Instead, the book on Donovon McNabb will state that he now has been unceremoniously tossed from TWO NFL franchises. There has to be something, behind the scenes, about Donovan McNabb that we don't know about. Perhaps behind that big, 250 lb. exterior, that Carl Winslow mustache, and that hearty laugh, there is something more unsavory. How else can you explain McNabb transforming into the Jennifer Aniston of NFL quarterbacks: a man who seems so charming and likable to the general public but is known more for his inability to find a suitor who wants to commit. The breakup between McNabb and the Eagles on Easter Sunday was almost Aniston-Brad Pitt-esque, with many sympathetic over the way McNabb was treated after the franchise he brought to five NFC Championships dumped him for someone younger and sexier(Yes, in a weird way, Mike Vick is the Angelina Jolie in this equation. Read into that what you will.).
That was supposed to be motivation for McNabb to prove the doubters in Philly's front office wrong. Instead, the Eagles look like geniuses. Not only do they get two draft picks for a former flame who couldn't make it one season with his new team, but the absence of McNabb allowed the rebirth of Vick who, in any other year, would probably be the league's MVP. This latest kick to McNabb's balls is a bit perplexing. Granted, McNabb hasn't been the second coming of John Elway in his first year in the nation's capital. He's completed 58.3% of his passes, his lowest completion percentage since 2006. He'll finish the season with more INTs(15) than TDs(14)(His 3,377 yards, however, does rank 7th in the NFL) for the first time in his career and the team is 5-8 with him at the helm.
That being said, the downfall of the Redskins this season can not be solely placed on McNabb's shoulders. The defense ranks near the bottom in almost every category. Was it McNabb's fault that Vick came into FedEx Field and put up Madden numbers on Monday Night Football a month ago? Was McNabb supposed to hold the snap this past Sunday instead of Hunter Smith so the 'Skins wouldn't botch what would have been a game-tying extra point against Tampa Bay? As subpar of a season as McNabb has had or is having, the Redskins still felt compelled to give the man a $78 million extension prior to the Eagles game. Instead, McNabb will collect a paycheck next season elsewhere(if I absolutely had to make a guess, Minnesota seems like the obvious choice, given the spot that will be vacated by Brett Favre and Tarvaris Jackson and McNabb's reluctance to go to Oakland this past spring.).
As bad as being benched in favor of former Chicago Bear punchline Rex Grossman(and to a greater extent, being dropped behind former Dolphins bust John Beck) is for McNabb, the extension makes the Redskins look like more of a laughingstock and the fact that Mike Shanahan has now managed to ruffle feathers with yet another high profile, high-priced member of the Redskins puts a little tarnish on that storied legacy of his. You can say what you will about Albert Haynesworth and how he went about his business this season in Washington, but the man felt like he was lied to and, rather than allow him to take his talents elsewhere, Shanahan chose to instead make an example of him. When he got tired of stringing Haynesworth out, he strung out McNabb. It's hard to tell if Shanahan is trying to make his mark on his new team, fan reaction be damned, or if he is intentionally trying to get himself canned so he can pursue endeavors elsewhere(Dallas, maybe?). Again, McNabb hasn't been stellar this season, but Shanahan hasn't exactly turned heads either. The vaunted running scheme of his that once made 1,000 yard rushers out of nobodies like Mike Anderson and Olandis Gary, couldn't resurrect the career of former pupil Clinton Portis, former nemesis Larry Johnson or make guys like Keiland Williams and Ryan Torain any more than stopgap journeymen. The Redskins are 26th in rushing and 10th in passing so, naturally, the team's demise is the quarterback's fault.....huh?
The next three weeks will tell the story of 2010 for all the parties involved. If the Redskins manage to succeed under Grossman(or even Beck), then Shanahan is vindicated for pulling the plug on McNabb and taking a look at next season's quarterback a year early. If the Redskins continue to be the bumbling bunch of amateurs that they have been under Shanny this season, however, then Shanahan will have played his last card in his effort to put blame elsewhere on a turd of a season his first year in D.C. has been. He won't have Haynesworth to blame for being a distraction. He won't have McNabb to throw under the bus. Instead, Shanahan will have to point the finger at the man that has been as responsible for this mess as anyone this season: Himself.
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