NFL Combine: Shanahan followed Sooners

Mike Shanahan coached 35 football seasons. Then he sat out last season and became a football fan.

“I got a chance to sit back and watch the games,” Shanahan said, newly hired as the Washington Redskins coach after a 14-year run coaching Denver. “I can see why people enjoy this game. You don’t see that as a coach. You’re thinking about the opponent, who’s doing this, who’s doing that. You sit back and enjoy the game. It was a great experience for me.”

Shanahan said he watched much more NFL than college football but did pay particular attention to the schools where he had coached. “Florida, Oklahoma, Minnesota,” Shanahan said. “It was fun.”

Shanahan was a 1975 graduate assistant on Barry Switzer’s Sooner staff.

Shanahan said he harbors no ill will towards the Broncos; Denver owner Pat Bowlen fired Shanahan despite an 8-8 record in 2008 and an overall record of 146-95.

“I was with the Denver Broncos for 21 great years” counting his assistant years. “Some great memories. I go back and look at the good times. (In 2008) 8-8 team, left the program in pretty good shape. They’re really on the verge of being an excellent team.”

Shanahan also was courted by the Buffalo Bills. He said he gave the Bills “strong consideration. It’s a great organization. Very well-run. But at the end of the day, it’s not something, from my perspective … I want to say this right. I would be the only one from my family to go. Strictly because of the weather.”

Of course, earlier this month, Washington received 40 inches of snow.