The bruthas are furious already.
<h2 ="title">
McNabb benched for Grossman, Redskins players furious</h2> By
Chris Chase</span></span>
<div ="bd">
<a title="More of McNabb">
</a>The ongoing soap opera in Washington took another twist on Friday as the Redskins announced that their $40 million quarterback,
Donovan McNabb(notes),</span> will be
benched for Sunday's game in favor of
Rex Grossman(notes).</span>
It was just eight months ago that McNabb was hailed as the team's
savior following a trade from Philadelphia and only 32 days since he
signed that massive contract extension to stay in Washington.
Now,
he's a third-string quarterback, playing behind a guy who's started one
game in the past three seasons and a 29-year old who has thrown one
touchdown pass in his NFL career.
Redskins players are not happy.
"The guys are extremely pissed," one player told NFL.com's Jason La
Canfora. He reports that Redskins players think offensive coordinator
Kyle Shanahan is
using McNabb as a scapegoat for his own failures.
[
Related: McNabb's 'cardiovascular endurance' to blame]
It's
a valid point. Shanahan's ego seems out of control. (Head coach Mike or
Kyle, take your pick.) The father-son combination seems intent on
placing the blame for the Redskins' failures on anyone but themselves.
Albert Haynesworth(notes),</span>
Hunter Smith(notes)</span> -- it's always someone else's fault.
Why
point the finger at yourself when it's easier to point it elsewhere.
Distract everyone by benching McNabb and that will take blame away from
all the coaching, personnel and execution failures that have tripped up
the team this year. (That's the theory, at least.) Even though going
with Grossman will draw Mike and Kyle a ton of heat, the criticism will
be about this decision, not the dozens of other ones that have
backfired. They're using the tried-and-true D.C. trick of getting out in
front of the story and creating their own narrative.
What's going
to be lost in all of this is that McNabb has been a thoroughly mediocre
quarterback this season. His numbers are pedestrian (3,377 yards, 14
touchdowns, 15 interceptions) and he constantly misses easy throws that
can be the difference between wins and losses. The 2010 season has
proved one thing: Andy Reid knew what he was doing when he traded McNabb
within the NFC East.
[
Rewind: McNabb pranked by fan hiding in his locker]
Still,
anyone who thinks Rex Grossman gives the Redskins a better chance on
Sunday than Donovan McNabb is out of their mind. To that effect,
benching McNabb only makes sense if the Redskins have no intention of
bringing him back for the 2011 season. Yes, the QB signed that huge
extension last month, but it was written with enough out clauses that
the 'Skins could cut him in the offseason and only have to eat $3.75
million as a result. If this hastens that process, then Redskins fans
should be all for it. The team needs to start over. An aging,
injury-prone quarterback isn't the cornerstone for a rebuilding effort.
Shanahan
acknowledges that. He says he told McNabb that he can't guarantee he'll
return to the Redskins in 2011 and that his benching is part of a trial
run for Grossman and
John Beck(notes),</span> who goes from third-string to backup.
But
things aren't always what they seem at Redskins Park. The last time the
Shanahan boys benched McNabb, they signed him to that contract
extension before he set foot on the field again. I doubt even they know
where the
Washington Redskins go from here.
[
Related: Quiet farewell for Brett Favre]
Other popular stories on the Yahoo! network:
"¢
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"¢
Paralyzed athlete given the gift of a lifetime
Related:
Rex Grossman,
Albert Haynesworth,
Hunter Smith,
Donovan McNabb,
Washington Redskins
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