The biggest casualty from the Washington Redskins’ 20-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday was Mike Shanahan’s reputation. Let us not forget that at the start of training camp, when people were still questioning whether Shanahan was serious about going into the season with Rex Grossman and John Beck as his quarterback options, Shanahan said he would stake his reputation on that decision.
“I believe in the guys,” Shanahan told reporters. “And I’ve been doing this for a long time. And I put my reputation on these guys that they can play.”
Well, that reputation took a hit Sunday every time Grossman threw one of his four interceptions at FedEx Field before being lifted for the unheralded and unknown Beck.
You could also make the case that Shanahan’s reputation took another hit later Sunday night at Soldier Field, where Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb was pulled in favor of rookie Christian Ponder.
These are the two quarterbacks Shanahan chose to lead his team — McNabb last season in Washington and Grossman this year.
Would you buy a used quarterback from this man?
Shanahan was a quarterbacks coach and has a reputation of being a quarterback guru. If so, how could he whiff so badly on his first two quarterback decisions in Washington?
Is Shanahan so convinced of his convictions that he believes once he lays his hands on a broken quarterback, the player will heal and rise to greatness?
That may be the case. In fact, he reaffirmed his commitment to both quarterbacks in his Monday news conference.
There is no reason to believe, based on Grossman’s track record in Chicago — a turnover machine over six seasons — that he was going to be a different quarterback in Washington under Shanahan. That is, other than a belief that Shanahan would somehow transform Grossman into a reliable NFL starting quarterback.
To believe in Grossman is to believe in Shanahan.
Now all Shanahan has left to save his tattered reputation is Beck — who has a track record of indifference and invisibility with two teams in three seasons before he was traded to the Redskins in 2010.
Beck entered the game Sunday at the start of the fourth quarter and played well under difficult circumstances, going 8-for-15 for 117 yards and leading the team to its only touchdown of the game.
It’s a small body of work, though, to have any confidence in Beck’s ability as an NFL starting quarterback — other than Shanahan staking his reputation on it.
To believe in Beck is to believe in Shanahan.
Redskins fans still may be asked to believe in Grossman for a while longer if Shanahan decides to put him back on the field Sunday against Carolina and not start Beck — a real possibility.
Now that’s hard to believe.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected].
