Donovan McNabb's Benching Not As Controversial As Everyone Thinks

The Washington Redskins are 5-8 and on the fast-track to 5-11 if things don't turn around. Donovan McNabb has been demoted to third string for the rest of the season in favor of Rex Grossman and John Beck.

Contrary to the popular opinion, the move is not as outlandish as it looks on paper.

McNabb hasn't done anything for the Redskins that warrants being the starter for the final three games.

This isn't going to be the easiest thing for people to understand, but maybe, just maybe, Mike Shanahan knows what he is doing this time.

I think we can all agree that the benching in the final two minutes of the Detroit game was stupid, but this isn't a rash decision with no reason or rhyme. 

This is a head coach wisely entering evaluation mode for the rest of the season and putting the players in need of evaluation in the fray.

Not that anyone believes the future is best left in the hands of Grossman or Beck.

McNabb was having a mediocre season, at best, and I don't want to hear about the lack of playmakers around him. If he gets to use that excuse, then everyone has to admit that Jason Campbell wasn't so bad last season. Just a product of his environment, right?

Unless there is some sort of double-standard going on here. But that couldn't be the case. Not with us Redskins fans.

The fact is, McNabb was not doing anything special to help this team win or even keep them in games. His best game came against the Texans, which is ironically the best game called by Kyle Shanahan.

McNabb had 3,300 yards, 14 touchdowns and a career-high 15 interceptions. His inaccuracy was on full display each and every week, and his 77.1 quarterback rating is the lowest of his career since his rookie year.

McNabb didn't necessarily deserve to be benched for being one of many problems with the offense, but it makes sense.

He had three games with a passer rating over 80 and just four games with a completion percentage at or above 60-percent. He has more multi-interception games than multi-touchdown games and is directly responsible for the offensive failures.

If not for Anthony Armstrong's heroics against Green Bay or DeAngelo Hall's four interceptions against Chicago, the Redskins would be 3-10 and McNabb would have two touchdowns and three interceptions to show for it.

Funny how even a small victory can gloss over even the most mediocre of performances.

Four or five years ago, if anyone had read the headline "Grossman Replaces McNabb," the shock and awe would be warranted. With what he has shown this year, his benching should not elicit that response from fans and media alike.

Whether it is a product of his decline, poor playcalling or the obviously poor players around him, McNabb has not been anything close to his former self.

He is out of his comfort zone and in an offense built to be plug-and-play, McNabb is too inaccurate and the Redskins are under-talented.

Rather than believe that their fearless leader, Daniel Snyder, may have made yet another mistake in jumping at the trade for McNabb, it has fallen on Mike Shanahan to take the blame.

Fans have cited his handling of the Albert Haynesworth situation as proof of his ineptitude, but that was going to be ugly no matter how he handed it. Haynesworth is a selfish baby and deserved to be treated like one.

McNabb was given every chance to succeed and didn't. Now it is time to see what someone else has to offer.

Washington isn't going to the playoffs this year, and probably not next year or the year after, so what does it matter if McNabb plays or not?

His contract extension doesn't guarantee he'll be in town next year, so why not call it like it is and push him to the side?

McNabb is past his prime and the old adage of old dogs and new tricks seems particularly applicable in this situation.

The Redskins need to figure out what they have in their young talent so they can work on building the team from the ground up, instead of hoping discarded pieces from another team's puzzle will fit theirs.