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Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb has been benched and Rex Grossman will start this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, according to team sources.
Players are upset by the move, as I reported all week they would be if the benching occurred.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is using McNabb as a scapegoat, according to multiple Redskins players. The coordinator's credibility has been questioned by players and members of the staff, according to team and league sources.
"The guys are extremely pissed," one Redskins player told me.
Grossman played for Kyle Shanahan last year in Houston. Mike Shanahan's son had been seen as a fast-tracked head coaching prospect in many circles, but failures by the Redskins' offense this season have set that back.
Mike Shanahan was evasive when asked Wednesday if McNabb would start against Dallas, saying that he was "not committing to tell you who the starters are at any position."
McNabb didn't appreciate that, as of Wednesday, he hadn't been told whether he was playing.
"I would have hoped," McNabb said at the time. "That's professionalism. Communication."
The situation reinforces McNabb's uncertain status in Washington. He signed an extension Nov. 15, but there is a clause allowing Washington to cut ties with him after 2010.
McNabb, a six-time Pro Bowler in his 12th NFL season, has thrown for 3,377 yards with 14 touchdowns in 13 starts this season, his first with the team. He has thrown a career-high 15 interceptions.
Grossman has appeared in one game this season, replacing McNabb late in the Redskins' 37-25 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 8.
McNabb was unhappy about the switch in the Lions game, Mike Shanahan couldn't come up with a clear explanation for the decision, and Kyle Shanahan and McNabb were at odds over whether or not the quarterback had been tipped off in advance about the possible switch.
Prior to McNabb joining the Redskins, the team had nine different quarterbacks start at least one game since 2001.
Source: AP
Players are upset by the move, as I reported all week they would be if the benching occurred.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan is using McNabb as a scapegoat, according to multiple Redskins players. The coordinator's credibility has been questioned by players and members of the staff, according to team and league sources.
"The guys are extremely pissed," one Redskins player told me.
Grossman played for Kyle Shanahan last year in Houston. Mike Shanahan's son had been seen as a fast-tracked head coaching prospect in many circles, but failures by the Redskins' offense this season have set that back.
Mike Shanahan was evasive when asked Wednesday if McNabb would start against Dallas, saying that he was "not committing to tell you who the starters are at any position."
McNabb didn't appreciate that, as of Wednesday, he hadn't been told whether he was playing.
"I would have hoped," McNabb said at the time. "That's professionalism. Communication."
The situation reinforces McNabb's uncertain status in Washington. He signed an extension Nov. 15, but there is a clause allowing Washington to cut ties with him after 2010.
McNabb, a six-time Pro Bowler in his 12th NFL season, has thrown for 3,377 yards with 14 touchdowns in 13 starts this season, his first with the team. He has thrown a career-high 15 interceptions.
Grossman has appeared in one game this season, replacing McNabb late in the Redskins' 37-25 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 8.
McNabb was unhappy about the switch in the Lions game, Mike Shanahan couldn't come up with a clear explanation for the decision, and Kyle Shanahan and McNabb were at odds over whether or not the quarterback had been tipped off in advance about the possible switch.
Prior to McNabb joining the Redskins, the team had nine different quarterbacks start at least one game since 2001.
Source: AP