Two of the more popular tags here at Redskins Hog Heaven are “Donovan McNabb” and “Albert Haynesworth.” You’d think I’d shudder for the future of the site when these two are separated from the team. Stories about how they were treated by the Washington Redskins drew near as many eyeballs to Hog Heaven as Colt Brennan. Brennan was traffic gold.
But no worries. Not a concern in the world. Count on the Redskins to prolong the drama on these guys until late in the preseason. Hash tag heaven here and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Pro Football Talk quoted sports writer Tim McManus who reported that the Redskins will not cut defensive tackle and headache Albert Haynesworth. The team seems intent on
harvesting trade value for Big Al, this after doing everything conceivable last season to degrade him as trade bait and as a man.
Haynesworth made that easy to do. But don’t we expect Mike Shanahan to run a football operation without devaluing the assets?
Trading Haynesworth for a third round pick (maybe) could have been easier. All Shanahan had to do was lie. You know, something along the lines of “Albert is a big part of our defensive scheme.” “We have special packages for Haynesworth and we are judicious in when we use him.” Anything that conveys that Haynesworth is part of the ‘Skins’ future.
Most cold-eyed GMs on other teams would have been skeptical, but would figure that a high second day draft pick might have been needed to “pry” Haynesworth off the roster.
Any brain cycles the coach spends on Haynesworth syphons away thoughts on how to win. The operative phrase here is “cut your losses.”
McNabb’s trade potential might have been higher if Washington’s official stance was “we are out of the playoff picture and would like to see what we have in Rex Grossman and John Beck” instead of the whisper campaign against McNabb.
The upshot is speculation that Haynesworth is more likely to stay, bad attitude and all, with the ‘Skins than McNabb, who has never bad-mouthed the team (that’s his agent’s job).
McNabb is the only Redskin other players count as a Top 100 of 2011. Yet, McNabb may be the first to go because the team will sell him cheap if we go by the Jason Campbell precedent. Washington has yet to be compensated for Campbell. Shanahan traded him to Oakland for a second-day Draft pick…in 2012.
McNabb had no say in the trade that sent him to Washington, but has a lot of say in where he goes next. All he has to do is refuse to restructure his contract for any team not acceptable to him. No team will take him with his current deal with the $10 million bonus due him at the start of the regular season.
Shanahan could allow McNabb and his agent to stir up a trade offer on their own and accept whatever the pair come up with. That would be the right thing to do. Maybe Shanahan is astute enough to do it. Nothing shows that he has it in him, but I am hopeful.
Keeping McNabb is more rational on so many levels. He now has as much time in the Shanahan system as did Grossman when Rex followed Kyle Shanahan here from Houston. McNabb is motivated to redeem his reputation. Shanahan seems poised to throw away both the investment in time and No. 5’s motivation, though, as we often point out, Shanahan never actually said that.
Kyle Shanahan has proven that he can win with talent like Andre Johnson, Steve Slaton and Matt Schaub. And he has proven that he cannot win with a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback. McNabb does better elsewhere, then Kyle is forever tainted. He will have some ‘splaining to do on that head coach job interview.
Adding Kyle Shanahan to the tags for this story. Right up there with Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb.
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