The Redskins are Casserly's team, not a surprise
Washington Redskins
In his 23-year career with the Washington Redskins, the team went to four Super Bowls, winning three. Casserly was an assistant to
Bobby Beathard for two of the Super Bowl winning seasons. In 2003, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue appointed him to the NFL's Competition Committee for the second time (2003–06; 1996–1999).
Casserly started with the Redskins in 1977 as an unpaid intern under
Hall of Fame coach,
George Allen. Washington hired Casserly as a scout the next season. During his early years as a scout, he unearthed free agents
Joe Jacoby and
Jeff Bostic, who were original members of the famed
"Hogs" offensive line and key components of Washington's first two Super Bowl teams. Jacoby was selected to four Pro Bowls and Bostic made one trip to Honolulu. The Redskins elevated Casserly to Assistant General Manager in 1982 and the club went on to capture its first Super Bowl. That year, Casserly also re-instituted the club's intern program, which has produced more than 20 league executives over his years in Washington and Houston.
In 1987 during the NFL players strike, Casserly put together the Redskins' "replacement" team that went 3–0 before the strike ended, including a Monday Night win against a Dallas team that featured a number of its star players. That experience was the subject of the Warner Bros. feature film, "
The Replacements," that starred
Keanu Reeves and
Gene Hackman.<sup>[<i>
citation needed</i>]</sup>
Elevated to General Manager in 1989, Casserly sustained the Redskins' history of uncovering high-quality players in the later rounds of the draft.<sup>[<i>
citation needed</i>]</sup> He used a fifth-round draft pick in 1990 to select Southwest Louisiana quarterback
Brian Mitchell. Washington then converted Mitchell into a running back/kick returner, where he later joined
Jim Brown as the only players in NFL history to lead the league in combined net yards four times. In 1996, Casserly plucked
Auburn University running back
Stephen Davis in the fourth round. Davis paced the NFC in rushing in 1999 with 1,450 yards. Casserly also drafted future Pro Bowlers in wide receiver
Keenan McCardell (12th round, 1991) and tight end
Frank Wycheck (sixth round, 1993). During the 1999 off-season, Casserly acquired veteran quarterback
Brad Johnson who responded with a Pro Bowl season.
In 1999, Sports Illustrated, Pro Football Weekly, The Sporting News and USA Today named Casserly their NFL Executive of the Year at mid-season. On draft day in
1999, Casserly acquired all of the
New Orleans Saints 1999 selections, plus their first and third-round picks in 2000 by swapping the Redskins' fifth selection in the first round for the Saints' 12th choice. He still managed to obtain the player that Washington wanted, selecting future Pro Bowl cornerback
Champ Bailey.
Not all of Casserly's picks were good ones. A number of his selections were poor, with the most notable example being
Heath Shuler, who was selected with the third overall pick in the 1994 NFL draft. Shuler had a fruitless NFL career. In 2008, ESPN rated Shuler the 4th biggest NFL Draft bust of all time.<sup>
[3]</sup>
Casserly's Redskins career ended after the 1999 season when he was fired by team owner Dan Snyder.<sup>
[4]</sup>
<sup>I like the Skins 4 though. Reed is beast, as is Jackson, and Garcon is solid, Doctson has high upside</sup>
