1. McNabb was playing poorly. I don’t get the “disrespect” theme his agent, Fletcher Smith, is spouting. How was McNabb disrespected? I get that he’s better than Rex Grossman. But Joe Montana was shoved aside in San Francisco – where he had won. McNabb hasn’t done anything here that suggests he’s some untouchable. The tough part is convincing anyone that Grossman is a legitimate option. But this clearly is about finding out if Grossman could be a help next season as a backup or couple-game starter while some rookie gets ready. If McNabb had been playing well then you can talk about disrespect. He was not playing well. Then again, if he had played well they wouldn’t be 5-8. In Philly those bounced passes could be overlooked when DeSean Jackson is on your side and capable of turning a short pass into a long touchdown. But in Washington, those bounced passes meant missed opportunities.
2. It’s not just McNabb. Don’t misunderstand what I’m saying; McNabb is far from the only to blame in this situation. Look at the No. 2 receiver entering the season: Joey Galloway. And the No. 3 was a guy who had zero career catches and had spent more time in the Intense Football League than in the NFL. Now, Anthony Armstrong has blossomed, but the Redskins don’t have a legitimate gamebreaker on offense. The coaches made a ton of mistakes starting with personnel.
3. What I also don’t get is any sort of surprise in McNabb. When the Redskins acquired McNabb, they should have known at that time whether or not he was their guy for a few years. Sort of a lot of film on the guy. If you disliked his mechanics, did you really think they’d change much? Andy Reid has a terrific reputation as a coach and Marty Morningwheg has a great rep as a quarterbacks coach. This group isn’t better than that one. Yet the Redskins traded two picks for a guy they clearly weren’t sold on. This set the franchise back a year.
4. Forget Rex Grossman. This isn’t about him, aside from the next three games. And don’t be surprised if John Beck plays some too. This really is a three-game exhibition season. But there’s no way Grossman is a legitimate option. He’s a guy who struggles under duress; always has. He’s a small quarterback who lacks great mobility. Poor combination. Really, if you want to watch a Redskins quarterback of the future, flip on the bowl games. You have a better chance of seeing one in those games than you will in the next three. By the way, I was on Skinscast a couple weeks ago when the topic of playing Beck or Grossman was raised. My point was I wouldn’t play them – if you thought McNabb was your guy next season. Why risk ticking him off? But it’s hard to see him being the guy in 2011. It’s funny, too, because some people criticized the skepticism in the media when McNabb signed his contract and it was then learned there was a major out clause for Washington. Now you know why the media was largely cynical over the deal and what it meant for McNabb’s future in Washington.
5. I really have no idea how Grossman will play. I know what I saw this summer and it wasn’t good. Had one person who had seen him a lot in Chicago say he’ll look great in seven-on-sevens because there’s no rush. That’s about what we saw in camp. There’s a part of me that wonders what-if? But I’ve also seen other guys who “know” an offense as the No. 2 but can’t execute it as the No. 1. Know what those guys are called? Future coaches. Is Grossman one of those guys? Could be. His arm isn’t that great, which isn’t an issue if you know where to go with the ball. And maybe he can take more advantage of an offense with a strong running game, which McNabb couldn’t do last week vs. Tampa Bay. The Redskins left a lot of plays on the field. They had what they wanted: eight Bucs in the box in the second half. Yet they couldn’t burn them through the air. However, when McNabb needed to produce on the final drive he did. Funny thing is, that drive is what led to more cracks in the Shanahan-McNabb relationship. When a reporter asked Kyle Shanahan about what McNabb did well on that drive, the best Shanahan could say is that he threw the ball. Seriously? This is a guy who praised Joey Galloway and he couldn’t even say something positive about McNabb? That was a major tipoff. Or, rather, the last in a series of tipoffs.
