Report: Grossman Starting on Sunday

Shanahan is too smart for this. Unless he's just gone insane, I think he's trying to get fired. Maybe he's decided that he just doesnt like it here in washington or he's not getting along with allen and/or snyder. Or maybe he's interested in returning to Denver...

I'm going against the mob here and say I love this move. McNabb may be 9th in passing, but he's also WAY up there in attempts. I'm sick of seeing wide open receivers getting bounce passes from McNabb. The season is over, lets see what Grossman has under his belt. What if he blows it up? I want to see Grossman play.

McNabb has played like hell all year long. Like Shit most of the time. If Shanahan really is trying to change the team, then we have to accept that McNabb would eventually be benched due to his poor play this season. Shanahan needs to put the best product on the field.

Leaving McNabb in no matter how bad he played would be something the previous regime would do. Look at all those years Campbell stunk it up and nobody ever considered if a QB switch would do anything.

Lets give this move a chance before preaching doom and gloom....

he has been sacked almost 40 times, for more than half the year his #2 was joey galloway, only one of are current receivers was actually playing in the nfl last year. and none of our rb's were in the league last year. yet somehow he still almost has 4000 yards passing. and you think rex grossman is the best product to put on the field? give me a ****ing break

This just blows my mind. I remember B. Mitch talking about how all these rumors they here from Skins reporters time and time again show to be true and the coach just won't admit it. So, when reporters were asking him about Rex getting more reps and that he could have started last week, Shan. reacted like it was a bunch of bull.

I have to say this kind of circus is making it harder and harder to say give Shanahan four full seasons before passing judgment. Trading away picks and using what limited picks we have on skill positions is why we are old, slow and unable to compete. If Donovan only came here one year to play for a 2nd and a 3rd or whatever it was, I have no clue what's going on anymore.

I'm going against the mob here and say I love this move. McNabb may be 9th in passing, but he's also WAY up there in attempts. I'm sick of seeing wide open receivers getting bounce passes from McNabb. The season is over, lets see what Grossman has under his belt. What if he blows it up? I want to see Grossman play.

I'm not a big McNabb guy at all, and I would also like to see what Grossmman/Beck have to offer.

To me, the frustration lies in the indecision of Shanny and Co. McNabb is the guy, let's get him and give up high draft picks to do so. Ok. Then let's bench him in week 8, and offer up a stumbling, cockamamy explanation for doing so. Then let's give him a contract extension. Now let's bench him again, and divide the locker room in doing so. I mean, WTF is going on?

People are overreacting to this big-time.

We have nothing to play for this season, and the coaches want to do what's best for the team into the future by evaluating Rex, IMO. If that means upsetting some players, then SFW. Also, McNabb's contract can be voided at the end of this year, so we better make sure we are in a good position to make that decision when the time comes.

Leave it to the Washington Redskins to F up these situations. First, the defense situation. Taking a perfectly run 4-3 and switching to something not having the players. Then taking the best Dlineman you have and one of the best in the league and totally screw that up. (not saying Albert is right on this, but you have a really good front 4 with AH playing full time and being more aggressive, but instead you switch to something that we dont have the players for) I am glad AH is suspended, but leave it to us to screw up a player that was DOMINANT. Now you take a 2nd round and what ever other round pick for a Hall of Fame QB, and completely ruin this by benching him. To say this is McNabbs issue, or his fault is a complete joke. This organization has completely ignored the most important aspect of a winning football team for longer than a decade, THE OFFENSIVE LINE. I dont care who you have behind center in this organization, they would not be doing anything better than the previous QB's that have been here. Can we not see what is going on. Every QB that has been under Danny and Vinnys watch has failed miserably. Eventually you look at the common denominator in all this and its the front office in ability to draft quality offensive lineman. The RB and QB are only as good as the "fat guys" up front. (Smoot's words) We have to be the most ingnorant run organization in the NFL. Shanny lost quite a few players with the whole AH situation, now he is losing even more with the McNabb benching. I am sure he will be losing quite a few fans over this crap. It is absolutely ridiculous. The guy may not be having a probowl year, but look at what he is doing behind one of the worst offensive lines in football. 4K passing yards, most in his career, may have played in all 16 games for the 1st time in his career, have basically zero running game (except last week, but TB stopped it in the 2nd half)
it is crap!

So does this mean we're drafting a QB or going out to get another free agent?

I'm no Professional football coach and tend to assume that no matter how weird the decision, they must know better than us what's good for the team, since it's their job and all. But at this point I feel comfortable wondering if anyone else thinks Shanny's personnel and defensive scheme decisions this year have been borderline brain retarded. It's not even just the benching of McNabb, it's the entire handling of our players that I think at the least a seasoned staff would be able to do well. Wins and Losses aside. It all seems kind of amateur.

Every morning I wake up expecting to hear news of what dumb things the team has done while I'm asleep, now that Im caught up I can prepare for work and have something new to question about the Shannies.

In many ways, this is reminiscent of Al Saunders lobbying vigorously for Todd Collins to start, to show his offense works. Can't help but think Kyle Shanahan is doing the same here. I don't doubt that his offense works (I was pretty vocal in wanting him here and I stand by it), but reality is McNabb has had to work with Portis and Torain out for an extended period of time, a RT who isn't healthy, a revolving door at RG, and journeyman Anthony Armstrong and fossil Joey Galloway as the #2 and #3 WRs for much of the season. Has McNabb been good? Far from it. But I think he deserves better than this. Seems like the Redskins wanted McNabb to publicly admit that he's hurt (which he is) so the team could then say "Well, McNabb's hurt so we need to start Grossman"

So what happens now with McNabb. Well I suppose there's the possibility that this will all be blown over and forgotten. I'm guessing that's not the case. But you never know in the fickle NFL. I'm not as down on Grossman as others here, but you don't bench McNabb for Grossman. You're not talking about benching him for the future of the franchise. You know what you're getting with Grossman. They could cut him. Neither Allen nor Mike Shanahan has any qualms about admitting a mistake, dropping the player, and moving on. If you're going to fail, don't dwell on it and futiley try to make it work. They did a good job, perhaps not with the trade, but in setting up his contract extension in such a way that dropping him won't hurt us too bad. I'm sure there's a market for McNabb but it must be limited at this point. In less than a year both Reid and Shahanan have at least implied they can without him. And it's not like McNabb is a spring chicken. I suppose this would intensify the Jake Locker rumors I hear off and on. I'd still prefer we keep McNabb another year and take Christian Ponder in the 2nd round. But that's a conversation for another day.

So I guess I was wrong about McNabb not starting this weekend (if this report is true, which it appears to be). Props to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports for being the first to hint of this last week. Others including Grant Paulsen and Chris Mortenson reported that McNabb would likely be benched. I hadn't heard that, but then again I've had my mind on other things. But unlike certain "insiders" on other boards, I won't deny when I'm wrong or backtrack.