Donovan McNabb Should Have Said No To Redskins, Dan Snyder

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.

Fat Albert, a Spectator at Redskins Circus, Not Stuff to Install Hope

If the hardest thing to master in sports is excelling beyond expectations, and Albert Haynesworth is one of the Washington Redskins richest players given an enormous deal, then Fat Albert is the biggest disappointment in the league, wasting the coaching staff’s time, and even some of his impatient teammates’ time.

The latest installment of the Haynesworth circus is seemingly upon us, tearing down the team’s chemistry with all the unhappiness and absurdity floating around Redskins Park, absorbing all the attention for failing to pass his conditioning test. But he’s a spectator at the Big Al’s Circus, disgruntled and creating havoc.

Haynesworth missed the Redskins offseason conditioning program because he refused to play in a 3-4 formation, installed and mandated by coach Mike Shanahan, whose fallout with Fat Albert is getting uglier it seems.

What is unfortunate for the Redskins is owner Dan Snyder wasn’t hesitant in signing a dramatic Haynesworth to a richer deal in which he has already earned $32 million in his first 13 months at Washington, collecting large amount of paychecks, but have nothing to show in return.

In short, he’s turned out to be a bust. He probably is the worst signing in free agency ever, acting poorly with a franchise that is too compassionate in allowing him to dictate and inflict principles within an organization. As with the disastrous drama and feuding, both sides obviously aren’t reaching a consensus understanding. And as much as Shanahan nitpicks and ridicules Haynesworth because he’s out of shape and overweight, he suddenly pulled a switcheroo.


The storyline in the nation’s capital is the deriding of the oversized, lazy 350-pound defensive tackle, described as a harmless underweight. So this is the position the Redskins are in. This was the year the hapless franchise looked to revamp itself, aiming for grandiosity by putting the horrid past behind them and contending in the NFC East.

But when a veteran misses more than a half of the offseason workouts at team facilities, it escalates to further troubles. Haynesworth, discontent with the newly installed defensive scheme and upset with Shanahan, has been disqualified from practicing without passing the conditioning test.

And now, he’s rebuffing on accepting a rigorous task in training camp, selfishly giving up on the Skins, even when one of the most polarizing owners in sports paid an oversized, overly praised star that is quickly dropping as a fallen star.

In other words, he was never a sturdy defensive end, but rather a callous mercenary who is now willing to abandon the Redskins, and not pay the organization a dime for taking a risky gamble on someone with a history of conduct issues.

By the time the season begins, Shanahan won’t see much improvement or a huge difference in weight loss or watch Haynesworth complete two 300-yard shuttle sprints in 25-yard increments.

When Shanahan accepted the coaching job at Washington, he began building a foundation by demanding guidelines and positive character. But as an intolerant coach, he evidently won’t allow Haynesworth to be a detriment to the franchise or a distraction, during his regime.


Shanahan is on the verge of losing Haynesworth, the highest-paid defensive player in the league.

Even though he’s a prima-donna and a self-absorbed player, he still is the primary defensive star on the roster. Still, Shanahan is the man with the leverage and the loudest voice on the Redskins practice field.

There’s no telling what happened after he collected a $21 millon dollar signing bonus in the spring. But we all know, in his first attempt, he failed the test last Thursday and disrupted the drill for a bathroom break. In his second attempt, he failed the test and become a bigger distraction by the hour at training camp. And for the entire weekend, he never participated and sat out with a sore knee.

The Redskins are expecting a lot this season. Along with the acquisition of Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb, who needs to perform at the highest level, the Redskins also need the presence of a defensive tackle, such as Haynesworth to perform his best.

It’s not jarring that Snyder spent foolishly on a rebellious player known for dazzling on the national scene since 2006 as a member of the Tennessee Titans, trusting him to help the Redskins rise on the national stage next season.

Instead of toughing up the lousy franchise, the presence of Big Al could backfire in the face of Snyder. Washington won four games last season, and hasn’t won an NFC title since 1991 or advanced to the playoffs since 2007. With Haynesworth around, it isn't helping.

The point of the matter is that Haynesworth’s knee requires an MRI, and he’s expected to undergo one on his sore left knee when Redskins mandate it. In order to play, he will have to meet Shanahan’s standards by passing the test before stepping onto the practice field. For whatever reason, Shanahan believes he’s not in shape or fit, but Haynesworth seems firmed and muscular. For whatever reason, Shananhan expects much from a defensive tackle in a fitness test.

Oh, I know, he’s using him as an example and placing heavy burdens on the shoulder of his vital defender, even when he acknowledged that Haynesworth missed significant time of practice last season.

Shanahan calls it a “preventative measure.” But his philosophy is teaching the fundamentals and methods, by practice, practice and more practice.

Yes, it has been a dreadful period in the nation’s capital.

And it could only become worst without the presence or distractions of Haynesworth.

It’s a wild circus in town, and may turn uglier in mere minutes. Hey, hey, hey!