We have ironically many feuds and emotional drama in our lifetimes, from the Jon and Kate messy divorce to the McCourt’s dispute in court to the Paris Hilton troubling news.
Before the game on Monday night, the heavy talk circled the latest confrontation involving head coach Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb, a veteran 15 days removed from spending time on the bench after he was replaced by Rex Grossman near the end of a disheartening loss to the Detroit Lions.
Either way, that is, the Washington Redskins manifests itself in a league of much enigma and still hasn’t rendered basic fundamentals under Shanahan's brilliance. If there is one perception that seems outlandish, from the inexcusable McNabb benching, it’s dauntlessly given him a five-year, $78 million contract extension at a time when the Redskins are unproven and disoriented as far as fostering unity and protecting chemistry among the coach and quarterback.
And now, after the entire world witnessed a throbbing 59-28 loss at FedEx Field to the Philadelphia Eagles, it was the most humiliating loss the Redskins have endured in years while under immense scrutiny for owner Dan Snyder’s boneheaded decisions by wastefully signing high-profile stars that dismantled his underachieving franchise.
The bonanza is drawing much publicity, as usual, at Redskins Circus, quickly becoming a laughable setting in sports because of Redskins foolish blunders and Snyder’s hellish 12-years in which he has destroyed his team.
Every year, he is blamed for the Redskins struggles, and befuddles us with his mystic decisions in building a high-profile franchise by giving his players enormous paychecks.
As long as he is the chairman of a much-scrutinized team with overexposed talent, his Redskins will always expose futility and sketchiness. Only if he realized that, while his product continues to accumulate as a brand because of the fond supporters in the realm of D.C. sports, his franchise is presenting a tragicomedy in sports.
The Redskins, a team that seems more like a Simpson’s episode, are labeled as a dysfunctional franchise. And so, here in the late stages of his career, McNabb is tied to a poorly run business, a team that already lacked gratitude, a team that already embarrassed him for their faulty decision by benching McNabb in favor of Grossman.
Wait, who? Yes, the inconsistent Grossman.
What were Shanahan and team executives thinking of allowing this to happen?
We may never know what took place or went wrong, but we cannot dismiss the mistreatment of McNabb. In the wake of his benching, maybe this was an inkling of bad karma for the Redskins Monday night when the Eagles basically manhandled them by jumping to a 35-0 lead in 15 minutes, nine seconds.
In the end, the Redskins somberly walked out, the crowd had made its way to the exits and no longer had the patience in witnessing one of the worst games in NFL history from the stands as the rain poured.
What happened Monday night added to the dismay on the day McNabb had signed a five-year contract extension. Snyder strongly believes in the aging veteran, considering his underperformance with the Redskins. Ordinarily, in recent memory, the Redskins have targeted players without valued marketability, and accepted the availability of players well past their primes or players who were bust.
Not too long ago, McNabb had been benched for his subpar performance, and as much as he continues to age, he is unlikely to be with the Redskins another five years. So why sign him to such a long-term deal?
If the Redskins keep playing like a JV team, as if all their games are played in a schoolyard, expect a choosy Snyder to once again weigh his options and dump McNabb.
As the ever changeable owner, he has dismissed a legion of coaches and hired a multitude of new ones. As a confounded owner, he has given additional money to unproven players and allowed them the benefit of the doubt. As the baddest owner ever, he has dismantled his own franchise, more concerned with his ego and finances, but has never been concerned with advancing to the brightest stage in football or embracing the noteworthy holiday in sports.
If the Redskins had the intentions of signing McNabb to a much richer deal, Snyder had ample time to extend his deal in their bye week. But unlike most organizations, he waited hours before kickoff of a nationally televised game and forgot he played poorly in prior weeks. More stunningly, though, he seems content with a franchise that wrongly sent him to the bench. He was infuriated over the benching, but never advertised his disillusionment publicly and stayed to himself for much of the week.
When he arrived to Washington, he was welcomed and adored by the cheerful population, but hastily fell as the centerpiece of the franchise and began committing blunders on the field. If Snyder assembles talent and works aggressively to put forward a deal, it normally backfires and sabotages his team.
There are some, Snyder, in particular, willing to endorse McNabb while the fallout provoked ridiculous drama, and empowered the citizens to believe McNabb's benching was dumb and badly mishandled.
The timing of McNabb’s contract extension couldn’t come at a worst time, and on a night that he gazed at his replacement, Michael Vick showcased his dynamic, six-touchdown performance. It’s never surprising when McNabb is criticized for a paltry performance, regularly humiliated by his critics and even his coaching staff.
The baffling thing is that he’s willing to finish his career with a team with poor management and misguidance.
Besides, he should be tired of being accused for demoralizing defeats, especially when his coach Shanahan bullies his star player. It’s clearly understandable that he doesn’t quite bond with offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan, Mike’s son. And lately, Shanahan has protected his son by foolishly benching McNabb because they felt he hadn’t adjusted to the play calling. He is a typical father who pampers his sensitive son.
Deemed as a brainless quarterback, McNabb really isn’t as stupid as people think he is. Mind you, he’s a very savvy pass thrower, if people are kind enough to reduce the criticism and give him some time to learn Shanahan’s tactics.
With Shanahan in control, he has had turbulent relationships with players in the past and bullied Albert Haynesworth in the offseason when he tried to use him as an example in voluntary workouts and mandatory minicamps. The bottom line is, of course, Shanahan made a severe mistake with his handling of McNabb. As for his boss psyche, Snyder wastefully spent and destroyed his franchise.
It’s obvious that Snyder doesn’t know how to run his business.
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