NFL news roundup: Mike Shanahan to be fired for cause? Could bench Robert Griffin III

Washington and Pittsburgh are unlikely to make the playoffs, but the Redskins and Steelers are still garnering plenty of headlines.

by Mark Sandritter

Dec 9, 2013, 10:02 PM UTC

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

On the heels of a 45-10 blowout loss to Kansas City, the speculation in Washington isn't whether head coach Mike Shanahan will be back for another season, but when will he be fired. The Redskins are now 3-10 and have issues both on and off the field.

Not only is Shanahan's job in jeopardy, but according to a report from the Washington Post, the Redskins may attempt to fire Shanahan with cause and not pay him the $7 million remaining on his contract. The cause aspect is a result of Shanahan's role in a recent ESPN report which said he nearly quit following last season due to his relationship with Washington owner Dan Snyder and quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Although most don’t expect Shanahan to return next season, he remains head coach and could make a change at quarterback this week. He said he is considering benching Griffin for the rest of the season in an effort to ensure the quarterback doesn’t suffer an injury.

“He’s never had an offseason. He’s coming off an ACL/MCL surgery. We have three games left and [have allowed] 24 sacks in five games. That’s a lot of wear and tear on the body.”

Shanahan pulled Griffin out of the game on Sunday, and could turn to backup Kirk Cousins for the rest of the season. The move, however, wouldn't be performance related and Shanahan insisted it would only be to limit the hits Griffin has taken this year.

With three weeks to go in the regular season, this likely won’t be the end of the drama coming out of Washington.

Is there a rift between Ben Roethlisberger and Todd Haley?

Ben Roethlisberger played well on Sunday, racking up 349 passing yards and three touchdowns on 39 attempts. He wasn't, however, apparently thrilled with the play calling. Pittsburgh ran the ball just 15 times and when asked why the Steelers didn't run the ball more in the second half, Roethlisberger told the media to ask the offensive coordinator.

“No idea,” Roethlisberger said, via Aditi Kinkhabwala. “Coach Haley’s over there. You can ask him.”

This isn’t the first time there have been apparent issues between the quarterback and offensive coordinator. Their relationship reportedly got off to a rough start two years ago and things haven’t gotten a lot better. Losing doesn’t help, but some of the strain may come from a change in philosophy. According to former Pittsburgh quarterback Charlie Batch, Haley revoked Roethlisberger’s ability to audible at the line of scrimmage, something that “frustrated” the quarterback.