"Donovan McNabb, the Race Card, and the Giving Tree" By Dave Zirin

[WizardLeft62]

edgeofsports.com

Donovan McNabb, the Race Card, and the Giving Tree

By Dave Zirin
November 5, 2010

In DC, it's not the elections garnering the lion's share of discussion. It's the late-game benching of Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb. The always classy McNabb has spent a career avoiding controversy like it was plague. He may never seek controversy, but controversy always seems to seek him. It's hard to imagine an athlete who has been more milquetoast and manicured, and yet always finds himself as our sports generation’s unwilling lightning rod….

McNabb spent 11 years wrestling for the affections of Philadelphia’s uniquely surly fans. During that time, he had to deal with Rush Limbaugh bleating that he was getting a free ride because of his skin color, former teammate Terrell Owens questioning his leadership, and firestorms when he speculated in 2007 that black quarterbacks just might have a tougher time with fans than their white counterparts. Then McNabb became the first pro bowl quarterback in history to be traded inside his own division when he was sent from the Eagles to the Redskins. He has then had to watch as the city of Brotherly love that never loved him, embrace the far more controversial and far less polished Michael Vick. Through it all, McNabb has remained classy, always classy. This is just the McNabb way...

As he once said, "I try to handle myself with class. I try to handle myself with dignity. I think sometimes people look to players to act out, speak loudly, pretty much be an idiot. But that's not me."

The latest saga involves McNabb's bizarre benching against the Detroit Lions with 1:48 to go and his team down six points. Coach Mike Shanahan, who looks like George W. Bush with the John Boehner tan (seriously, it's as if his years as head coach of the Denver Broncos died his skin orange.) took that moment of all moments to call on McNabb’s utterly incompetent backup Rex Grossman to win the game. True to form, Grossman coughed it up on his first play, his fumble returned for a touchdown, sealing the game.

The entire scenario, to put it mildly, was bizarre....

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http://www.edgeofsports.com/2010-11-05-583/index.html

[old mark]

1. I have been one of Donovan's many fans and I followed his arrival in DC on

the 'Skins site.

They were AMAZED to find their new QB in the club's weight room at 6AM every morning working out, and they were full of praise for Mr. McNabb as a team leader and fine example. Now this nonsense.

QB's do unfairly get the blame for many faults of their coaches and teammates. A few dropped passes that should have been caught, sloppy play by the O line, stupid coaches, all blamed on the QB. I was pleased to think Donovan had finally found a good home, and I think he should be looking elsewhere after the Redskins season ends till he finds one. He is a great QB, and has taken more than his share of racist bullshit...he stopped responding to it because he realized he didn't want to be known as a trouble making loudmouth - like TO.
He loves playing football, but I am sure he has had more than enough of hysterical media, egotistical coaches and management and idiotic fans.

Rec.
mark

[JonLP24]

2. When I watched the press conference on ESPNNews the day after

Shannahan didn't question his conditioning. He said it was fine. He said he was dealing with a nagging hamstring injury and he wasn't sure he could handle a two-minute offense with no timeouts. He also mentioned that he considered benching him before the start of the game as well. He also mentioned he is the "franchise QB" and would be the starter after the BYE. He also mentioned he was getting hit several times in the game. He refused to directly answer a question if it was because he felt McNabb was playing poor. He said it "All eleven guys" need to play better, the O-line, receivers, the whole offense needs to play better.

That is the gist of what I remember. Not disagreeing or agreeing, just adding information from what I heard. I know there was several explanations given through the press, which may have happen but the sports media is worse than Fox News so I prefer to hear from the source in many cases. I don't know what his motivations were, but he does bench QBs if they are not playing well as a longtime Denver Broncos watcher. That isn't to say that McNabb was in the Detroit game, he played well considering the lack of O-line protection and getting sacked 6 times. The 1 interception he did throw was caused by being hit as he threw the ball.

[notesdev]

3. Turnoversaurus Rex strikes again

"True to form, Grossman coughed it up on his first play, his fumble returned for a touchdown, sealing the game."

Wasn't all that long ago that a team managed to carry his sorry behind all the way to a Super Bowl.