McNabb a part of Shanahan's prickly legacy in Washington
A lot can be said about Washington's recent history. Robert Griffin III is undoubtedly talented, but his knee also undoubtedly bent in the wrong direction during last year's 24-14 Wild Card loss, and this season offered very little redemption - RGIII spent the majority of the year either on the ground or on the sideline.
The relationship between head coach Mike Shanahan and his star quarterback was questioned, moment to moment, and was the Washington Post wrote this weekend, this is hardly the first time that clashes were sensed between the Shanahan regime (which also includes Mike's son Kyle at offensive coordinator).
Donovan McNabb, who earlier this season was trying desperately to get in touch with RGIII for some reason, actually plays a key role in this previously established dynamic.
Kyle had been against the signing of McNabb early on, but the elder Shanahan pulled the trigger anyway. McNabb and his younger OC bumped heads a few times, which led to this:
"After one meeting in which Kyle Shanahan criticized McNabb in front of teammates, a Redskins player recalled, the quarterback pulled his coordinator aside, warning him to never speak to him that way again. McNabb started 13 games that season, but with three games left, he was benched in favor of Rex Grossman, who had played for Kyle Shanahan in Houston. McNabb finished his only season in Washington as the team's third-stringer; seven months later, he was traded to Minnesota."
And so, it continues. Shanahan left RGIII in a game, RGIII got hurt, Shanahan didn't visit him in the hospital until after the surgery and even then only "briefly," Griffin made it clear he would play immediately in 2013, Shanahan forced him to wait, and along the way, both spent time interpreting and/or misinterpreting each other's statements to the press and to each other.
From McNabb to RGIII, it's a legacy the Shanahans can look back on and say, "....damn."