As Donovan McNabb has been benched with three games remaining, the Washington Redskins have officially thrown in the towel on 2010, and why not. The Future already has begun in the DMV, and that future apparently does not involve the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback.

Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is using McNabb as a scapegoat, according to multiple players. The coordinator’s credibility has been questioned by players and members of the staff, according to team and league sources.

“The guys are extremely pissed,” one Redskins player told me.

–Jason LaCanfora/NFL.com

Mike Shanahan has made humiliating his veteran quarterbacks a tradition, becoming a practice as common as passing the mashed potatoes around the table at Christmas dinner. And Shanahan can afford to pass–the team is off the hook financially with McNabb after this season, and will take the next three weeks to audition former Bears quarterback Rex Grossman for the starting job in 2011. And while one could argue about Mike Shanahan’s tact or level of respect to his quarterback, the same cannot be said for his zeal to run his program to his liking, critics be damned. Read the rest of this entry »

The NFL’s highest-paid defensive player now has some extra time to shop for the Holidays. The Washington Redskins have deactivated defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth for the balance of their season, essentially ending the standoff between the former Tennessee Titan and Mike Shanahan, still in his first year on the job as head coach.

I’ve heard some rumblings that Mike Shanahan acts like a tyrant for little more than his own amusement, but really, what the hell else is he supposed to be? If he’s asking a subordinate, one getting paid handsomely at that, to do a job, and that guy says no, then what the hell is he supposed to do? You don’t roll out a burgandy-and-gold carpet for a guy that doesn’t fall in line. His refusal to cave into Haynesworth’s demands should be commended as a testament to the foundation that he’s attempting to build with the organization.

That’s not to say that the coach’s people skills are to be commended. The Redskins (5-7) are going to miss the playoffs again this year, and one could point to Shanahan’s handing of Donovan McNabb as the start of Where It All Went Wrong. Washington is 1-3 since the benching, and claims that Shanahan might have lost his team by sending Rex Grossman into what was still a winnable game against Detroit in Week 8.

Shanahan’s problem isn’t that he can’t coach, it’s that his tactics eventually p:ss everyone off. He got fired from Denver after an 8-8 season. You think Pat Bowlen wouldn’t shoot his mother in the face for an 8-8 season right now? He just fired Josh McDaniels, who traded away the assets that Shanahan actually had secured there, and his organization is now getting lapped by the Raiders. Mike Shanahan doesn’t look like such a big problem now. Only time will tell if the Redskins will feel the same way.

Everyone is still making a big deal of Mike Shanahan’s benching of Donovan McNabb’s benching against the Lions nearly two weeks ago. And FINALLY we get to cries from certain media outlets that Shanahan is probably just being a big fat racist. In which case, I have to hand it to the guy: trading for a black quarterback and starting him for the first eight games of the season is a really crafty way of showcasing his preference for whites.

Anyway, it’s a topic that, despite the Capitals’ early success and John Wall’s stellar play with the Wizards (more on that later today), has dominated the DC sports news cycle. Shanahan’s comments about Donovan’s conditioning and inability to learn the playbook have only added fuel to the fire. DC Sports Bog has a solid rundown of what was said, including this comment from John Feinstein, one of the great sports authors of our day that might finally have gone insane.

“The situation with Shanahan and McNabb has gotten completely out of control,” Feinstein says, above. “Shanahan simply won’t say ‘I made a mistake. I got mad at Donovan, I put Rex Grossman in the game and it was a mistake.’ Instead, the first spin is that he doesn’t know the terminology of the two-minute offense, i.e. he’s stupid. The next day, it’s, well, his cardiovascular, he’s out of shape, i.e. he’s fat. Now, he’s leaking to Chris Mortensen — who is culpable in this, too, because I guarantee he didn’t call Donovan McNabb for a response — that we had to cut the playbook in half because of McNabb.

“I think there’s racial coding going on here, and it’s my belief that that kind of behavior is worth firing a coach for. Dan Snyder’s not gonna do it, but I think it’s out of control.” Via.

Jesus, John. Take off the tin-foil yarmulke and come back to reality. By the way, if you’ve ever seen Mike Shanahan’s tan, you realize that he technically could pass for a “person of color.” Which makes it totally cool. But we’re way off topic here. My point was to illustrate that Shanahan screws over his quarterbacks (and sometimes even his team) despite their skintone. Read the rest of this entry »

After going 4-12 last season, the Fighting Dan Synders finally decided to take Jim Zorn out to pasture. They got him right between the eyes with a two-time Super Bowl winner by the name of Mike Shanahan. Ever since, Shanahhan has been making moves to put the team in a position to win. The trade for Donovan McNabb, switching to a 3-4 defense, and the signing of Larry Johnson and Willie Parker are just some of the redecorations the coach has made whilst cleaning house. His cleaning ladies are asking him to buy more Windex as the cleaning continues.

Shanahan said there was no update on whether Westbrook would agree to join the Redskins, for him his brother, Byron Westbrook, is a special-teamer. But the coach clearly expressed how he feels about the running back. “We want him,” Shanahan said. –USAToday

As a Redskins fan, I don’t think a lot of people can comprehend the frustration that comes with having Jim Zorn as the head coach of your football team. As much as I hate the idea of more Philly players coming to Landover. But I guess if they’re going to, they should go all out and bring back James Thrash and Jeremiah Trotter.

Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, perhaps spurned by the dismissive indifference from Bill Cowher, seems hellbent on bringing in a coach with Super Bowl jewelry. Wilson’s newest target seems to be former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.

The Bills, in fact, are scheduled to meet with Shanahan this week. And they fully understand, to even have that conversation, they must be prepared to pay more than the $7 million Shanahan is due to earn in each of the next two years as part of the balance of his guaranteed contract with the Denver Broncos, who fired him as their coach after the 2008 season.

“You’re probably talking about $50 million over five years and maybe even a piece of the team,” said a source close to Shanahan. “And by all indications, (Bills owner Ralph) Wilson is ready to have that conversation.” –NFL.com, via WGR 550

I hope Wilson plans on bringing back John Elway also. Shanahan seemed to be a much better quarterback coach with him under center. Just saying. But if Wilson moves the team to Toronto within 10 years, it could be a handsome investment for a coach. Plus it gives that guy a chance to own a piece of his success (presuming there’s any success to be had) in addition to a potential tax break.

Good move or not, it’s smart. Wilson knows that he won’t get first-tier talent without offering innovative compensation. It’s nice to see a small-market team actually making an effort for once.

Word hit the street yesterday that former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan was contacted by Redskins owner Daniel Snyder about his availability as a midseason head coaching replacement for the embattled Jim Zorn. Suddenly, football coaches are episodes of “Burn Notice” that can be plugged in interchangeably at a moment’s notice. That’s the Dan Snyder we know and loathe.

“Shanahan told the franchise there was little he could do in the middle of the season for them and that changing coaches during the season in the NFL rarely works,” a Redskins management source told FanHouse. “Several people that Dan Snyder trusts have suggested, if he makes a move, he should turn it over to secondary coach Jerry Gray. That could still happen.

“We are trying to give Jim every chance to turn it around. The move to [bring in offensive consultant Sherm] Lewis is to take more off Jim’s plate, especially the play-calling, because it is not working, and that is where Jim is spending much of his time. Now he can coach the entire team. Let’s see where that gets us.” via.

The Redskins are running out of winless teams in the league to play, and one only wonders how much good Snyder and his antics will be in fixing this mess. It’s hard to believe somebody that’s friends with Tom Cruise could find himself in such competitive peril. Even if the Danielskins could get Xenu to call the plays, it still wouldn’t fix a team that’s so schematically flawed. I blame Jason Campbell. And the Jews. But mostly Campbell.