Swengali: Redskins' Fitting End to Nightmare
Jet lag can be a beautiful thing.
After flying from Delhi to D.C., I fell asleep just as the Redskins kicked off against the Eagles. From what I gather, the game was unofficially over 15 minutes later. I didn’t miss much.
It was a fitting end to a nightmarish two weeks for Washington, which got its wake-up call courtesy of 59-28 drubbing on national television.
In case the Redskins didn’t know, they’re still not a very good team and are lucky to be 4-5 at this point in the season.
Coach Mike Shanahan now surely understands what he inherited when he accepted the job of restoring the Redskins to glory.
He knew enough to trade for an established quarterback but then had a Jim Zorn-esque brain fart by benching Donovan McNabb.
Two weeks of controversy — which, blissfully, I was out of town for — concluded with the most bizarrely timed contract extension in the NFL’s history. Karma struck back soon thereafter in the form of a rout.
In the long run, the one bad loss may just serve as a reminder that Shanahan needs a lot longer to change the organization’s flawed culture. Keeping McNabb is a good start. He’s a natural leader and can succeed given some new skill position players.
After the past two weeks, the Redskins surely need a vacation. They’ll get theirs during the playoffs. For now, at least, this particular nightmare is over.
Photo by John McDonnell/TWP
