Should I give up?  Should I care?  Can the Redskins make the fans hate the team anymore?  Since 1999, this team has been an embarrassment, and sure it is easy to point to Dan Snyder, the Redskins owner, but it goes beyond him.

This week, only a few weeks after signing Donovan McNabb to a 5 year contract extension, basically handed Donovan his walking papers, benching him for the rest of the season.  I am partial as a Syracuse grad who lived a few doors down from Don in college.  He is a great player and a great person, who was raised right, worked hard, and always competed.  The Redskins’ complete lack of respect for Donovan McNabb this season just makes me question why have I rooted for the Skins for my whole life?

How can the Redskins make a commitment to a player, and then simply tell him after 3 weeks “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”  So much of the issue is with Shanahan Family (Head Coach Mike and Offensive Coordinator Kyle), and the relationship they have had with McNabb.

Are the Shanahan’s racist?  Some might say so, as they have called McNabb weak, gutless, and stupid, something you never heard them say with Elway, Cutler or Rex Grossman, all quarterbacks they used to coach.

Are the Shanahan’s winners?  Mike Shanahan was one of the most sought after coaches last year, and his resume looked good, but was it really?  Shanahan made it to the playoffs 7 of his 17 years coaching, which is a great percentage.  His back to back Super Bowl victories were also impressive, though he had one of the best QBs of all time and had a great staff.  I believe John Elway was much more responsible for those Super Bowl wins than Shanahan.  So if you take away the 7 playoff victories from 1997 and 1998, your left with a coach who won 1 playoff game in 5 other trips.  Also, it seems like Shanahan subscribes to the theory of “let the bridges burn to light the way” as he leaves town.  His departure from the Raiders and Broncos were both less than graceful.  It looks like his departure from the Redskins may be the least graceful of them all.

I think this video captures perfectly the feelings of his departure from Denver.

So where does this leave the Redskins soap opera?  They have alienated a player who is beloved throughout the league, and have mishandled the Albert Haynesworth situation.  They have questionable coaches, and the fans are beyond fed up.  They play in the most competitive division in football.  Add all this up, and the Redskins have a long way to go to fix the mess.