversa- tion. He glanced back at his pitching coach. “Don’t listen to that” non-
sense, Strasburg said. At least one expert would
concur with Strasburg. Dick Mills is a former Boston Red Sox starting pitcher who writes books and produces videos about proper pitching mechan- ics.
Mills relies heavily on sports
science and extensive video analysis. The first time he watched Strasburg throw, he worried. But “instead of shooting my
mouth off,” Mills said, he con- sulted two kinesiologists and two biomechanists who were not familiar with Strasburg. (One of the kinesiologists was Australian.) The first and most potentially damaging thing Ad- ams examined was Strasburg’s abduction, the position of his arm as he pulls it away from his body. If a pitcher raises his el- bow above his shoulder, Mills
said, it is a certain sign injury awaits. Prior’s abduction sent his elbow well above his shoul- der. During his delivery, Stras- burg keeps his elbow below the shoulder. “I don’t see any relationship
at all between him and Mark Prior,”Mills said. “You could see something was going to happen there pretty quick.” The experts Mills worked
with concentrated on one cru- cial part of a pitcher’s delivery. For Strasburg to throw 100 mph, his arm moves so fast it would rotate 360 degrees 20 times in one second. The point at which a pitcher
starts to bring hisarmforwardis called the maximum external rotation. Because of the force created by a pitcher throwing 100 mph, the position of his arm at maximum external rotation is critical. “When that arm lays back,
better be in a good position,” Mills said. “The kinesiologists, the biomechanists, they said, ‘Youknowwhat? Iwouldn’t wor- ry too much about him. I don’t know how he would go ahead and stress anything.’ ” The Nationals have taken ex-
treme care with Strasburg. They alsoknow, beyond choosing cau- tion at every turn, there is little they can do but watch and hope. Last week in the Nationals’ clubhouse, a few minutes after Strasburghadwalkedby,McCat- ty again wondered aloud how long Strasburg’s right arm will allow him to pitch.He shrugged. McCatty pointed toward the ceiling, keeping his elbow below his shoulder, and said, “That guy up there knows.”
kilgorea@washpost.com
two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos was a superb offense, especially with John Elway at quarterback, but in designing the newRedskins scheme it was the father who took instruction from the son.Mike listened to his son’s chattering intensity for a while and then picked up a pencil and started taking notes. “I had never sat down and showedmy dadmy offense, and some of it he has never done,” Kyle says. “He said, ‘That makes sense,’ and he started getting excited.” It’s a little unsettling to realize
that Kyle only graduated from college in 2003, but inexperience isn’t a factor if you consider that he’s been wandering around on NFL sidelines since he was 4. As a sixth-grader he was hanging around the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers, working as a ball boy. It was his job to clean all the dirty, sweat- soaked adhesive tape from the floor of the locker room, collect the dirty uniforms, do the heavy pounds of laundry, and put clean, folded garments back in the lockers. In Denver he spent his summer vacations in dorms at training camps. “I’d be in meetings and I can admit that I was falling asleep half the time, not knowing what they were talking about,” he says. He wanted to be a player, but
he was so undersized that he teased his father he got poor genes.He was a decent wide receiver thanks to tireless work and some special instruction.He learned to run routes against Broncos defensive backs, and got a scholarship offer from Duke, then transferred to Texas, where he made a team that included Cedric Benson and Roy Williams. He wanted to go into
coaching. “I thought he was too smart for it, but obviously he’s not,” his father once cracked. It wasMike’s edict that he would never hire his son until he mastered his craft with another organization in the NFL. So Kyle went off and understudied in Tampa Bay with Jon Gruden.He soaked up “every play known to
SCOREBOARD
TRANSACTIONS MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Baltimore Orioles: Recalled C Craig Tatum from Norfolk (IL).
Seattle Mariners: Fired manager Don Wakamatsu, bench coach Ty Van Burkleo and pitching coach Rick Adair. Named Daren Brown interim manager. Promoted minor league pitching coordinator Carl Willis to pitching coach and minor league catching coordinaor Roger Hansen to bench coach. Released performance coach Steve Hecht from his contract. Toronto Blue Jays: Agreed to terms with LHP Justin Nicolino, LHP Mitchell Taylor and 2B Brandon Mims and assigned them to the Blue Jays (GCL). Cincinnati Reds: Traded OF Chris Dickerson to Milwau- kee for OF Jim Edmonds. Philadelphia Phillies: Announced INF Cody Ransom has cleared waivers and accepted outright assignment to Lehigh Valley (IL). Sioux City Explorers: Signed OF Jacob Cruz.
NBA
Minnesota Timberwolves: Signed F Anthony Tolliver. New Jersey Nets: Signed F Sean May.
NFL
Carolina Panthers: Signed T Jason Capizzi. Claimed G Andrew Crummey off waivers from Jacksonville. Waived G Noah Franklin and G Kurtis Gregory. New York Jets: Signed special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff to a contract extension through the 2011 season. Signed LB Tim Knicky.
NHL
Nashville Predators: Signed G Mark Dekanich to a one-year contract. Philadelphia Flyers: Announced the retirement of F Riley Cote,whowill become an assistant coach for Adirondack (AHL). Tampa Bay Lightning: Signed D Radko Gudas to a three-year contract. Named Jon Cooper coach of Norfolk (AHL).
COLLEGES
Concordia, Texas: Named Denise Lira softball coach. East Texas Baptist: Named Suzanne Truitt women’s assistant volleyball coach. High Point: Named Jenna Wrieden men’s and women’s assistant cross country and track and field coach. Indiana State: Announced the resignation of women’s golf coach Mike Whitson, who will take the same position at Eastern Kentucky. Iowa: Named Marla Looper softball coach. Montana State-Billings: Named Rob Bishop baseball coach. Oberlin: Named Whitney Roggenburk women’s assis- tant tennis coach. Point Park: Named Jessica Weary women’s assistant soccer coach. St. Scholastica:NamedToddBouchie assistant track and field coach. Syracuse: Named Andrea Buch women’s assistant row- ing coach. UTEP: Suspended CB Travaun Nixon one game and WR Marlon McClure two games after violating team rules. Washington: Named Kari Duperron women’s assistant basketball coach.
LOCALGOLF
Manor—In the husband and wife championship, Mike and Heidi McAuliffe won with 50 points. Mount Vernon—Billy and Danny Hurley won the four- ball competition at the Holden Cup with 63. Westwood—At the adult junior championship, John and Joe Moloney won with 69. Christine Curley and Jack Hoel won the 9-hole competition with 46.
AUTORACING
SPRINTCUPPOINTS LEADERS
1,. Kevin Harvick 3,210; 2, Jeff Gordon, 3,025; 3, Jeff Burton, 2,895; 4, Kurt Busch, 2,892; 5, Jimmie Johnson 2,882; 6, Denny Hamlin, 2,872; 7, Kyle Busch, 2,866; 8, Tony Stewart, 2,865; 9, Carl Edwards, 2,821; 10, Matt Kenseth, 2,806; 11,. Greg Biffle 2,743; 12, Mark Martin, 2,641.
SUNDAY'S RESULTS
Dallas 3, Philadelphia 1 Chicago 0, New York 0, tie Seattle FC 2, Houston 0
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Toronto FC at New York, 7:30 Real Salt Lake at Philadelphia, 7:30
SATURDAY’S GAMES Colorado at Philadelphia, 4 Los Angeles at New York, 6 Dallas at D.C. United, 8 Houston at New England, 8 Columbus at Real Salt Lake, 9 Kansas City at San Jose, 10 Seattle FC at Chivas USA, 11
WOMEN’SPROSOCCER W L
x-FC Gold Pride...........12 3 Philadelphia .................8 6 Boston..........................7 6 Chicago.........................5 8 Sky Blue FC ..................6 8 Washington .................5 8 Atlanta.........................4 9
T 3 4 5 6 3 5 5
SOCCER MLS
EASTERN CONFERENCE TEAM
W L T
Columbus .................. 11 4 4 New York .................... 8 6 4 Toronto FC .................. 7 6 5 Chicago ....................... 5 5 6 Kansas City ................. 5 8 5 New England .............. 5 9 3 Philadelphia ................ 4 10 3 D.C. United ................. 3 13 3
WESTERN CONFERENCE TEAM
W L T
Los Angeles .............. 12 3 4 Real Salt Lake .......... 10 4 5 Seattle ........................ 8 8 4 Dallas .......................... 7 2 9 Colorado ..................... 7 5 6 San Jose ..................... 6 6 5 Houston ...................... 5 9 5 Chivas USA ................. 5 10 3
THURSDAY'S RESULTS Columbus 2, Philadelphia 1
SATURDAY'S RESULTS
Toronto FC 2, Chivas USA 1 New England 1, D.C. United 0 Kansas City 1, Real Salt Lake 1, tie Colorado 1, San Jose 0
Pts GF GA 37 28 26 21 20 18 15 12
28 20 21 21 15 17 21 12
17 21 20 21 21 27 32 32
Pts GF GA 40 35 28 30 27 23 20 18
31 33 23 24 20 20 23 22
13 15 25 16 17 20 29 25
PROFOOTBALL SUNDAY’S LATE GAME
COWBOYS16,BENGALS7 Cowboys .............................
Bengals ..............................
FIRST QUARTER Dallas: FG Buehler 20, 9:25.
SECOND QUARTER Dallas: FG Buehler 34, 6:11.
THIRD QUARTER Dallas: FG Buehler 23, 9:03.
FOURTH QUARTER
Dallas: Sharpe 6 interception return (Buehler kick), 9:23. Cincinnati: Hill 1 pass from J.Palmer (Rayner kick), :51. Attendance: 22,364.
Cowboys
First Downs .......................................... 17 Total Net Yards ................................... 297 Rushes-Yards ................................. 29-85 Passing ................................................ 212 Punt Returns ..................................... 5-19 Kickoff Returns ................................. 1-38 Interceptions Ret. ............................. 3-42 Comp-Att-Int ............................... 23-41-0 Sacked-Yards Lost ............................ 5-28 Punts .............................................. 8-40.4 Fumbles-Lost ...................................... 2-1 Penalties-Yards ................................ 4-32 Time Of Possession ......................... 36:11
RUSHING
Dallas: Choice 7-41, Donaldson 6-19, Barber 2-7, Miller 8-5, McGee 2-5, Jones 1-4, Crayton 1-3, Gronkowski 1-2, Nichols 1-(minus 1). Cincinnati: Scott 7-19, Eason 6-15, Benson 2-7, Tronzo 1-3, J.Palmer 1-(minus 1).
PASSING
Dallas: McGee 12-22-0-116, Romo 5-10-0-59, Kitna 4-7-0-56, Nichols 2-2-0-9. Cincinnati: J.Palmer 10-20-2-102, O’Sullivan 4-11-1-33, C.Palmer 2-5-0-18.
RECEIVING
Dallas: Sicko 5-44, Phillips 4-60, Ogletree 2-25, Holley 2-20, Hudgins 2-17, Crayton 2-14, Miller 2-11, R.Wil- liams 1-21, Austin 1-16, Donaldson 1-8, Hurd 1-4. Cincinnati: M.Jones 3-42, Owens 2-18, Shipley 2-17, Simpson 2-14, Cosby 2-13, Coffman 1-21, Briscoe 1-11, Leonard 1-8, Tronzo 1-8, Hill 1-1.
MISSED FIELD GOALS Dallas: Buehler 49 (WL).
PRESEASON SCHEDULE
SUNDAY'S RESULT Dallas 16, Cincinnati 7
THURSDAY'S GAMES New Orleans at New England, 7:30 Carolina at Baltimore, 8 Oakland at Dallas, 9
Pts GF GA 39 28 26 21 21 20 17
30 30 25 14 16 26 13
NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. x-clinchedplayoffberth
WEDNESDAY’S GAMES
Washington at Sky Blue FC, 7 p.m. Philadelphia at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
SATURDAY’S GAMES Washington at FC Gold Pride, 10 p.m.
SUNDAY’S GAMES Atlanta at Philadelphia, 6 p.m. Sky Blue FC at Boston, 6 p.m.
14 24 21 19 23 29 25
FRIDAY'S GAMES
Buffalo at Washington, 7:30 Jacksonville at Philadelphia, 7:30 Kansas City at Atlanta, 8
SATURDAY'S GAMES
Tampa Bay at Miami, 7 Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7:30 Cleveland at Green Bay, 8 Minnesota at St. Louis, 8 Houston at Arizona, 8 Chicago at San Diego, 9 Tennessee at Seattle, 10
SUNDAY’S GAMES
San Francisco at Indianapolis, 1 Denver at Cincinnati, 7
MONDAY'S GAME N.Y. Giants at N.Y. Jets, 8
Bengals 10
179
17-43 136
4-72 3-81 0-0
16-36-3 4-17
10-47.6 1-1
12-90 23:49
3 0
3 0
3 0
7 — 16 7 — 7
REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULES
WASHINGTON REDSKINS Sept. 12 Dallas, 8:20 p.m. Sept. 19 Houston, 4:15 p.m. Sept. 26 at St. Louis, 4:05 p.m. Oct. 3 at Philadelphia, 4:15 p.m. Oct. 10 Green Bay, 1 p.m. Oct. 17 Indianapolis, 8:20 p.m. Oct. 24 at Chicago, 1 p.m. Oct. 31 at Detroit, 1 p.m. Nov. 7 BYE Nov. 15 Philadelphia, 8:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at Tennessee, 1 p.m. Nov. 28 Minnesota, 1 p.m. Dec. 5 at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Dec. 12 Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Dec. 19 at Dallas, 1 p.m. Dec. 26 at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Jan. 2 N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Sept. 12 Green Bay, 4:15 p.m. Sept. 19 at Detroit, 1 p.m. Sept. 26 at Jacksonville, 4:05 p.m. Oct. 3 Washington, 4:15 p.m. Oct. 10 at San Francisco, 8:20 p.m. Oct. 17 Atlanta, 1 p.m. Oct. 24 at Tennessee, 1 p.m. Oct. 31 BYE Nov. 7 Indianapolis, 4:15 p.m. Nov. 15 at Washington, 8:30 p.m. Nov. 21 N.Y. Giants-x, 8:20 p.m. Nov. 28 at Chicago, 1 p.m. Dec. 2 Houston, 8:20 p.m. Dec. 12 at Dallas-x, 8:20 p.m. Dec. 19 at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m. Dec. 26 Minnesota, 1 p.m. Jan. 2 Dallas, 1 p.m.
DALLAS COWBOYS
Sept. 12 at Washington, 8:20 p.m. Sept. 19 Chicago, 1 p.m. Sept. 26 at Houston, 1 p.m. Oct. 3 BYE Oct. 10 Tennessee, 4:15 p.m. Oct. 17 at Minnesota, 4:15 p.m. Oct. 25 N.Y. Giants, 8:30 p.m. Oct. 31 Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Nov. 7 at Green Bay, 8:20 p.m. Nov. 14 at N.Y. Giants, 4:15 p.m. Nov. 21 Detroit, 1 p.m. Nov. 25 New Orleans, 4:15 p.m. Dec. 5 at Indianapolis, 4:15 p.m. Dec. 12 Philadelphia-x, 8:20 p.m. Dec. 19 Washington, 1 p.m. Dec. 25 at Arizona, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2 at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
NEWYORK GIANTS
Sept. 12 Carolina, 1 p.m. Sept. 19 at Indianapolis, 8:20 p.m. Sept. 26 Tennessee, 1 p.m. Oct. 3 Chicago, 8:20 p.m. Oct. 10 at Houston, 1 p.m. Oct. 17 Detroit, 1 p.m. Oct. 25 at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Oct. 31 BYE Nov. 7 at Seattle, 4:05 p.m. Nov. 14 Dallas, 4:15 p.m. Nov. 21 at Philadelphia-x, 8:20 p.m. Nov. 28 Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Dec. 5 Washington, 1 p.m. Dec. 12 at Minnesota, 1 p.m. Dec. 19 Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Dec. 26 at Green Bay, 4:15 p.m. Jan. 2 at Washington, 1 p.m.
2010 HALL OF FAME CLASS
G Russ Grimm LB Rickey Jackson CB Dick LeBeau RB Floyd Little DT John Randle WRJerry Rice RB Emmitt Smith
TENNIS ATP
ROGERS CUP At Rexall Centre In Toronto
FIRST ROUND
Purse: $3 million Surface: Hard-Outdoor Singles Sergiy Stakhovsky, Ukraine, def. Richard Gasquet, France, 7-5, 6-1; Victor Hanescu, Romania, def. Milos Raonic, Canada, 6-4, 6-4; Juan Ignacio Chela, Argentina, def. Alejandro Falla, Colombia, 6-0, 6-3; Julien Ben- neteau, France, def. Denis Istomin, Uzbekistan, 6-4, 6-4. Tommy Robredo, Spain, def. Jarkko Nieminen, Finland, 6-1, 6-4; Kevin Anderson, South Africa, def. Leonardo Mayer, Argentina, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4.
WTA
CINCINNATI OPEN At The Lindner Family Tennis Center In Mason, Ohio
FIRST ROUND
Purse: $2 million (Premier) Singles Nuria Llagostera Vives, Spain, def. Vania King, United States, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Monica Niculescu, Romania, def. Sabine Lisicki, Germany, 6-3, 6-0; Bojana Jovanovski, Serbia, def. Aravane Rezai (14), France, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Akgul Amanmuradova, Uzbekistan, def. Kimiko Date Krumm, Japan, 6-1, 6-2; Sara Errani, Italy, def. Jamie Hampton, United States, 6-4, 6-2; Vera Dushevina, Russia, def. Anastasia Rodion- ova, Australia, 6-2, 7-6 (9-7); Dinara Safina, Russia, def. Roberta Vinci, Italy, 7-5, 6-4; Shahar Peer (13), Israel, def. Olga Govortsova, Belarus, 6-3, 4-1, retired. Alona Bondarenko, Ukraine, def. Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3; Marion Bartoli (16), France, def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, Spain, 6-4, 6-0; Yaroslava Shvedova, Kazakhstan, def. Alla Kudryavtseva, Russia, 7-5, 6-4; Alisa Kleybanova, Russia, def. Alexandra Dulgheru, Romania, 6-4, 6-4. Ayumi Morita, Japan, def. Arantxa Parra Santonja, Spain, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2; Ana Ivanovic, Serbia, def. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, 2-6, 7-6 (10-8), 6-2. Doubles Sania Mirza, India, and Monica Niculescu, Romania, def. Jamie Hampton and Melanie Oudin, United States, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5); Julie Coin, France, and Lucie Hradecka, Czech Republic, def. Jill Craybas, United States, and Edina Gallovits, Romania, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
WNBA
EASTERN CONFERENCE TEAM
Indiana.....................................18 Atlanta.....................................18 New York .................................17 Washington.............................16 Connecticut..............................14 Chicago ....................................12
WESTERN CONFERENCE TEAM
W L PCT 10 .643 11 .621 11 .607 12 .571 14 .500 17 .414
vSeattle ...................................24 Phoenix....................................14 San Antonio.............................11 Minnesota................................10 Los Angeles .............................10 Tulsa ..........................................5
W L PCT 4 .857 14 .500 17 .393
GB —
1/2 1
2 4
61/2 GB —
10 13
17 .370 131/2 18 .357
14 24 .172 191/2
v-clinched No. 1 seed in conference MONDAY No games scheduled TUESDAY’S GAMES
Connecticut at Washington, 7 Seattle at Atlanta, 7 Phoenix at Chicago, 8 Minnesota at San Antonio, 8 Indiana at Los Angeles, 10
WTA TOUR MONEY LEADERS 1. Serena Williams ......................................... $4,266,011 2. Venus Williams........................................... $2,223,556 3. Francesca Schiavone .................................. $1,833,896 4. Jelena Jankovic........................................... $1,599,708 5. Sam Stosur ................................................. $1,551,795 6. Justine Henin.............................................. $1,401,960 7. Vera Zvonareva........................................... $1,259,833 8. Aravane Rezai............................................. $1,164,886 9. Kim Clijsters ............................................... $1,032,348 10. Caroline Wozniacki ...................................... $995,802 11. Li Na............................................................. $838,678 12. Nadia Petrova .............................................. $820,162 13. Flavia Pennetta............................................ $820,111 14. Elena Dementieva........................................ $774,783 15. Agnieszka Radwanska................................. $744,762 16. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.............................................................. $731,188 17. Victoria Azarenka ........................................ $724,414 18. Zheng Jie...................................................... $711,951 19. Shahar Peer.................................................. $704,524 20. Yaroslava Shvedova .................................... $623,818
Redskins promises to be opportunistic, even greedy. “One thing I can say, our offense is going to attack.We’re going to attack you and attack you aggressively, whether running the ball, throwing the ball, it doesn’t matter.We’re going to be aggressive, and attack whatever the weakness is.” Of course, there has been
JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST
TheHouston Texans madeKyle Shanahan theNFL’s youngest coordinator in 2008 at age 28. He spent two seasons with them before joining the Redskins.
man,” but the best thing he did was spy on the defensive meetings run byMike Tomlin andMonte Kiffin.He listened to learn how to beat them. “If you don’t learn defense, you’re just calling plays,” he says. Tomlin would say, “When this
guy is open here we’ll jump it,” and Kyle would look for ways to punish the defensive gambles. Pretty soon he was devising his own counter moves. “That’s when you’re playing chess,” he says. “That’s what I like: the chess match.” Promotion quickly followed promotion, until the Texans’ Gary Kubiak named him the youngest coordinator in the league in 2008. By the time his father hired him to join the Redskins, there was no longer any question of nepotism, because the kid’s résumé read like this: under Kyle’s direction Texans quarterbackMatt Schaub put up 3,043 yards in ’08, followed by 4,770 in 2009, more than PeytonManning, Drew Brees or Tony Romo. There didn’t seem to be a defense he couldn’t solve. “I keep getting asked about
my system,” he says. “You know, I really don’t know whatmy system is. It’s whatever the weakness of the defense is.” His style of play calling for the
optimism about newRedskins offenses before, and it turned out to be unfounded. A curious malaise has persisted from administration to administration, whether plays were called by Steve Spurrier, Joe Gibbs, Al Saunders, Jim Zorn, or Sherman Lewis. Predictions about the Redskins are especially perilous given how much they have to implement. They have to install a thick newplaybook, adapt to a newquarterback in McNabb, integrate a new offensive line, revitalize the run game, and find dependable receivers, all in a single preseason. So to say that Kyle Shanahan is the silver-bullet answer would be foolish. Still, Shanahan has a couple
of things in his favor: his natural facility for play calling is equaled by dogged, tireless, obsessive work habits.He arrives at the office at 6 a.m., and he doesn’t leave until 11 p.m., a schedule he describes as doctor’s hours— he’s always on call. “You got to be with the players all day, and then to coordinate 22 people on the field, you got to spend a lot of time covering every situation, and then endless tape,” he says. “And if you don’t, you’re just going to be insecure. I mean, you’re not going to be prepared. And if you’re an insecure coach it’s not a very fun job.” This much is clear: he’s not an
insecure coach. By all rights, he should be, because if things go wrong for the Redskins, he will be one of the first and easiest guys to blame. But something else Shanahan
seems to have observed growing up was how to offset pressure with expertise.He brims with confidence from a lifetime of acquired knowledge. “So as long as you’re working
at it, and you know what you’re doing, nothing really scares you,” he says. Sundays, he claims, are usually his easiest and most relaxed days of the week. “Now you can get into the fun part of it,” he says, with a predatory smile. And as we all know, the
Redskins offense could use a little fun.
jenkinss@washpost.com
D5
U.S.OPENSERIES
THROUGH SUNDAY’S TOURNAMENTS MEN
1. Mardy Fish, United States, 70 points 1. David Nalbandian, Argentina, 70 1. Sam Querrey, United States, 70 4. Marcos Baghdatis, Cyprus, 60 5. John Isner, United States, 45 5. Andy Murray, Britain, 45 7. Xavier Malisse, Belgium, 40 7. Janko Tipsarevic, Serbia, 40 9. 4 tied with 25
WOMEN
1. Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, 70 points 1. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia, 70 1. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland, 70 4. Maria Sharapova, Russia, 45 5. Sam Stosur, Australia, 40 6. Daniela Hantuchova, Slovakia, 25 6. Flavia Pennetta, Italy, 25 8. 7 tied with 15 The U.S. Open Series links the performance of the top three men’s and women’s finishers at Series events to their performance at the U.S. Open. First-place finishers will compete for up to an additional $1 million in bonus prize money. Second-place finishers will compete for up to $500,000 and third-place finishers will play for up to $250,000.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Aug. 9-15 : Men: Rogers Cup, Toronto; Women: Western & Southern Financial Group Open, Mason, Ohio Aug. 16-22 : Men: Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Mason, Ohio; Women: Rogers Cup, Montreal Aug. 22-28 : Men & Women: Pilot Pen Tennis, New Haven, Conn.
ATPWORLD TOUR MONEY LEADERS 1. Rafael Nadal ............................................... $5,506,278 2. Roger Federer ............................................. $2,887,135 3. Robin Soderling........................................... $1,920,028 4. Andy Murray ............................................... $1,755,272 5. Tomas Berdych ........................................... $1,755,016 6. Novak Djokovic ........................................... $1,507,962 7. Andy Roddick .............................................. $1,436,013 8. Fernando Verdasco ..................................... $1,360,844 9. Jurgen Melzer............................................. $1,259,927 10. David Ferrer .............................................. $1,247,432 11. Sam Querrey............................................. $1,036,862 12. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga................................... $1,018,920 13. Nicolas Almagro .......................................... $992,593 14. Marin Cilic .................................................... $952,323 15. Ivan Ljubicic ................................................. $938,247 16. Mikhail Youzhny .......................................... $908,183 17. John Isner .................................................... $778,678 18. Juan Carlos Ferrero...................................... $681,394 19. Nenad Zimonjic............................................ $671,081 20. Daniel Nestor............................................... $654,126
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