Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan and his staff will coach the South team at the 2012 Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 28, in Mobile, Ala., the bowl committee announced Saturday afternoon.

Leslie Frazier and his Minnesota Vikings staff will coach the North team. The coaching staffs for each team are selected by the NFL office.

This marks the first time that Shanahan has served as head coach of a Senior Bowl team, but he did serve as a coordinator in the game in 1986. Redskins coaching staffs have coached in the Senior Bowl six times, sporting a 3-3 record. The last Redskins coach to do so was Norv Turner in 1998.

The Senior Bowl, which features a week of practices and then the game at week’s end, is one of the premier pre-draft events, drawing more than 800 NFL team officials, coaches, scouts and front office members.

Shanahan and his staff didn’t attend last year’s Senior Bowl or the practices leading up to it. But the Redskins last April drafted six players that played in the game.

The game and its practices will be televised on the NFL Network.

Shanahan said he is looking forward to coaching the South team.

“The Senior Bowl provides us a great opportunity to get to know some of the young players who will be selected in the 2012 NFL Draft,” the coach said in a press release.

Washington Redskins inside linebacker London Fletcher has earned second-team honors on the NFL Associated Press All-Pro voting after a season that saw him lead the league in tackles.

The 36-year-old Fletcher recorded a career-high 166 tackles along with three forced fumbles, two interceptions and 1.5 sacks this season.

Yesterday we took one final look at the Redskins’ offense, and now for the defense and the unit’s needs going forward.

A year after owning the 31st-ranked defense in the league, the Redskins made strides after an offseason dedicated to upgrading the personnel. Washington in 2010 gave up 23.6 points (21st) and 389.3 yards per game. But in 2011, they improved to 13th in the league in total defense (339.8 yards allowed) and got slightly better in the scoring department, giving up an average of 22.9 points per game.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS | As the offseason abruptly falls upon Washington, it’s time to take inventory. Using Expected Points Added (EPA) as a measure of success at each position, we can see where the Redskins had their biggest holes and where their biggest needs are. Injuries and suspensions certainly played a role, but that in itself may indicate a lack of depth. And although none of this will surprise fans who closely follow the team, a sober and objective analysis can confirm subjective observations.

Update 5:50 p.m.

The Washington Redskins met this week with former Tampa Bay head coach Raheem Morris about joining their staff as a defensive backs coach, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Morris, fired by the Buccaneers after a 4-12 season, met with members of Redskins management Wednesday, according to the two sources. But he was not hired because the 36-year-old also is drawing interest from at least one other team for a defensive coordinator’s position and wants to continue exploring his options, one of those people said.

One of the people with knowledge of the situation did not believe the Redskins’ chances of landing Morris were very good. It’s believed that Morris, who spent the last three seasons as Tampa Bay’s head coach, is seeking a job with more authority than defensive backs coach, such as defensive backs/assistant head coaching role.

But Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett functions as head coach of the defense and running backs coach Bobby Turner holds an assistant head coach title.

Original post:

The Washington Redskins are considering former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris for an assistant coaching role, according to a league source.  

Morris, fired by the Buccaneers after a 4-12 season, met with members of Redskins management Wednesday, according to the source. Morris has experience as a defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator. 

Raheem Morris (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)Washington’s defense improved in its second season under coordinator Jim Haslett, going from 31st in the league last year to 13th in 2011. 

The unit’s secondary had its struggles however. The Redskins ranked 13th against the pass this season, surrendering 221.0 yards a game through the air, an improvement over last year’s average of 261.7 yards allowed (31st in the league). But Washington’s defensive backs combined for only 10 interceptions, which ranked among the worst in the league.