And the humble He teaches His way. All the
paths of the Lord are mercy and truth.
—Psalm 25:9-10
If I heard it once, I heard it a hundred times. “The handwriting was on the wall.” This is
how reporters referred to the firing of Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan
on Black Monday, the day following the final game of the regular season—the day
after his team completed a 3-13 record.
“The handwriting was on the wall.” With a four-season record
of 24-40 and rumors flying around about Shanahan’s demise, the coach’s firing
came as no surprise to most of the team’s followers.
“The handwriting was on the wall” is a familiar idiom used
to mean there were obvious warning signals.
For Shanahan, the numbers on the wall—the scoreboard—were his warnings.
