McNabb benched; Eagles trade implications
The Redskins are going with Rex Grossman instead of Donovan McNabb this weekend. Here's my take on the move and a look at Eagles trade implications.
McNabb benched; Eagles trade implications
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Donovan McNabb threw three interceptions in last night's loss to the Eagles. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)
At just about this time last year, Donovan McNabb was coming off one of his better games of the 2009 season.
He completed 17 of 26 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, helping lead the Eagles to a 45-38 win over the Giants in Week 14.
It looked like the Birds were set up for a deep playoff run. They had won four in a row and would go on to extend that streak to six.
But after two losses to the Cowboys, an offseason trade and an extremely bizarre 13-game stretch in 2010, McNabb is out of a starting job. Not only that, but he's being replaced by Rex Grossman.
The news was broken today by Kelli Johnson of Comcast SportsNet and later confirmed by Jason La Canfora of NFL Network. Grossman will start for the 'Skins when they take on the Cowboys this weekend. Per La Canfora, the decision has been made by offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, and Redskins players do not agree with it.
McNabb's agent, Fletcher Smith, is none too pleased either.
"I almost don't even know where to begin, but it really started with Detroit and it was just wrong the way Donovan was treated," Smith told Jason Reid of The Washington Post. "Just the way Mike handled the whole situation in Detroit, and in almost every instance since that time, and this is, I guess, the culmination of that. I think it's ... again, it's beyond disrespectful."
As I mentioned yesterday, if the Eagles lose to the Giants this week, they'll be rooting hard for the Redskins to beat New York in Week 17. That game could potentially decide the NFC East.
There's another Eagles angle to visit also. When the trade was made in the spring, there were provisions in place to determine what pick the Birds would receive this year from Washington.
It would be a third-rounder if one of two things happened:
1. McNabb was selected to the Pro Bowl.
2. The Redskins won nine games, and McNabb played at least 70 percent of the snaps.
Neither of those two things are happening. The Redskins lost their eighth game of the season last week. And McNabb's not going to be on the Pro Bowl roster.
So the Eagles will instead receive a fourth-round pick.
His future is as uncertain as ever. Despite the contract extension awarded to him last month, McNabb could still be released after the season, and the Redskins would only be on the hook for $3.5M.
"What does the future hold? Well, without talking to him, I can't answer that question at this time," Smith told Reid. "Obviously, we're going to have to sit down and digest the season at season's end. And we will, in due time, come to a decision.
"But at the end of the day, he has to live there [in Washington], he has to play there. And the decision, at the end of the day, is ultimately his. I can't answer that question on his behalf. But from my standpoint, I'm certainly not happy with what has transpired. If that is his decision, we're absolutely not happy with Mike's treatment or handling of Donovan. In this situation and in a lot of situations this season."
The other aspect to look at here is the coaching staff. Has Mike Shanahan showed a single sign in D.C. that he's got the Redskins going in the right direction? I haven't seen one. That franchise is as dysfunctional as ever.
Of course, Shanahan was signed to a five-year deal last year, worth approximately $7M per season. So the Redskins are far more likely to cut ties with McNabb and give Shanahan another chance to right the ship.
But let's not forget, the Redskins acquired McNabb after Shanahan was the coach. So I'm not sure how he gets away with assuming anything but full responsibility for this mess.
Update: Shanahan told reporters that McNabb would not even be the backup this week. That would be John Beck. McNabb will be the third-stringer. In addition, Shanahan said he could not guarantee that McNabb would be back with the team in 2011.
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Comments (109)
Mike Shanahan and his son Kyle are joke! What has Kyle done that he gets the job as the offensive coordinator? It's just nepotism. They have an horrible offensive line and zero running game.— JRD11
So sad to see what has become of the Eagles greatest QB ever. Say what you want, but he is undeniably the best we've ever had. Lots of good seasons, deep runs and a one Super Bowl. Just couldn't win the Big One. I'm glad he's gone and Reid & Co. look like geniuses for the trade. But now that he's down...stop kicking the guy.— soccerdad1150- Papabear, Michael Vick would be the first person to tell you that he picked up the work ethic he showed this year by watching Donovan McNabb prepare for games last year. McNabb's problem has never been his work ethic. His problems were a pass-happy coach in Philly and a "my way or the highway" coach in Washington.— rhawnhurster
- McNabb is a loser, period!! There is a reason the Birds lost 4 out of 5 NFC Championship games over the years and it typically falls on the QB. He's got subpar accuracy, too much of a company man to audible out of defensive formations, calls time outs when there's none left, etc., etc, etc.......He is, and always will be a LOSER!
- Reid saw it coming last year....he's very smart....but he still likes the guy....it's the way this sport goes..I mean business goes. Most of us take this business to serious. Right ?— Pennbama
- i love watching the Redskins implode. Kind of feel sorry for McNabb, they could have treated him with a little more dignity, of course he could have thrown less wormburners.— notch44
- Isn't it logical to see how your back-ups perform once your eliminated from the play-offs? The situation is what it is,why all the drama? How is Grossman picking up the offensive system and what has this guy Beck got? These are questions you want to know going into the next draft. And how does it help if the skins win any more games? It makes sense to lose the rest of the games to get better draft position.— macadittles
- Mike is letting Kyle ruin his team. Like him or not McNabb is 7th this years in passing yards....almost 4 thousand yards this season........Daddy is allowing Jr to destroy this team. 7th in passing.........and he is on the bench....I am sure there are many teams that would welcome him, and not throw him under the bus. The Redskins are the epitome of unprofessionalism......as in all families......we know when memebers may not be up to the full potential, but you don't make a public spectacle out of them....that is classless.......and if that is the way the Redskins conduct business, they should be a losing team.— philligrl
- Maybe the problem all along was McChoke, not TO, etc. Look like Shanahan is doing what Reid should've done years ago !— Teeke
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"Oh how the mighty have fallen" As a McNabb fan, I am very disappointed with the turn of events since his leaving the Eagles... Just goes to show, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone...- Put your race card away. Further, these NFL commentators that can't even speak English that happen to be African-American - they have to go. No, I voted for Obama, so go pound sound with your baseless race baiting in an attempt to get undeserved advantages based upon your racial allegiance................— Liberty4All
- Thank goodness the Birds cut their losses with that Momma's boy, McReid is next.— Liberty4All
- Shanahan also hired a new kick holder and kicker today -- Lucy and Charlie Brown. They can't do any worse than the guys who botched the extra point last Sunday.— rhawnhurster
- Mcnabb is where he wanted to go..... Maybe he should have went to the Raiders at least there he had some weapons....— Smittyaecs
So don't lose to the Giants.- dumbest quote of the year,"Everybody makes mistakes and they made one last year" NOT!!!!— philsfan417
- Don't feel sorry for that punk and his loser family.— meltinlarrybok
- shanahan is an idiot, and so is mini-mike...— Navyfaninatl
- Comment removed.
- VOTE FOR DONOVAN FOR THE PRO BOWL - PROJECT DONOLULU IN FULL EFFECT. You don't even have to vote for any other players - spend 5 minutes voting for Donovan and let's rub this in Shanny's face.
http://www.nfl.com/probowl/ballot— sworrell - It would be a huge mistake to bring back McNabb. Just listen to his agent's drama today.— escapedcamden4monterey
- Yes, bring McNabb back to Philly. A much better backup than Kolb.— hallux
- Uh oh. Momma McNabb is going to sit on Shanny and squish his head.— hallux
- My prediction has come true. I had predicted on these boards before the season started that McNabb would be benched this season (it actually happened previously), and I was met with a lot of nonsense to put it mildly from the McNabb followers. Well there you go fellas, hows your Hall of Famer looking now.— watsonmr
- Where are all the McBlow lovers now? Andy Reid was a stupid dope you said a few months ago. Looks like the mcBlow lovers were stupid.— hititwheretheyaint
- Bring McNabb back to philly like they brought Cliff back. He would make a good backup for our franchise QB Mike Vick. Kolb is ok and all, but McNabb is a veteran QB and can mentor Vick on and off the Field.
I used to hate McNabb, but thats when he was playing. He would do ok as a backup here.— MyFirstCommentEveronThisSite - Shanahan is a lousy coach .. what did he win after #7 retired?— bill poore
- LoL, I just love you front running fans coming out of the closet when something negative happens to Mc5. I'd say a majority of you people became Eagles fan during Mc5's tenure in Philly.
Lets see, 3 months ago you guys were calling Vick, "ConVick" and all other mean things, but now you guys have the kneepads out. 3 months ago, everyone said how awful Reid is and how he'll never win, but guess what, those trust kneepads came back out because of Mc5.
At the end, Washington is a cluster****. I mean, the O-Coordinator is Shanahan's son, how has no accountability. The team is poorly constructed and poorly mismanaged. Mike's genius somehow turned one of the best defenses in the league to the very worst.
I think this will be a good thing for McNabb. I think he's been playing hurt, so he gets to let his legs heal early. He's been sacked and hit the most in the league behind an O-Line worst than ours. He may not be prime McNabb that we all loved when he was winning games for us, but he still has some of his skill sets.
If/when Andy Reid comes back down to earth and becomes Andy Reid again, we'll see you "true" fans again spewing hate again.— JmH Reborn - awwww...all the d-mac haters,feeling bad for him,u were the reason he was run outta here.his supporters were out numbered ,and finally.reid and his boys decided to run him out.yeah,he'splaying on a team with not much weapons as his eagle team,but this is the NFL,so theres some of the problem.the eagles traded him to the skins ..for what???.........well i wish him ell, and hopefully he can watch them improve the team so they can get to the playoffs,and he leads them there!
— t_darb_56 - Man, Mike Shannahan is f****** up. Let him finish the season (it's not like the Redskins are in playoff contention, or anything) and then cut him or release him. Donovan does not deserve this kind of humiliation.
— flyerdup - @madabout-there you go again throwing the race card flag Again,you and ppizza said McFraud would lead the deadskins to the east division title,you and ppizza said be careful what you wish for LOL,,i told you he was finished were's my props??? BHOP said 'he has no heart' is BHOP racist???— wolf 4
- Here we go. All the Eagles front office apologists, and WIP current and ex employees, are coming out saying "I told you so". WIP sponsors an event in which McNabb got booed at the draft, and WIP never apologized for its embarrassing behavior in catering to the lowest common denominator of fans. Eagles management arrogantly trades him to a division rival, leaking how they are going to be better off with Kolb anyway. Oops! Kolb isn't ready, but Michael Vick, whom they couldn't trade for anything approaching value, has bailed them out. The Patriots got away with this behavior(w/Drew Bledsoe) because they had Tom Brady and a very good defense. Most classy organizations don't behave the way the Eagles did, and they certainly don't behave the way the Redskins have behaved. If McNabb limited the Eagles' trade options(per the Eagles website), then he did himself no favors. He was never as good as HE thought he was, but now is an opportunity to re-apply himself, put the Eagles behind him, and play for an organization where he isn't expected to be a savior, who has a good O-line, a good defensive-oriented head coach, and an O-coordinator and QB coach who focus on his strengths.— 76erfn
- To "eldiablodelsol2009":Read both your posts. Two ways to look at them: 1)If they were meant tongue-in-cheek, then they were deliciously, acidicly, screamingly hilarious, and I bow down to a MUCH superior sense of humor! But I have read several of your posts on other matters, so I don't think that is the case. I think you are being dead serious. THAT makes your lunatic idiocy stand up and be shown for the mad ramblings of a mid seventies Black Panther-type hate-monger. I take it you are not now, nor have ever been, ANY form of football fan, because your imbecilic utterences bear no relationship to any form of knowledge about the game, the man, OR his history. Your type of ridiculous, unconcionably stupid dismisal of his situation due to racism borders on the pathetic. It is obvious you have no justification for this extremely agitating, horribly un-guided, steaming bowl of verbal manure other than your own unqualified semi-intelligible mental inadequacies. You owe all of us an apology, and ESPECIALLY Donavan! And if you have to ask WHY him.....you will never have any inkling of a clue. To save yourself further (eminently justified) embarassment, how about you send the next message to the Washington Post?— TBear
- Let the McNabb apologists start spinning this story into his favor. I'll get you started..... No weapons, the dog ate his playbook, the coaches did not put him in a position to win...... AND GO!
PS: I guess Andy Reid was a genius to get make such a marginal talent look like a Hall of Famer (except in big games) ;)— lostInPhilly - Reid is an arrogant b-----d but his move was brilliant. He strengthened the team and seriously damaged a division opponent in one trade. Too bad it couldn't have happened a lot sooner.— Bob1
- Andy Reid is a great coach and a pretty good talent evaluator. Contrary to McNabb, the Eagles and Andy Reid has always had his back. I guess he knows that now.— K.D.
- I always been a mcnabb supporter..because he wore the eagle green..he went to another team well hes the enemy now..i will say this one move describes this move by shannahan...classless...but i could careless cause he is no longer a eagle..as far as the race comments on here..u idiots rooting for the wrong color, it should be GREEN! GO EAGLES!!— bigjay215
- where are all the McNabb lovers? You know, the ones screaming that the Skins would win the East? I guess it Shanahan's fault that Mcnabb sucked all year - just like it was Andy's fault McNabb crapped the bed in the final 2 games against the Cowboys last year ????— jhjack
- I can't wait to see that idiot Wilbon on "PTI" tonight have a stroke on the air over this.
- Shanahan in Washington is exactly what the Eagles need to ensure domination of the NFC East.... one less team to be concerned about challenging for Philly's position on top of the division...... give Shanahan a budweiser and a contract extension...... Maybe it wasn't Haynesworth after all.
— Dexter 
The Redskins learned in 6 mths what the Eagles took 10 years to learn!— bill19666- Ya know, I was, and still am a Mc5 supporter. Doesn't mean I wasn't cussing up a storm when our defense let him beat us here at home! (Think where we'd be if THAT one had been a win!) So I'm not gonna cry for the guy at all. When he left here that afternoon, I just KNEW how smug-faced he looked, how much he wanted to gloat! (Trade ME willya! Showed YOU punkasses what-for didn't I!!) No, I'm not gonna bleed for a guy that made about 125 million in salary while here, and lots more since, and will so in the future....somewhere. And I am certain that if there had been NO change at QB, we would be about 6-7, 5-8 right now. The fact that we sit here at 9-4 with the defense the worst it's been in a decade, the right side of the O-line positively disgraceful, and Special Teams players not knowing the freaking RULES......is just astounding! True the D has manned up on a couple of occasions, but the losses to the Titans and the damn Redskins still make me puke. This might be Andy's BEST coaching job since he got here. With all that is WRONG with this team, the fact is only a very few things are RIGHT! We have strength, versatility, CAPABILITY, and dependability in our "skill" players, not the least of which is V-7. I just hope we beat the Giants and have the Division won after a win against the Vikings. That would make the Cowpatties game meaningless (unless somehow a win would get us a bye) and we could rest some folks, maybe rest Vick so he could be healthy for the first playoff game. FLY IGGLES FLY!!!— TBear
wolf 4 -- you are NOT an eagles fan you idiot. you will always be ex eagle wolf. remember calling vick convick and saying you are no longer an eagles' fan because they benched kolb? you fake a** fan, beat it. and stop calling me an mcnabb "apologist" because i was happy that he was traded, moron!- Wolf- I see you are still up to your closet racist comments! Why not? A jerk will always be a jerk! Too bad for McNabb!— madaboutit
- mcnabb is probably a better qb than he looks in washington (though still definitely past his prime). does anyone think the result will be better with grossman behind the non-existent o line?— dreinterests
- Although he cant hit a runner in stride, you gotta give him props for being really good at turning benchings into multi million dollar payouts.
- @will69,you and ppaizza are still playing the racecard game for McFraud,you attack phillyguyinva and adnantax for telling the truth,i'm not a racist i'm a native american we are the most discrimanated people in the country..McFraud is the racist with his PR team wilbon-irvin-smith-fletcher-mitchell-reese-douglas-ppizza-cyo etc etc when ever McFraud fails they throw out the race card flag,the bottom line is McFraud is finished as B HOPKINS said 'he has no heart'is BHOP racist???...wolf.— wolf 4
McNabb was a good quarterback when he had his legs, his mobility, and was able to be a threat to run. Once he got older and injured he became an average quarterback. He was always the most inaccurate "star" quarterback there ever was, and never exhibited the ability to consistantly perform well at big moments. Rush was right, although nobody in the chicken**** media will ever admit that because they would be instantly branded a racist.— blaqjaq- McChoke & Rush both stink! — Liberty4All
- Couldn't be more tired of the Mcnabb/Fletcher Smith 'woe is me/this is so disrespectful' garbage. The man has been overpaid for years. He's the 25th-rated passer in the league and has been at the bottom of the barrel all year long. Why is this such a shock that he's being held accountable for not performing??
- Dan Snyder is toxic - as long as he has ANYTHING to do with the Redskins, they will not succeed......— sarnell
-
People play the race card when they can not make a compelling or logical argument. BTW, it's funny that you (Will69) probably assume everyone you call a racist is white, wouldn't it be funny if they weren't? Here is a direct quote from Peter King at SI....is he racist too "
So now it's eight months after the McNabb trade to Washington, and a second highly respected quarterback guy, Mike Shanahan, has spurned McNabb. Whether you like the move or hate it (and I find the timing questionable, certainly, with McNabb having played better than average Sunday in the 17-16 loss to Tampa Bay), the one thing you have to admit is this: Two smart quarterback men have turned thumbs-down on McNabb in the span of nine months. You can defend McNabb all you want, and Lord knows he has his legions of defenders out there, but Reid and Shanahan are in the business of winning football games. Both have been to Super Bowls. Shanahan's won two of them. And both said they thought they could do better than McNabb"
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/moving_the_chains/Report_McNabb_benched_Eagles_trade_implications.html?viewAllLatest=y&text=#comments#ixzz18OqaceQE
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else— PhillyguyinVA - McDork— neddyflanders
- I'm by know means a Donovan McNabb fan, but if Grossman goes down does John Beck really give them a better chance to win than McNabb? I could never stand his "woe is me" attitude, but in this case I can understand McNabb feeling disrespected.
That being said, where are the national talking heads who kept telling Philly fans to be "carfeul what you wish for" when they were calling for McNabb's trade? God forbid one of them should step down from their self-built pedestals to admit they were wrong and we were right.— riles1875 - I, for one, will "step down from my pedestal" (although I'm not one of the famous talking heads you'd really like to see writing this). I was one of those who thought it was a mistake to trade #5. I was wrong to second guess Reid, who has been very successful at moving out players just past their prime while he could still get value for them. While the Eagles have been more successful than anyone could have hoped for with Mike Vick, we would have been better off even with Kolb than with McNabb. There, I've said it, and I feel better. — dlscholt
- I don't think McNabb's career is over. I see nothing about his skills going downhill. But it could be done in Washington. When you get pulled for Grossman, that says something about the coaches' view. It's not like being benched to get Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy on the field. To me, this is more of a coaching problem. It's not like the rest of the team is playing lights-out football.— tacklinjoe
- exactly how were BDawk and Westbrook treated in Philly? Like heroes from virtually every fan of this team. Management sent them away, as they do of all players regardless of color once management feels it is time to move on, but that doesn't change a thing when it comes to how all of us feel about those two guys, and so many other black players as well.
To cry race about every single thing that goes against black players is just absurd and cheapens all of the black players whom have a legitimate race-based beef. McNabb was idolized and supported in this city for most of a decade, and Westbrook and Dawk and Wes Hopkins and Wilbert Montgomery and Reggie White and so many others of the black race will be idolized for the rest of time.
McNabb doesn't deserve any compassion based on what he had to endure because he was black. It is unfounded and the fans of this almost-wholly-black team don't deserve to have to read it.— advantasux - phillyguyinva,wolf and advantasux are the biggest marks on this site, mcnabb was the man when he was in philly in 11 years he has more wins than Brett had in 16 in green bay, he throw for more than 215 TDs to 100 ints, who elese has numbers like that Tom Brady that who and the only differnce (besides skin color) is the pats have won superbowls because of their D, what super stars have been made in philly? bdawk and westbrook,AND LOOK HOW WE TREATED THEM, if it was not Vick this team until AR/Babyarm would be a joke (a bad one)if they do not make some changes on D they will not go far, How is the offense(under Vick) rated NO. 1 and the D is middle of the road? I hope Dmac is playing for someone else next season a real team and coach— will69
- People play the race card when they can not make a compelling on logical argument. BTW, it's funny that you probably assuem everyone you call a racist is white, wouldn't it be funny if they weren't? Here is a direct quote from Peter King at SI....is he racist too "
So now it's eight months after the McNabb trade to Washington, and a second highly respected quarterback guy, Mike Shanahan, has spurned McNabb. Whether you like the move or hate it (and I find the timing questionable, certainly, with McNabb having played better than average Sunday in the 17-16 loss to Tampa Bay), the one thing you have to admit is this: Two smart quarterback men have turned thumbs-down on McNabb in the span of nine months. You can defend McNabb all you want, and Lord knows he has his legions of defenders out there, but Reid and Shanahan are in the business of winning football games. Both have been to Super Bowls. Shanahan's won two of them. And both said they thought they could do better than McNabb"
Read more:— PhillyguyinVA - Say I can see Mac saying, OK I am out in DC, so I will come back to Philly to be a back-up to Vick. LOL Can you see it?— Koons
- McNabb will now have plenty of time on Sunday to play air guitar.— BobbyD
- I just read on Pro Football Talk that McNabb was demoted to 3rd string behind John Beck, another white guy. My point is irrefutable now. This is all being done because of his race.— eldiablodelsol2009
- Not because of race, it's because of skill. — K.D.
- Ouch! Poor Mc5... That whole situation is a mess! But we got Cliff Lee!— jimh27
- A couple observations: 1) Although everyone views Shanahan as a genius, no one seems to remember his disastrous stint coaching the Raiders. Shanahan is a gifted playcaller, but even in Denver he never proved to be a good judge of talent; 2) McNabb nixed potential trades to (depending on who you read) Oakland, Cleveland and possibly Buffalo. He WANTED to go to DC. Wish granted.— El Tel
- The Redskins are the Hotel California of football talent. Good players and coaches enter but they turn into mush. Has something to do with Dan Snyder's money. I think it's haunted!— mhstacks
- I watch most of the Redskins games on sunday ticket and he still looks bad in the short passing game.— escapedcamden4monterey
- @PhillyguyinVa showed the guts needed to tell it like it is and nailed it. And he's right, he will now hear what a racist jerk he is to have said such a thing.
Also, my props to @wolf, he was on this thing as fast or faster than any of us. "McFraud", indeed!— advantasux - love it! "5" sux. I think back to the shock shown by all the "5" defenders from ESPN the day he was traded, wondering how stupid Reid was to do such a thing and mourning on "5"'s behalf how horribly he was treated in Philly. What a joke all that is. The guy was propped up here by loyal fans hoping against hope he would eventually step up and deliver a big performance when it was needed, and it never happened. Instead, he goes to the Skins and they tire of him 2/3 of the way thru the first season, while the Eagles subtract him and are, that quick, poised for a deep playoff run.
Took us a couple years too long to finally be rid of him, and all the drama that had to accompany him, for fear of us being called insensitive or racist if and when we finally abandoned him. Funny how Mike Vick is the same color and the fans of this team have embraced him..— advantasux - Why is everyone upset now that Shanahan is doing this? Perhaps he wanted to do it a long time ago but kept giving McNabb a chance to paly better. Bottom line is, Andy once again, gets rid of an over the hill player before it's too late.— davew31
- because Shanahan was part of getting Donovan signed to a new contract — peteike
- Here is the simplest and most accurate truth but 75% of the people posting will deny it. McNabb has always been average to less than average. However, after Rush Limbaugh's assertations about him, it was deemed to politically incorrect to say he is in inaccuare, chokes in bi games, postsmonster numbers by adding 160 yards passing in 4th quarters of blowouts. Had it not been for Limbaugh, McNabb would have ben a career backup 4 years ago because the national media woudl not have made him out to be a great QB.— PhillyguyinVA
- no not really, mcnabb didnt pad all his stats in blowouts, thats just not true at all. I can agree that he was right in him being over rated but not by much, he was a decent qb people just expected greatness and a super bowl where there was none. Doesnt mean he wasnt better than most of the qbs in the league and I will never buy into the "he was spared criticism because of his color" and still dont believe it today. In fact hes one of the most criticized qbs if anything. At least now. — peteike
- McNabb screwed himself! Wasn't it rumored that he wouldn't accept a trade to Oakland or Cleveland? Both teams have been better than expected this year and probably would have been even better with McNabb than with the QB situations they have now! Plus, even if those teams would have been AS bad as the Deadskins, at least McNabb would have been in a better situation as far as coaching, O-line, ownership, etc. are concerned! You can feel bad for him but just remember he is at least partially to blame for his current situation!— DrTickTock
- in defense of Donovan, this is really Shanahan trying to blame all his players for his mis mgmt of the team. He has Haynesworth to blame on D, and now Dmac on O. That being said, you just have to laugh at this point.
http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/12/15/donovan-mcnabb-booed-at-lakers-wizards-game/— peteike - Cry me a f----- river,McFraud is the most overrated QB in NFL history,,finally BIG RED was able to cut the cord on McFraud,a few years too late in this fan's eyes..all the fans know I was in the forefront for the release of McFraud despite the personal attacks from the McFraud diehard's (philmeme-ppizza-zero77-birdsh**-iharibri-49cent-bleedgreen-CYO-oldman-grownman-babyboodah-elijah-etc-etc)..GO BIRDS!!GO MV7!!...wolf.— wolf 4
- I'm not a 'McFraud' blowhard but c'mon, with the talent he was given over his tenure here I think it's pretty impressive what he accomplished. Do I think he is one of the greats, not really but why that hate for a guy who brought the Eagles places no one else available would have? — djembe323
- Agree that McChoke is a McFraud, but Andy McReid can't adjust, manage his timeouts or the clock, and can't figure out a 2 minute drill. Let us not forget the mid-field position in the playoff game against the Saints, no timeouts, and Jeff Garcia pleading with him to go for it on 4th down - what does McReid do? He punts to the Heisman Trophy winner, Reggie Bush, and thinks he's getting the ball back with around 1:20 left on the clock and no possession or time-outs. McReid is a fraud - show him the door next. — Liberty4All
- I truly feel sorry for McNabb - reading the Washington papers, it appears that owner Dan Snyder is prepping to pull the trigger on the dreaded "rebuild" word. If that is what they had in mind, why in the H would they trade for a QB obviously on the downslope of his career with no young promising QBs in the wings to be mentored? I think the Redskins did McNabb a huge disservice, and I hope he can walk away from this organization at the end of the season and get on a team that actually intends on using him to win. Wiht that being said - I love the fact that Snyder and the over-hyped Shanahan will continue to keep the Skins inept for years to come!— CTL
- It is so obvious that just like here in Philly, McNabb is a victim of racism in Washington. When he was here, he was replaced by Kolb, who is white, and now he is being replaced by Rex Grossman, who is also white. Notice that last year when Vick could have replaced him, he didn't. Of course, Vick is black. McNabb has been a victim his entire career and has been prevented from reaching his peak because the old stereotypes about black quarterbacks lives on still. You would think Washington D.C., having just been released from the clutches of the Bush Administration and its war on women, gays, and minorities, would have treated McNabb better. It is a real shame.— eldiablodelsol2009
- Which makes alot of sense because Vick (a black QB) replaced Kolb (a white QB).
- cmon, this is just not true. I disagree with all the monday morning qb bashing of him now, but why cant people just see it as hes a decent qb, not great. 5 yrs ago he was a top 10 qb in the league and team (not just mcnabb) got them to all those champ games. Now hes lost a little and hes on a much worse team with less talent. Its more Shanahan trying to save his own job and putting the onus on the players instead of himself, mcnabb lead them to a tie with 9 seconds left last week and they fumbled the extra point. Also, not enough credit goes to Reid for making a lot of ok players look great because of his system. — peteike
- I have to say..I think the whole NFL owes us Eagles an apology. McNabb was viewed as dumbest move of the year coming from mouth from the likes of Deion Sanders and others. Andy Reid is now coming off a genius. Stealing a 2nd and 4th round for Mcnabb who will not even last a year in Washington. Who will also be playing elsewhere next year. Shanahan has not done ANYTHING since Elway but all of a sudden he was the 2nd coming in Washington??! I love the Redskins situation and circus. Only makes it easier for us to win against them every year. I say keep the circus going!— crohnkiller
- Let's not forget it wasn't Vick it was Kolb who suppose to be better than Mcnabb, not the rejuvenated Vick that we've been blessed wit. So without knowing how the story played out it was stupid to get rid of Mcnabb for Kolb......... — Juice728
- McNabb would have done fine for the 'Skins if Shanahan didn't destroy a good defense. Hell they would have one more games with a better kicker alone! McNabb is past his peak certainly but to think Grossman will be an upgrade... you gotta be kidding me. Shanahan is a joke and fool. — BarryG
- Shanahan has done nothing but make the Redskins worse. He has not handled the situation with McNabb well at all. It's not his direct fault Mcnabb sucks but he could of handled it better.
As well as throwing out a 4-3 scheme the Redskins had that a couple years ago was a respectable defense and instituting the 3-4. The redskins are now 32nd in defense, and ya Haynesworth is an a-hole, but if he just kept hte 4-3 that was successful he would be happy.— johnnysanz3 - #5 will be a viking in 2011,assuming there is a season...bet on it...i still can't believe no one else but andy reid saw mcnabb as a shot qb;the eagles fans sure did..sadly he is a shell of himself and he needs to be honest with himself...he's a backup from now on.— jabac
- Now that Childress is gone, I wouldn't bet on Minnesota. There are actually quite a few teams with really bad QBs that even a diminished McNabb would be a huge upgrade for.
- Where are all the #5 apologists who blathered and bloviated all summer about what 5 was going to do. He's going to do what he should have done here last year - warm the pines.— CiceroSpuriousDeodatus
Richard Saunders YOU ARE SO CORRECT!!! philly dot com is PAINFUL with all the sounds and stoopit blinking lights ad come ons that dont even lead anywhere and the pop ups and the retraded scroll action that makes using this site so free king pain full that as soon as Sheil Kapadia develops his website a little more completely i will BE OFF PHILL DOT COM FOREVER> cant wait
— daveH- Mike Boryla made the Pro Bowl one year after every other decent to indecent quarterback begged off, so maybe there's hope for McNabb. Wouldn't that be great?
I feel bad for McNabb but I _LOVE_ watching Dan Snyder turn the Deadskins into the Knicks.— paolibulldog - It appears to me that Shanahan's looking to see what he has in Grossman and whether he can make a difference as an alternative to McNabb. The season is pretty much a loss so why not assess the other components of the team in order to make the appropriate off season decisions. While I don't necessarily believe that this is the death knell for Mc5 in DC, I do believe that he is merely a shadow of the QB he once was.— Eddieboy
McNabb isn't the same QB he was even two years ago, but you have to feel bad for him considering the situation he got put into -- terrible owner, confused coach, dysfunctional locker room and no receivers to speak of. Reid really screwed 5, whether he meant to or not.— jpk- Mac5 always did what worked for him since he was a child. After all, it got him to be a #2 draft pick in the NFL, and to multiple NFC championship games and 1 misrible Super Bowl. If he ever would have put in the work and effort Mike Vick is putting in now, the Eagles would've never traded him and would have a Super Bowl ring to show for it. He was, is, and will forever be a lazy superstar to me. All the talent in the world but a mental midget. Too many times in his career Mac5 has made the same mistakes only to repeat them over, and over and over and over and over again. And over and over....— papabear702
He may be arrogant, annoying and uncommunicative, but year in and year out Reid makes way more good decisions than bad. One more example of dumping a very good player just past his prime, and actually getting something in return. I am 99% certain that had Kolb played all year, he'd have outplayed #5. I am 100% certain that Vick has been an off-the-charts improvement...- Such a shame what has become of Mac5. He truely was a good guy. Not a great leader of men, but he was a good guy. If only he would've understood what Mike Vick understands today, and that's that, for all the great athletic ability you have, it's only here for a short time so you have to put in all the work that it takes to be great. Mac5 never truely put in the work.— papabear702
Feel bad for 5 but he's not the same QB anymore.
Hey, I like the new pop-up at the bottom of Philly.com! It goes well with the auto play commercials. Can't wait to see how much cr@p Philly.com can jam onto one page.— Richard Saunders- I got rejected twice for agreeing with you in my own response, so if I don't mention certain phrases that the police obviously don't like, maybe this will go thru. Plain and simple, I agree with your second comment.
- CLOWN SHOW IN DC— RoastedBird
- I gotta say, more than anything this reflects on Shanahan. he just doesn't seem to have any idea what he's doing.— lefty1117
So what round pick do we get?— Matt Sherlock- Who cares - McChoke is gone. — Liberty4All
- Just so we are clear, we received Washington's second round pick last year (which is Nate Allen) PLUS we will get a fourth rounder this year. — Champs_2008
- Sherlock, go back and read the article and answer your own question. — hulk0455
- 4th as it stands now. 3rd if McNabb goes to Probowl as the 9 wins are out — crohnkiller
- 4th as it stands now. 3rd if McNabb goes to Probowl as the 9 wins are out — crohnkiller
- Can't we bombard the Pro Bowl voting and get Mc5 selected as an alternate and then hopefully all the real QB's will pull out like usual.— DennyP
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Sheil Kapadia is in his fifth season writing about the Eagles and the NFL for philly.com. His earliest
memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with
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