I’ll have more to say on the subject later, but here are my quick thoughts on the Albert Haynesworth suspension:

-First, I’m disappointed with Haynesworth for not handling his frustration in a more mature manner, by playing out this season and then demanding a trade. It would have been the best thing for him in the long run and gone a long way to making his next job a heck of a lot easier.

-Everyone who thinks that Albert Haynesworth was a bust needs to watch game film, because he is by far the Redskins best player. His tackles and sacks might be light, but that has more to do with the fact of the schemes that they have used him in. Right now he leads this team in TFL and is 2nd in sacks and QB pressures, not too shabby considering the facts.

Haynesworth had missed 4 games, and averaged maybe 20 snaps in the 8 games that he played. Furthermore, Haynesworth received more double and even triple teams than any other Redskin. His presence last year went a long way with Orakpo and Carter having double-digit sacks. Despite playing in two new systems that didn’t play to his strengths, Haynesworth had a noticeable impact in games and forced teams to change strategies or commit penalties.

-The Redskins mishandled this from day one. You don’t go out and grab one of the best defensive players in the game and not play to his strengths. That would be like if the Saints became a run first team when they signed Drew Brees. You brought Haynesworth in for a reason, to be disruptive in the backfield, so asking him to be either a read and react DT or a NT, would be akin to asking Alexander Ovechkin to just play defense and pass the puck, or Albert Pujols to only try to hit singles. And it’s not like it is an earth shattering concept either, since the Redskins changed to the 3-4 to allow Brian Orakpo to be a better pass rusher, and moved LaRon Landry to SS so he could play to his strengths. Playing Haynesworth just on passing downs made zero sense, especially since despite that he still leads the team in tackles for a loss.

-Why is Albert Haynesworth the scapegoat for this team? If you listen to the fans, read the media reports or hear Shanahan talk , you would think that Haynesworth is to blame for the Redskins 5-7 record. Really???? Because last I checked the Redskins are just 1-3 in games that Albert doesn’t suit up, and 4-4 when he does play. Now that is a bit of a simplistic way to look at it, but with the exception of the Cowboys game, Albert had good games the other 7 weeks. In fact there were some weeks that he was either the best defensive player, or make a game saving play despite the limited snaps. Is Haynesworth to blame for any of it? Not really, just about every offseason move, be it draft pick, trade or signing has been a huge mistake for the Redskins this season, yet somehow Haynesworth is the one everyone is talking about. I just don’t get it.

-Why does Shanahan seem to coddle every other player but ‘Big Al’? Is it purely an ego thing? Is it that Haynesworth objects to the way he is being used? When Shanahan and McNabb had issues, Father and son made every excuse in the book for the move and also to defend why McNabb hasn’t been playing well. And they went so far as to give him an extra $3 million this year, for the right to overpay him the next year and into the future if they so choose. Despite all that hand-holding, McNabb’s numbers have gotten worse since signing his extension. And guess what? Haynesworth made more plays in that Titans victory than McNabb did (though he did actually convert some 3rd downs). Maybe if Shanahan geared his defense towards Haynesworth like he has for other players or hold his hand and make excuses like he has for McNabb, maybe Haynesworth wouldn’t have fought back. Because guess what else?  He could have put Haynesworth, Orakpo and Landry all in a position to succeed, as it wasn’t one or the other.  Which could have actually led to the Redskins being a fun team to watch instead of the embarrassment they have been this season.

Saints -6.5 @ Bengals: Cincinnati may be at home, but they have no shot in this game as they are imploding fast. The Saints will need to keep pace in the NFC South so I expect them to play their best football. Saints win easily 35-20.

Bears -4.5 @ Lions: I’m really a bit fan of the Lions as they really seem to be turning the corner, but all my hope for them stops at Drew Stanton. If Matt Stafford or Shaun Hill were quarterbacking this team then I’d say they had a shot, but I don’t feel quite as confident with Drew Stanton. Bears win 27-20.

Jaguars +3 @ Titans: I never would have believed it if you told me, but the Jaguars are leading this division right now and I expect them to defend their first place standing. Tennessee needs to hope Kerry Collins can still get the job done, but he is far from a 100%. Tennessee will keep it close, but remember the Jags are actually getting three points in this game. Jacksonville wins 24-21.

Broncos +9 @ Chiefs: The last time these two teams met the Broncos ran up the score on the Chiefs, something I’m sure Kansas City hasn’t forgotten just yet. I’d look for the Chiefs to have an answer for the Broncos passing attack at home today, and I think Kansas City will put on an offensive show. The Chiefs might not be able to put up as many points since they are more of a run first team but I’d look for them to cover. Chiefs 35-17.

Redskins +7 @ Giants: Seven points is a big spread for the Redskins, who really haven’t been blown out of too many games this season, but I think it will be enough for the Giants to cover. New York’s receivers are banged up right now, but at the same time so is the Redskins secondary. Even with the Giants being without their top two receivers, I think they have a better passing attack than Washington. On top of that the Giants grade out with a better quarterback, rushing game, offensive line and overall defense. Now I think the Redskins can keep this game close despite their injuries, but I don’t see how they can consistently score against that Giants Defense. Giants win 28-17.

The Redskins suffered a rash of injuries in Sunday’s game against the Titans, while some of them hurt the Redskins chances of winning, some might be a blessing in disguise. Here is a list of some of the players that were injured (or already were and the backup plan(s):

Clinton Portis, Chad Simpson, Ryan Torain: Knock on wood, but right now Keiland Williams is the ‘Iron Man’ in the backfield for the Redskins, as he has finished the last three games as the team’s sole healthy running back. Simpson has already been put on IR to bring up 2nd year back James Davis, but a serious question remains involving Portis. With re-aggravating his groin injury, he as well might be done for the season. He may be placed on IR to sign another running back or even add a player at another position. While losing so many backs hurts, it is good to evaluate Williams and Davis these next couple weeks, since both could have bright futures.

Artis Hicks, Derrick Dockery and Casey Rabach: The offensive line is even more banged up than the running backs, but all is not lost. Casey Rabach has had a good Redskin career, but I think the game has passed him by. Will Montgomery filled in extremely well for Rabach, and at the very least gives the Redskins a better chance of winning. Now it was just one game, so it could have been a fluke, but it is possible the Redskins found their future center in Montgomery. Even more impressive than Montgomery’s performance, was that of Stephon Heyer. Now Heyer is pretty much the butt of every offensive line joke in Washington, but he played well well called in to play guard. Heyer has no business being a tackle, but for some time I’ve wondered if he would make a better guard since he wouldn’t have to deal with speed rushers. It could be (or at least should be) a fit going forward.

Now the real question is depth, it is almost a guarantee that Rabach is out this week, and the likelihood of Dockery and Hicks being healthy isn’t great either (maybe one will be a go). Even if the best case scenario both are ‘healthy’, I don’t think you can count on them for the full game. I think the Redskins need to add at least one if not two O-linemen this week. 7th round picks Selvish Capers and Erik Cook are sitting on the practice squad and would be the likely replacements. The question is whom do you release/place on IR to pick them up. I honestly believe either Rabach or Dockery could be placed on injured reserve, with another spot coming from Portis going on IR. I doubt they cut a defender since they have their own depth issues. Either way it would be good to get the rookies some game experience, even if it is just on special teams.

Carlos Rogers, LaRon Landry, Anderson Russell: The secondary is the one area where there really isn’t a silver lining with the injury report. Landry is pretty much out for this week and it is possible he could miss another week after that. Rogers has a better chance of playing this week, but he could be a no go as well. Even if he does his hamstring could be re injured at any time. Anderson Russell was a replacement for Chris Horton and would fill in for their third safety role. With him on IR the Redskins only have two safeties on the roster and one guy they just picked up last week on the practice squad. They still have a roster spot open to add a safety so that isn’t a problem, but they need someone who they feel confident helping out and who can backup both the free safety and strong safety positions.  Right now the secondary is a huge issue and it could be exploited by opposing offenses.

1. Run the Ball Early and Often: Now this of course assumes that you aren’t 21-0 after 6 minutes, but the Redskins need to run the ball effectively today if they want to win. Now the Redskins tried this last week, running on three straight plays on their first drive and they had to punt, but they had to abandon the run pretty soon after (note* don’t run on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd down on your first drive, it is okay to pass). Overall though the Redskins will need to keep the ball out of the hands of Chris Johnson and Vince Young if they hope to win. Also, for as bad as the defense was overall last week, the offense didn’t do them any favors by eating up clock, or giving them a short field. Now Ryan Torain is out and Clinton Portis is working his way back from injury, so Keiland Williams will need to do most of the dirty work (*Note: Please have 3 running backs active, it shouldn’t be that hard) but I think he is up for it. Williams ran hard against the Eagles and had the game been close, would have had a better chance to showcase himself.

2. Don’t Turn the Ball Over: The Redskins have been more turnover prone these last couple of weeks and it has really begun to hurt the team (although the 3 picks last week weren’t what cost Washington the game). The Redskins don’t have the overall offense that they can absorb a couple of turnovers and it not be a major difference. There inability to be a scoring threat on every drive, means they can’t afford to give the ball away at all. Also, their turnovers have given their opponents great field position, leading to a good number of points.

3. Try converting a 3rd Down: The Redskins last week were unable to convert a single 3rd down for the entire game, and are by far the worst 3rd down team in the NFL. The Redskins have to move the ball, but they also have to execute on 3rd downs if they have any chance of winning. Not only does that sustain drives and usually lead to some points, but it also keeps the defense off the field giving them a rest.

4. Get Fred Davis involved: Davis last season had a breakout performance for the Skins when top tight end Chris Cooley went down. This year though he has been largely overlooked. Yes Cooley is back, but there isn’t anything in the rule book that you can’t utilize both tight ends (note* to Shanahan and McNabb). Yes I know the woeful performance of the offensive line, means that Davis stays into block, but they still have to find away to get him involved. Davis could be a major weapon underneath, one that has the athleticism to pick up big gains after the catch.

5. Get pressure on Vince Young: The Redskins secondary is hurting with both Carlos Rogers and Laron Landry out of the game, so the front seven need to step up. You can’t really afford to blitz much from the secondary so your 4 man rush will at least have to try and hurry Young. Young, like Vick last week, can hurt you with his legs, but if you give him time he will find an open receiver.

6. Stop Randy Moss: It won’t be easy without Landry and Rogers, but the Skins have to shut down Randy Moss if they want to win. Big receivers have killed Washington all year (honestly they haven’t faired much better against little guys like DeSean Jackson), and with the injuries in the secondary Moss could have a field day. There is no easy answer on how to stop Moss, but I’d suggest trying to double-team him early and make some other receiver beat you. Hopefully Moss will be so frustrated that his own bad attitude will take him out for the rest of the game.

7. Contain Chris Johnson: You can’t stop Chris Johnson so don’t even try, but you can hope to slow him down, and that is what the Skins need to do. Part of it is keeping him off the field, another part is scoring to put more pressure on Tennessee, and the final way is to stack the box. By stacking the Box the Skins could expose their deep passing defense, but it is worth the risk to contain Johnson.

8. Play Albert Haynesworth: Haynesworth should be on the field for the majority of the game regardless, given his talent and ability, but that has to be especially true today. Haynesworth is heading back to Tennessee for the first time, and I’d expect him to be emotionally charged looking to play his best game. On top of that no defensive lineman has Haynesworth’s speed and ability which will come in handy against Vince Young and Chris Johnson. No he can’t outrun those guys, but he can help cut off lanes and break up plays. Given the Titans speed there is little reason why the base 3-4 package should be used (though given their plan for Vick I’m sure it will be) much since those guys can’t hope to contain Young/Johnson. The Redskins need to put their speediest defenders on the field, and that includes Albert Haynesworth.

Score Prediction: 31-20 Titans

By Guest Blogger John Manuel:

I was there Monday night.  I got to see first hand a beating like I have never seen in person.  The only thing worse is now hearing about the sh*t talking of D Hall and LaRon Landry to Desean Jackson pregame.  I wish these guys could back up their talk more than making just a play or two a game.  But my real perspective is where is this team headed in the future.  One real question I will have to see answered is can Shanny make up for Vinnys mistakes?

Although it was the first time in nine games the Skins were not at all competitive, I am very worried where this is heading in the future.  Did Mike Shanahan look at the roster before he decided to come here?  There are way too many holes to fill anytime soon.  I am someone who defends the McNabb trade, the resigning and him being our quarterback for the next couple seasons.  But we will need another quarterback unless John Beck is some hidden talent.  Without a 3rd or 4th round pick is Shanahan willing to use a 1 or a 2 on a QB when they need talent at almost every position?  We are paying for the price for the 10 years Vinny Cerrato was associated with this team.  We are truly bare at wide receiver, interior offensive line, defensive line, cornerback (yes, cornerback because Deangelo Hall gets worked out there)  and Free Safety.  I think at linebacker we can survive a couple years especially if they go back to the 4-3, but Lord London Fletcher isn’t going to be able to go forever.

Usually I try to be humorous, but Vinny Cerrato jokes just get me pissed off.  If we want to be good the next couple years I think the only solution is with the new labor deal.  I think we have to hope for a no salary cap-no franchise player situation where we can use Dan Snyder’s money to accumulate younger first time free agency talent.  I hate the Yankees, but we may need to pull a Yankees.  Even though I don’t see this coming.  Washington could possibly trade McNabb to Arizona or someone else and get a pick.  If we stay with the 3-4, we gotta take what we can for Big Al in the off-season also.

Speaking of the Yankees, it is interesting to see where these Derek Jeter negotiations go.  If it is true that he will turn down 3 years at $21 million per year, I can only laugh.  As my one friend joked, I thought it was a 3 years for $21 million total.   He is of course a lock for the Hall of Fame and has had a great career as player, a leader and a big game player but do they owe him that much?  Its not like he was pulling a middle of the road salary the past 10 years.  He has made over $200 million dollars from the Yankees.  And he is fortunate to play for a $230 million a year salary team and in New York which has made him more of a star.  It would be a tough PR move to do a take it or leave it deal with Jeter, but I think they have an argument for it.

Trust me I can’t stand Desean Jackson, but it kills me still that we passed on him for Devin Thomas.  He should be running backwards and taunting into the end zone for us.  While Devin Thomas tries to skip Eagles practice to be in the new Rihanna video.  Man, Vinny sucked.  He really did.  I remember how everyone questioned him on that draft 3 seasons ago and he wouldn’t shut up about Chris Horton being a 7th round pick.  That’s working out well two years later.  Real football people must have laughed every time they saw a transaction with the Redskins next to it during Vinny’s time.  I wish I could be positive, but seeing what we have for talent scares me.

Many have questioned moves that Mike Shanahan made in Denver once he controlled personnel.  He will be under a much heavier fan watch here in DC than he was in Denver.  And its going to take alot from the feeling I get on the team’s talent level.  Gaining draft picks is the way most teams will go but that’s not a sure bet here.  Shanahan isn’t here to do a full rebuild and he needs to win soon.  I just hope moves of Gibbs 2.0 and Cerrato aren’t the way to go.  Although maybe Brandon Lloyd was worth a 3rd and 4th round pick?

First, I must say that this post has a much happier tone, compared to what I thought I’d be writing when I heard the news of the Donovan McNabb’s apparent 5 year $78 million deal. Now after everything is clarified, much of my anger has subsided. But I still believe there are some serious concerns with this deal, with both the reality of it and the spin created in the media.

Adam Schefter was the first to break down the real details of this deal, here is the break down of the new contract according to Schefter:

“Here is how the rest of the full deal breaks down, according to an NFLPA source:

• 2010: $3.5 million signing bonus/$250,000 if active eight games

• 2011: $10 million option bonus/$2.5 million salary/$750,000 if active 16 games/$250,000 workout/$2 million possible playoff incentives

• 2012: $12.75 million salary/$750,000 if active 16 games/$250,000 workout/$2 million possible playoff incentives

• 2013: $13 million salary/$1.5 million if active 16 games/$250,000 workout/$2 million possible playoff incentives

• 2014: $13.75 million salary/$3 million if active 16 games/$250,000 workout/$2 million possible playoff incentives

• 2015: $13.55 million salary/$2.25 million if active 16 games/$250,000 workout/$2 million possible playoff incentives”

The good news is the only thing guaranteed in this deal is the $3.5 million McNabb will be paid the rest of this year. This gives the Redskins the chance to back out of this deal at anytime, and doesn’t force them into any ‘dead money’ situations down the line. On the downside the Redskins are vastly overpaying McNabb, and that could affect them in terms of signing other major free agents.

Now look don’t get me wrong $3.5 million guaranteed is much easier to swallow than the $40 million that was reported, but I’m not going to call this a huge win for the Redskins to overpay McNabb. Many reporters and pundits are trying to call this firmly in the Redskins department as being a good thing, but it only looks that way compared to what the deal was first reported as. *Editors Note: I’m completely ignoring the playoff incentives because after last night’s performance, that shouldn’t even be in the discussion.

NFL analysts a lot of times talk about how guaranteed money is all that is really important in contracts, but that isn’t always entirely true. Yes guaranteed money is important, but you also have to look at expected earnings. If the base salary is extremely high and the player is expected to be on the roster it is all but guaranteed. Yes the Redskins can take this on a year-to-year basis, but each and every year they ‘agree’ (i.e. don’t cut him) they are then essentially turning that into guaranteed money and that is problematic, because they are still overpaying.

I think baring some drastic falling out the Redskins will pick up McNabb’s option bonus and salary next year (theoretically they could pick up the bonus and then trade him, but I don’t see that happening), meaning McNabb will account for $13.5 million against the cap next year. Is there anyone who can look at me with a straight face and say McNabb is worth that money? And what is scary is they will in all likelihood take on his 2012 salary as well.  I am in complete agreement with NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora that this is essentially a two year extension more or less guaranteed.

Now I realize plenty of people will want to argue that point and say that it really isn’t guaranteed, but can anyone really envision the Redskins getting out of this deal before 2012? If McNabb can have a completion percentage, 1st down percentage, and QB rating near the bottom of the league and he gets a pay raise this year and a new deal going forward; what would it take for them to get rid of him before either of the next two seasons? So for me I’m going to look at this as a 2-year extension and I will give him the bonuses for being on the active roster for the entire time (if he isn’t due to injury or ineffectiveness the Skins have bigger issues), as well as the workout bonues. I’m also not taking into account the $12 million plus he was already owed this year, since they assumed that risk a long time ago. In my eyes between his salary increase this year and his money for the next two years McNabb just netted $31 million or $15.5 million a year. Now it could be a million or two less based on workout bonuses and games played, but I think it is a fair estimate.

That is WAY too much money for McNabb (even if $3.75 million of it never counts against the cap) and it could hinder the Redskins ability to fix their roster with free agents who actually deserve their money. And that is why I’m against this deal even with the ridiculously low ‘guaranteed money’. McNabb might not have a lot of money ‘guaranteed’, but he has to know that at least the first 2 (if not 3) years of this deal will be picked up. And the reason that he knows this is that almost every fan and pundit was in his corner for his benching despite his subpar numbers. Also, considering that the youngest quarterback on this roster is John Beck (gulp) and the Redskins wasted two high picks to trade for McNabb, they aren’t in a great position to upgrade their quarterback spot (it’s possible, just not as easy as it should be). With knowing that, McNabb should have every assurance he needs to be one of the league’s highest paid quarterbacks.

The team did leave themselves with outs, which is good, but until they exercise them they are grossly overpaying for a quarterback who has been below average. There is a chance the Redskins could pick up McNabb’s $10 million option next season and decide to trade him (which would have good value since that team would only be on the hook for $3.5 million in base salary and incentives), but I’m not buying it. For one thing it would be a $10 million hit against the cap (and the check book), so I don’t know if you will get enough value to make it worth your while. Secondly despite his continued poor performances, the team seems to be generally okay with McNabb and I don’t see that changing. Shanahan has always been a ‘big-name’ quarterback type coach, so I don’t think he will take a chance on some team’s backup or an unheralded rookie (Colt McCoy cough..) to lead the Redskins (even if it probably is in the best interest of the team). I see McNabb here for at least two more years, and hopefully the talent around him steps up to the point to hide his deficiencies, otherwise this deal will set the Redskins back even further.

I am sure I will have quite a bit more to say after I re-watch the game, but let me just start off by saying that this game was flat out embarrassing. How does a professional football team coming off a bye go and play that bad at home?

First, let’s get the excuses out of the way:

The Offensive Line DID NOT Lose us the Game: The O-line last night was far from perfect, and they did give up a couple of sacks, as well as commit a couple of penalties. But this wasn’t even close to their worst game. It is by no means a top notch unit, but their play did not cost us the game.

Albert Haynesworth DID NOT Have a Bad Game: I was amazed to hear both fans and radio announcers on the drive home from the game try and lay blame at Albert Haynesworth’s feet for yesterday’s loss. Huh? Our newly signed $78 million dollar man, Donovan McNabb, threw 3 picks and had a passer rating almost equal to the Eagles point total, and we are going to blame Haynesworth? From where I was sitting Haynesworth was the only defensive player who you could say had a good game. Unfortunately the Redskins coaches still continue to misuse him. By the time of his first play the Eagles were up 14-0, McNabb had thrown an interception, and the Eagles were on the Redskins 24 yard line. And what does Haynesworth do? He shakes off two blockers and stops Jerome Harrison for no gain. That might have been Haynesworth’s only tackle, but he caused plenty of pressure, and was consistently double-teamed. Big plays such as Carter’s sack or McIntosh’s hit (which helped cause Vick’s first incomplete pass), happened in part because of the penetration Haynesworth got forcing Vick to step into other defenders. You can blame a lot of defenders for last night’s game, but Haynesworth isn’t one of them.

Shanahan’s Benching of McNabb Led to Last Night’s Performance: I will hope that logic sets in and people and pundits don’t try to blame Shanahan, by saying that the lasting effects and controversy of  his benching of Donovan McNabb two weeks ago is the root cause for last night. Ignoring the fact that McNabb just signed a 5 year $78 million dollar extension, which should close any ‘ill effects’ discussion, there is no reason to believe that ‘the benching’ caused last night’s performance to occur. These guys are professionals and I find it hard to believe that even before the extension was signed there was any real tension. McNabb and Shanahan are both to blame for last night’s loss, but the blame stops short of what happened two weeks ago.

Who Is To Blame:

Mike Shanahan: Ignoring the long term planning faults of Shanahan such as roster construction, bad drafting etc., Shanahan did not have a great game. First thing that shocked me was the fact that they once again, only had two running backs active. What made it even worse than when he did that in the Lions game is that they both weren’t healthy. Torain has been coming back from that hamstring injury, and was basically a game time decision. Well low and behold they make him active and during warmups he gets injured and he can’t go. I mean that is a joke really and Shanahan is lucky that the defense was so horrible that the running game didn’t matter. What would have happened if it was a close game and the Redskins needed to run out the clock that entire 4th quarter, but only had one healthy running back?

Shanahan also needs to take the blame for this loss more than perhaps any other. The Redskins were coming off a bye week and they were at home, and yet it was 35-0 before the Redskins even showed life. Now I realize that Kyle is the play caller, but I’m guessing that they scripted at least their first two drives before the game (I’m hoping that three straight runs aren’t the response to an 88 yard TD pass, or three short passes were the response to 14-0), so Mike Shanahan had to know what was coming. They had two weeks to prepare for the Eagles and that was their play call?? I just don’t understand, you just sign a ‘Franchise’ quarterback for 5 more years, and you bring back Jim Zorn as a play caller??

I think it was just an awful game plan and preparedness by the team and that blame really begins and ends with Mike Shanahan.

Jim Haslett: As ill prepared as the offense was after a bye week, the defense was worse. As soon as the Eagles won the toss, I said from section 130 that Vick was going deep to DeSean Jackson, how did Haslett not see that coming, when I think every Eagles and Redskins fan did? Whether it was going to be pay back for injuring Vick, beating them in Game one, showing up McNabb, or the pregame ‘fight’ between the teams, you had to know the Eagles were going to go for the jugular. And as bad of coverage as it was by Landry, exactly what defensive scheme did you have that had Jackson on Landry one-on-one??

The other thing Haslett did was trying to consistently stay with the base 3-4 formation (i.e. not getting Haynesworth in until the third possession). You have the most athletic quarterback in the league and you keep you best defensive lineman off the field? How does that even begin to make sense? Those base 3-4 linemen are built to stuff the run, not push the pocket or chase Vick down (which was made clear with disastrous results). Vick looked perfect out there running and passing, and that was simply because the defense was ready and didn’t have the personnel to stop him.

I’ll get to other comments about the game, team, and this contract extension later.

Look I think everyone can agree that Mike Shanahan handled the Donovan McNabb benching situation horribly (that might be putting it lightly), but the overall question remains, was he wrong? Now right then and there Rex Grossman wasn’t going to lead the troops for a come from behind win, but then again neither was Donovan McNabb. Shanahan looked for a spark and I think we can all agree he is the one that got burned. But the overall meaning of the benching is still up in the air, i.e. questioning whether McNabb is the short and longterm answer for the Redskins,.

Now McNabb is the short term answer by default. We are past the trade deadline, and you are paying McNabb $12 million so you mine as well see if you can get any value out of that. Also, when you have Rex Grossman as your backup and your ‘young’ quarterback is John Beck you have pretty much assured McNabb as being your quarterback as long as he is healthy. The real question is whether or not McNabb is the long term solution for the Redskins quarterback conundrum.

The real answer that most Redskins fans don’t want to hear is simply, ‘no’. McNabb in 8 games has not shown any ability of being the ‘franchise’ quarterback everyone has made him out to be. His numbers are simply pathetic any way you look at them and are at the bottom or middle of the pack in just about every category. While some McNabb supporters will talk about his big play ability leading the league in 50 yard+ completions, and ranking 3rd in in 40 yard+ completions with 7, that stat has no bearing on a quarterback’s ability. And the reason why I know that is simply that Jason Campbell is right behind McNabb with 6 such completions (and he has been on the bench for multiple games) and John Kitna has 5, despite playing in only 3 and a half games. Thowing some long balls (some of which the credit goes to the receiver for yards after the catch) does not make up for his horrid 3rd down percentage or low completion percentage.

Now I know people will want to make plenty of excuses for McNabb; he doesn’t have great receivers, his offensive line is horrible, he is learning a new playbook etc. While all of those are valid variables they shouldn’t matter if Donovan McNabb is a ‘Franchise’ quarterback like everyone says he is. Brett Favre went to both the Jets and Vikings during the middle of the preseason and put up pretty good numbers despite not knowing the playbook (also you could easily make the receiver excuse for his year with the Jets, and the offensive line excuse last year with the Vikings when he had a career year). Kyle Orton, had both his top receiver and tight end traded away this year and a horrible offensive line, but it hasn’t slowed him down at all (he also did pretty well with a new playbook last season). And for as bad as the Redskins receiving corps, they look like all-pros compared to the weekly talent the Chargers have had to use due to injury.

If that isn’t enough evidence just take one look at Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy and the success they have had in their rookie campaigns. McNabb came to the Redskins an entire month ahead of them being drafted, and yet they seem to be preforming better. I don’t think I would put either the Rams or the Browns ahead of the Redskins receivers (they might be deeper but Cooley and Moss are better). Now both of their offensive lines are better, but come on they are rookies and McNabb can’t preform better than them?

Now I know people will say I’m ‘cherry picking’ numbers and stats around the league, but that really is all the evidence I need. If McNabb himself believes that he is a Franchise quarterback and every analyst around the country purportrates that belief, then you shouldn’t be able to find so many instances of better quality quarterbacks. I’m not trying to say McNabb is a bad player, but rather that he is more of a middle of the pack/above average signal caller. The fact of the matter is McNabb is no longer capable of leading a subpar team to the postseason. If he were on a good or very good team, he would probably play well enough to be a contender, but he is incapable of carrying a team. In reality there is nothing wrong with that, not every quarterback is able to carry a team on his back, but where there is an issue, is McNabb’s impending contract situation.

McNabb is a free agent after this year and leading up to his benching it was widely assumed he would be resigning long term in D.C. Ideally it looked as though it would be a 4-5 year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $13-14 million annually (from the Skins perspective). McNabb himself said that he wanted to be paid like the elite quarterbacks of the league (read that to mean $16-19 million annually), so when they finally worked it out it probably would have been in the neighborhood of $14-15 million). Now though can anyone with a straight face say that McNabb is worth even half of that? I mean, Skins fans might not like to hear it, but Jason Campbell is preforming better (for a worse O-line, receiving corps, and new playbook) for a quarter of the price.

As it stands now the Redskins would be better served bringing in a stopgap quarterback for next year (i.e. Matt Hasselbeck, Kerry Collins) and draft a young guy in the midrounds. That way Washington can spend that $14-15 million on players who can improve the team (either two great players at other positions or 3-4 good players could be had for that money) instead of just giving it to a basically average quarterback. I know in a way that is ‘punting’ on next season, but the fact of the matter is until the talent around the quarterback is improved it wouldn’t matter if Peyton Manning was under center, the Redskins won’t be true contenders. McNabb’s contract represents a crossroads between what is doing what’s best for the team and potentially building a sustainable contender or locking up the big name quarterback to appease the fan base. Hopefully Shanahan is smart enough to see that the McNabb experiment didn’t work (and was quite costly to the tune of two draft picks) and decide not to ‘double-down’ on him.

McNabb was on the radio yesterday and said that it was ‘hilarious’ in regards to the suggestion that he doesn’t know the offense, or needs help calling plays. McNabb further goes on to say; “That is really funny to me. I think for everyone who may not have heard any of this, it’s probably a shock to them.” I know you have got to try to spin stories, but come on. Next you are going to try to tell me that there is a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

Is it really a shock to people to hear that McNabb might not know the offense? Because if you watch the games and see how poorly they consistently play, in particular McNabb, I think that is a thought that might enter your mind. When you see McNabb arguing with Kyle Shanahan on the sideline, or having talks with receivers after he overthrows them, it would seem like not everyone is on the same page. I think it’s time for McNabb to stop laughing, and maybe realize that it is just the truth.

You can blame all you want on the lack of receivers or the offensive line. And you can make excuses that McNabb isn’t a 100% healthy. But really at the end of the day a lot of blame has to be laid at his feet. McNabb’s performance on third downs or at the end of the game (even in ones that they win), has been downright awful. If McNabb wants to put himself in ‘Elite Quarterback’ company, he needs to stop making excuses. Like when later in his radio interview he singled out Santana Moss and Chris Cooley as his only trustworthy targets. If he thinks his receiving corps is bad ask Peyton Manning and Phillip Rivers what it is like? Both of their teams are so decimated with injuries, yet they are still providing excellent quarterback play. While I agree with McNabb that guys like Armstrong, Galloway, Roydell Williams don’t exactly strike fear in opposing defenses, it is partly on him to get them involved. He can lament the receivers all he wants, but he also hasn’t done a good job getting Fred Davis involved, who has the talent to be a first tier tight end if given the chance.

McNabb seems to want to blame everyone involved but himself. He comes off as taking the high road (but that has a lot to do with Shanahan setting the bar so low), but in reality he isn’t taking a lot of responsibility. He might admit that the Redskins should be better than 4-4 right now, but he doesn’t admit that he is the reason why they are not.