Donovan McNabb (Part 4)

Just when you thought the Donovan McNabb Fall 2010 Series on Bob Long’s Sports Blog was over, more questions and controversy unfolded with regards to McNabb.  This weekend, McNabb was benched in a one possession game in the final minutes of the game against the Lions.  Rex Grossman replaced McNabb and proceeded to fumble the game away, as has been his reputation since he entered the league.

The controversial move raised many questions.  Why was McNabb pulled?  Is Washington dissatisfied with his play?  Is Grossman a long term option for the Redskins, and what is the future for McNabb?  Following these questions, head coach Mike Shanahan offered multiple, convoluted, and inconsistent explanations for the move.  He first said that Donovan did not have sufficient knowledge of the 2 minute offense, which was the reason Grossman was inserted.  The next day, Shanahan turned 180 degrees on his original statement and said that McNabb did not have the “cardiovascular endurance” to run a 2 minute drill without any timeouts remaining.

To add insult to injury (pun intended), the Redskins worked out JaMarcus Russell and JP Losman during the bye week.  This is standard practice during bye weeks, and most likely had nothing to do with McNabb’s benching, but nonetheless it sends mixed signals to the quarterback that has been the unquestioned starter since he was traded to Washington.

Does Shanahan have good reason behind his benching of McNabb?  I don’t see it.  McNabb has passed for almost 2,000 yards in only 8 games this season, has led the Redskins to a 4-4 record (the team went 4-12 last season), and has the team only 1.5 games back in the NFC East.  The one knock on McNabb is that he has 8 interceptions through 8 games, but he has proved to be a catalyst for a Washington offense that was abysmal last season, and he has put the team directly in the NFC East and Wild Card races.  In addition, the Redskins could easily be 5-3, if it weren’t for a missed field goal by Graham Gano in overtime against the Texans that spoiled McNabb’s 426 yard passing day.

Therefore, while McNabb may not be the Pro-Bowler that he was earlier in his career, he still has rejuvenated a team that won only 4 games last season.  He still has passed for just under 2,000 yards in only 8 games, and he still remains the leader in the Washington locker room.  The fact that he is being punished and humiliated, and is not being given a straight answer about his untimely benching is ridiculous.  And the fact that the explanation was that McNabb didn’t have the cardiovascular endurance is a ridiculous as well.  Even if McNabb isn’t in the best shape, is Rex Grossman?  And is Grossman’s fitness level so impressive that it offsets the fact that he is a brutal NFL quarterback?  And how about JaMarcus Russell: if fitness is so important to Shanahan, why did Russell, of all quarterbacks, come within even 10 miles of the Redskins’ training facility?

None of the explanations make sense, and to McNabb’s credit, he has acted in a very classy manner about the whole issue.  In the past, McNabb has backed away from blame, and has blamed others for mistakes throughout his career.  He has done nothing of the sort in this matter, but instead has accepted the decision of Shanahan while asserting that he is ready to play when he is needed.  McNabb has matured as a football player and a man in this situation, and Shanahan needs to do the same.

To Mike Shanahan: 1) Realize what you have in Donovan McNabb, a guy who is the leader in the locker room, has thrown for 1,971 yards this season, has equaled last year’s win total in only 8 games, and a guy who has kept your team, with an atrocious running game right now, directly in the NFC East and playoff races. 2) If McNabb really isn’t your guy for whatever reason, be straight with him.  Don’t give multiple, indirect, and convoluted answers that do more to confuse the problem than explain it.  Don’t pull McNabb with 2 minutes to go after he has played the first 58 minutes and has kept the game within 1 possession.  He is the starting quarterback of the team, and until that changes, treat him with the respect that he has treated the coaching staff, the other players, and the fans.

NFL Waiver Moves

Today, 2 high-profile NFL players were picked up on waivers.  Randy Moss and Shawne Merriman were picked up by the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills, respectively.  Moss will now join his third NFL team in a month, and Merriman will escape the bright lights and many temptations of San Diego to join a winless Buffalo Bills team.

The road these two players have taken is an interesting one.  Both were once superstars in the NFL, and both recently have let their words and actions off the field drive their release from their respective teams this week.  Merriman was a short-term NFL superstar; he was voted to 3 Pro-Bowls in 5 years, and he has played only 3 full seasons healthy.  Moss has been a defining wide receiver in NFL history.  A lock for the Hall of Fame, Randy Moss trails only Jerry Rice in touchdown receptions (153 to Rice’s 197).  Randy Moss is arguably the best deep-threat receiver in the history of football.

If only the stories ended at the talent of these players.  Both players have had their careers impacts by their off the field actions.  Merriman has been a Hollywood regular, as he has made appearances on television shows, namely, “Entourage,” has made appearances in music videos, and has let the Southern California lifestyle affect his football far more than the San Diego organization would have liked.  In addition, Merriman made the stubborn decision to forgo necessary surgery for 2 torn ligaments on his knee in the 2008 offseason so he could try to play “all 16 games.”  He then found after only 1 game that he could not play on 2 torn ligaments, and the subsequent poorly timed surgery ended his season.

Moss has been more outspoken and has caused more controversy than Merriman throughout his career.  Moss has left games early (2004 regular season finale against Washington), pretended to moon the Green Bay fans in a 2005 playoff game, hit a police officer with his car and had marijuana in the car at the time (2002), and minimized the impact of the Marshall plane crash during his time at the university.  In addition, Moss is renowned for quitting on offensive plays and quitting on his routes.  Moss is one of the most talented and controversial players in the history of football.

With all the similarities of these players, they now enter completely different situations.  Moss moves from a team in utter chaos to a team with a legitimate chance to win the extremely competitive AFC South.  Merriman, on the other hand, moves from a team that, while struggling, still has a chance at the division title in the weak AFC West, to the worst team in the NFL right now, the Buffalo Bills.  Both players’ contracts are up after this year; however, and will need to perform well in the last 8 weeks of the season to prove their worth once again to the rest of the NFL after allowing outside factors to compromise their former superstar status.

The Ed Block Courage Award

The Philadelphia Eagles’ players all voted to determine the winner of the Ed Block award, given to the Eagle who has shown the most courage.  The players unanimously voted for Michael Vick, who as a result won the award.  There is something to be said for when an entire team feels one way about a player, and that may have some validity in this case.

However, I can’t help but question the decision to give Michael Vick the award.  Let’s recap what he has been through.  He killed dogs in dogfighting matches when he was the franchise player for the Atlanta Falcons, then spent about 2 years in prison.  He came back and signed with the Eagles, which was about the only bidder for Vick.  Now, with the Eagles, he has had very limited playing time.

Therefore, my question is, what makes him deserving of the courage award?  What was he so courageous about?  He handled himself like a professional, said all the right things, and did not complain about his backup role.  However, I fail to see why every Eagle player thinks that he is the most courageous player on the team. 

How about Sheldon Brown, who is getting underpaid, complained about his contract before the season, and still went out and played a pro-bowl caliber season.  That is playing for the love of the game and not worrying about the money, like almost every other NFL player does.  Sheldon has also been playing with a torn ligament in his leg as well.

Therefore, when you think about players with courage, it is important to look beyond the obvious.  Michael Vick may have the best story, where he improved himself and now acts like a professional, but a courage award is one specifically where a player shows courage over the course of the season.  Michael Vick hasn’t showed extraordinary courage, but instead is acting like any NFL player should.

When one looks at Sheldon Brown, one sees a Pro-Bowl caliber corner, playing for love of the game after not engaging in any contract negotiations that he desired, and playing tremendously with a slightly torn ligament.  That is courage.