Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan’s pulling of quarterback Donovan McNabb was not only a local topic. It dominated all of the postgame programs on TV and radio starting Sunday around 4:15 p.m. and grew into a national story that won’t go away until the Redskins face the Eagles on Nov. 15.
The criticism started with a couple of former head coaches, NBC analyst Tony Dungy and the NFL Network’s Steve Mariucci. They, however, marked only the beginning of the national backlash.
Dungy » If I’m Donovan McNabb, I’m hot. I’m your starting quarterback. As a coach, I can’t take you out of the game when we have a chance to win if I believe in you. This tells me they don’t believe in him. What you’re saying is “I don’t believe in my quarterback.” And to me, you cannot do that unless you plan on making a quarterback change.
Mariucci » I’d like to ask Mike Shanahan in private: “Really, what’s going on here?” There’s no reason that Donovan doesn’t know the two-minute drill for the Washington Redskins. I’m baffled by that decision.
Deion Sanders (NFL Network analyst) » I don’t think that was his decision. I think that came from his son [offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan] … That makes no sense to disrespect Donovan McNabb that way. He’s a pillar of respect in this league. You are going to lose part of the locker room unless you call a team meeting and explain the situation.
Peter King (NBC NFL Insider) » Obviously Donovan McNabb’s contract is up at the end of this year and now the Washington Redskins have to be asking themselves, general manager Bruce Allen and coach Mike Shanahan, “Do we want to pay Donovan McNabb $15 million a year going forward if we don’t know if he should be in the game at the two-minute warning?” And does Donovan McNabb want to play in Washington?
Matt Mosley (ESPN NFC East Insider) » I was sitting in a press box in Arlington, Texas, when word started to spread of McNabb’s benching. Redskins coach Mike Shanahan apparently played a hunch, and it backfired immediately. I’m not saying McNabb would’ve led the Skins to a late touchdown, but putting Rex Grossman into a game cold to run a two-minute offense is just ridiculous.
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
