ASHBURN – When the Redskins traded for Donovan McNabb, they hailed the move as one that could turn the franchise around. Supporters pointed to Mike Shanahan’s past and what he had done with John Elway. That pairing ended with two Super Bowls.
But this one could end in a quick divorce.
Coach Mike Shanahan benched McNabb in favor of Rex Grossman for the final three games, saying he had seen enough to evaluate the quarterback over the first 13 games. And now this leads once more to questions about who will quarterback the Redskins in 2011 and beyond.
Shanahan said he made the move now because the Redskins are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. He wants to give Grossman a chance to see what he can do in this offense, as well as John Beck. The latter will be the No. 2 quarterback in the final two games; McNabb will serve as the No. 3 Sunday.
And once the season ends, the guessing games will begin.
“I told [McNabb] that I could not guarantee he would be back next year,” Shanahan said.
If he’s not, then the Redskins would have erred in surrendering two draft picks last April to acquire him. They gave Philadelphia a second-round pick in 2010 – and proudly boasted that McNabb was part of their draft class – as well as a conditional pick this year, either a third- or a fourth-rounder in 2011.
The Redskins also signed McNabb to an extension on Nov. 5. If they cut him before next season, they will owe him $3.5 million. However, if McNabb knows he will be a backup here, he could always try to get out of his contract and sign elsewhere – or he could be traded.
“You really don’t know that you made a mistake,” Shanahan said. “But if you do make one, you make it and you go on. What I want to do is evaluate where we’re at at the end of the season and then I will tell you if we erred or not.”
And if McNabb wants out, Shanahan said that’s up to the quarterback.
“I just can do things based on what I think is in the best interest of the organization,” Shanahan said. “All I can do is be honest. This is very tough on coaches and players but I’ve got to do what I think is the right thing.”
McNabb would not comment on the situation. He and Rex Grossman were told about the move after practice Thursday. Grossman said he found out after lifting weights. He spoke with McNabb afterward, as well as again on the phone that night.
“Donovan and I have a great relationship,” Grossman said. “I respect him and everything he’s been able to do. Everything’s good.”
But Grossman said he received hints that a change could be taking place. He said it wasn’t as much the number of reps he was receiving in practice; those had fluctuated throughout the year.
“It’s just the way people were talking to me, the type of reps I was getting,” Grossman said. “Usually I would get running plays to save Donovan’s legs. I had a few hints, but for the most part I wasn’t sure until I was told.”
McNabb is having his worst season since his rookie year. He has a 77.1 passer rating, has thrown just 14 touchdowns and has been picked off a career-worst 16 times. He’s only completed 58.3 percent of his passes, often missing open targets – as he did many times over the years in Philadelphia.
That’s not what anyone expected when he arrived.
“Everybody talks about just one guy,” Shanahan said. “When you put an offense together, you’re talking about a lot of different positions. I’ve been telling you that from Day One. It’s a combination of evaluating all those people. The quarterback can be the top quarterback in the league; if he doesn’t have the supporting cast, obviously you’re not going to be in the top five.”
The Redskins have made just two playoff appearances in the past 11 years, in large part because they’ve been unable to find a quarterback. A swing and a miss on McNabb sets the franchise back in that quest.
“A lot of times people make a decision and say, ‘We’re going to do this no matter what for the next three, four, five years,’ “ Shanahan said. “I’m not saying that. I said I’m going to evaluate everybody. I’m going to evaluate the draft, I’m going to evaluate these two players and come up with the best game plan. It could very well be Donovan. I’m just not making that commitment until I see everybody.”
But this is really a statement about McNabb considering his stature in the league, in the locker room and the price they paid for him, than about the other two quarterbacks. The Redskins would then be in the market for a quarterback in the draft. These next three weeks could be about seeing who keeps the position warm for the eventual successor.
And McNabb already has had his chance to prove his worth.
“I had a chance to watch somebody for 13 weeks,” Shanahan said. “The next three weeks is not going to change my mind.”
