Redskins Have Apparently Scaled Back Playbook for Donovan McNabb

The relationship between Donovan McNabb and the Washington Redskins has taken another bad turn. The veteran quarterback was pulled prior to the team’s final drive against the Lions last weekend and the reason for the move has changed several times. At first it was because Rex Grossman supposedly gave the team a better chance to win, then it was because of McNabb’s injured hamstring, then it was a conditioning thing, and then it was a tempo thing. If coaches Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan are trying to motivate McNabb by beating him up in the media, it’s a strategy that could pay off, but they’re really hammering him hard.

The latest issue raised is that the playbook had to be scaled back for Donovan McNabb. Chris Mortensen said on Sunday NFL Countdown that not only has the playbook been cut in half for Donovan, but that sometimes he doesn’t even call the right play in the huddle. Per Pro Football Talk, analyst Tom Jackson described the situation as irreconcilable.

What doesn’t make sense is the bashing of McNabb through the media engineered by the Shanahans. If they don’t want McNabb as their quarterback, reports like this hurt his potential trade value because it makes him appear unfit to quarterback a team and learn a new offense. I’m guessing they’re trying to stick a poke in his butt knowing how well he generally responds to criticism. It just doesn’t make sense that they continue to rip him this way unless they’re playing a psychological game. And by the way, a lot of new quarterbacks struggle with learning a new offense, and I don’t think McNabb had a difficult time mastering Philly’s offense his 11 seasons there.