I’m not really sure what’s happening in the NFL these days, but the climate is becoming more and more hostile. Perhaps it’s the looming lockout, or maybe the constantly growing media covering it, the economy probably isn’t helping matters either and all the uncertainty and insecurity that comes with unemployment; but whatever it is, if you’re an NFL coach and do something unpopular or abnormal and it fails to produce results, you find yourself being flogged like Mike Burns in The Proposition (note: Do not click on that link if you’re having a good day). Two such coaches are prime examples of such public scrutiny this week.

The first is debatable, as Brad Childress making the decision to give up a third round pick for Randy Moss — a combative personality that Childress subsequently cut for being combative — is more alarming than letting him leave for nothing. The Vikings coach is on thin ice already as his team seems to be imploding. And after kowtowing to Brett Favre so shamelessly these past two seasons, if the move to cut Moss is supposed to be an attempt to reestablish control over the team, it feels pretty ineffective.

Childress is responsible for a number of gaffes during his tinier in Minnesota, and his handling off the Moss situation seems to be on par with all of them: mismanaged in every imaginable way. He isn’t highly respected and as far as whether Moss is a better receiver than Chilly is a coach, there isn’t much debate.

But still, Moss isn’t exactly a sympathetic figure these days. First there was his post-game Tirade of Regret about his former employer immediately after losing to them. Then there is his reported outburst over catered ribs, and I think for most people that’s where they officially jump off the Moss bandwagon. The idea of a millionaire, who’s money earned is almost solely due to his genetic makeup, berating a local restaurant owner donating food to the Vikings is an awkward form of class warfare that most people aren’t comfortable with. It conjures up images of a king sending the court jester off to die because the juggling failed to amuse his concubine.

The bottom line is Moss would be forgiven for all of this if he simply performed, or if the Vikings weren’t 1-3 since his arrival. But if you’re continually under-performing, either because your skills are eroding beyond your control or you’re refusing to do anything to prevent there erosion, it becomes harder to tolerate such petulance (particularly if Sidney Rice is due back to camp sometime soon). My opinion is it’s the latter.

If Moss had a Jerry Rice-like work ethic there isn’t any way his production teeters off like it has. But Moss has never seemed to really enjoy playing football, to be honest. And since he can’t get by on his talent alone these days, Childress’ hands are somewhat tied. What was he supposed to do? Keep a problematic wide receiver who embarrasses the team publicly and privately while he loafs through his routes? Not saying he should have cut him, but saying there’s justification in doing so.

The Shanahan issue exists on its own plane of crazy. I know no matter how convoluted of a defense I could come up with it won’t sound reasonable, so I’ll just hop on the Jake Plummer bandwagon and agree that Shanahan is hoping to find his next John Elway, which is categorically insane. But it’s the only plausible explanation. If Mike Shanahan is Mark Zuckerberg, then John Elway is his Erica Albright (relax nerds, I know she’s fictional). Contemplatively refreshing his quarterbacks, regardless of the capability of the ones he is working with, hoping to see the same thing in them he saw in Elway. Again: Bat-sh!t crazy.

His motivations aside, he quite possibly could have blown up what was maybe (though probably not) a playoff season. A couple weeks ago I eluded to the Redskins season and the mixed results they were getting out of McNabb thus far into 2010. Basically saying, they’re winning games and the offense is improved with him, but they’re still technically a long ways away from being regarded as “good”.

Well, whatever happened on Sunday doesn’t seem like an incident soon to blow over. McNabb is the king of taking things too personally (though he’s dealt with more sh!t than any quarterback of his caliber that I can recall). And Shanahan, much like every other NFL coach, isn’t going to admit any mistake. Not even if the mistake in question is substituting Donovan McNabb with Rex Grossman, a quarterback who to the best of my knowledge hasn’t played a down in over a year and whose very name is synonymous with failure.

I can’t stress how unwise this was. It was like taking Carmelo Anthony out of a basketball game with thirty seconds left and replacing him with JR Smith. Some are comparing it to Shanahan pulling Plummer in his final season for Jay Cutler (thus Plummer’s comments could be dismissed as sour grapes), but that’s not even close. Cutler was a first round draft pick Denver hoped to turn into the franchise quarterback, Grossman is a washed-up never-was riding out the end of his twenties for a couple more paychecks.

In a way, the actions of the two coaches are an inverted reflection of each other. On one hand you have Childress, a coach in-over-his-head in every single way, cutting his losses in the worst possible manner  but with enough rationale that when stacked up against his history, seems to pale in comparison. On the other you have Shanahan, a coach who (rightly or wrongly) is widely ranked among some of the best ever, with two Superbowl rings and a lifetime of playoff births; doing something without any real provocation other than to feed his massive ego.

About the only thing these two incidents had in common was they happened on the same day. But it seems like this season (and really for the past couple) the NFL commentariat comes out of every weekend outraged over someone’s coaching decisions. Eventually we should acknowledge that the position is a difficult one to manage flawlessly (as a result of no one ever doing so) and eventually move on from the mass hysteria. In these two cases, the answers seem obvious. Summarily, Childress probably isn’t fit to be an NFL coach and should have been canned yesterday, while Shanahan simply needs to evolve.

Fantasy Football:

The Situation:

The Reasoning:  McNabb wasn’t as familiar as Rex Grossman in the two-minute offense.

The Reaction: McNabb looked pissed-off on the sidelines, yet a little smug after the QB changed ended terribly.

Thoughts: Donovan McNabb is a love’m or hate’m type of guy. Those who look for pure results don’t give him the credit he deserves. As stated by Deion Sanders on the NFL Network, his surrounding cast is almost laughable, yet the Redskins are a pretty good team this season. With a cast of pure rookies along with older past-their-prime receiving targets, Donovan McNabb has gone back in time to his days in Philadelphia. There is no running game, his receivers are as good as Todd Pinkston or Reggie Brown and yet the guy does his best, pulls out the odd win and sees all the blame.

In the past, benching McNabb made him a better player. Yet this time, a benching that proved to be unwarranted may turn ugly very fast. McNabb is a professional NFL quarterback and will not create problems in the media. Although, it may be his surrounding cast that does it for him. This Redskins team knows what McNabb can bring to the table, so to bench him for Rex Grossman reflects poorly on Mike Shanahan as a coach.

I think the end result could be Shanahan trying to play clean-up duty using the media.

[Article Updated]

“Cardiovascular Endurance” issues?

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Fantasy Football:

As if it were a nightmare, Philadelphia Eagle fans are mentally preparing themselves for a burgundy and yellow number five to step out of the tunnel and onto the field at Lincoln Financial. This image is an unparalleled scene of horror in the minds of some, while more level headed minds remain indifferent knowing that the decision to send Donovan McNabb to Washington was not his own, it was the organizations and that McNabb would have loved to remain in Philly. However it is that you feel, be primed to see a mix of crowd reaction in Philadelphia, although the majority of the crowd should be happy to see Donovan.

The game is being dubbed Vick vs. McNabb by the media, although neither quarterback sees it as so. Donovan McNabb is a long time friend of Michael Vick (extending before his incident) and has been considered the reason that Vick was initially brought into town.  Now, the starting QB job in Philadelphia is No. 7′s. In Vick’s return to the NFL last season McNabb was instrumental in facilitating Vick’s mental and physical comeback which both players acknowledge make the situation bitter-sweet. “One thing that I wanted to do was give the guy an opportunity, give him a second chance, so many people turned their back on him and talked about the negative side of things. I think before you begin to make assumptions and try to read into anybody, you need to learn a little bit more about him. I think now people are starting to learn more about Mike the person, not just the football player.”

McNabb’s handle on his emotions should have a significant effect on how he plays in this game. It is quite possible that Donovan is not able to keep his emotions in check and tosses one too many errant balls.  However McNabb has thrived his entire career upon the criticism of others, so I wouldn’t put him down for the count too soon. And although play calling has obviously been switched to confuse McNabb from his knowledge of previous offenses and defences, his familiarity with certain packages will go a long way in aiding the Redskins.

Four weeks in, this trade seems to be panning out for both sides. McNabb has thrown for 833 yards, with 2 TDS, 1 INT and has a QB rating of 89.3. While the 37th overall selection in the 2010 draft (traded for McNabb to the Eagles by the Redskins) Nate Allen has been producing.  Allen has started at safety and in 3 games has recorded 11 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 interceptions; he has been named the Defensive Player of the Month.

At this point it’s difficult to analyze the long term worth of this trade but the short term impact for this season is much easier to investigate. Simply put, if McNabb and the Redskins come out of the Linc with a victory, the trade was a loss for the Philadelphia Eagles. That not only gives them a division tying 2-2 record, but also the confidence and advantage of knowing the remaining game against Philly is in Washington. McNabb clearly is an asset, one who definitely has more of an impact on any given Sunday than FS Nate Allen. To trade him away within one of the most competitive divisions in all of football is surely a questionable decision, if Nate Allen does not emerge to be one of the better safeties in the game for years to come, than I’m hard pressed to say that Philadelphia got the better end of this deal.

Regardless of the value of the trade, Michael Vick is performing at a career best level in the absence of McNabb and now Kolb. Sunday’s matchup is by far the most anticipated of the day and should likely live up to that hype. Interestingly enough, McNabb has never been in the visiting locker room at the Linc noting that it may be cramped, messy, and generally unorganized, as the Philly staff has never seemed to be too accommodating to the visitors.

Fantasy Football:

Enough already, McNabb to the Redskins, we get it.

Everyone was shocked. We’ve all read articles on who people think got the better half of the deal. Whether it’s ex-players who knew McNabb or watched him play, or unprofessional know it all’s like Brian Baldinger who love to hear themselves talk, the deal is done and only time will tell who came out ahead.

We understand that Eagles fans are either bummed with the loss or very excited about now becoming one of the youngest teams in the league (?), but if you’re not fan of either of these NFC East teams, your primary concern may lay elsewhere…like Fantasy Football.

What does this trade mean for fantasy football owners who are in keeper leagues are the world?

Gridiron Experts is going to try and move past the drawn out scenarios in which Donovan McNabb wins a Super Bowl with the team across the street, and look at how this could affect fantasy players.

Donovan McNabb

At first, some fantasy owners may see the trade of Donovan McNabb from a team with speedy young receivers to a team built around a running game as a step back. But if you really analyze how Mike Shanahan uses his quarterbacks you may change your mind.

The Eagles don’t run the ball, and because of that defenses are constantly prepared for the big play or at least the pass. Opposing coaches love seeing the Eagles in 3^rd and short situations as history has shown the Birds are clueless at picking up those 2-3 yards for a first down. McNabb has made a living with the big strike and has always found a way to buy time and create something out of nothing.

In Washington, the workload for McNabb should be reduced but the yardage could increase. A balanced offensive attack is the most underrated offensive strategy anyone can have in the NFL. The Redskins will use their trio of running backs to keep defenses guessing with the classic Shanahan running game. With McNabb under center, the big strike play action pass is likely to work more often than it did in Philly, mainly due to the fact that defenses will actually believe they’re going to run the ball.

Also, with a team made up of larger receivers like Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, and Malcolm Kelly, time for separation isn’t such a concern, something that will be a new for #5.  McNabb had to wait for his smaller crop of receivers in Philadelphia to break press coverage before making the throw; in Washington size and strength should prove to be a real luxury, something McNabb hasn’t had (see any game that Pinkston & Reggie Brown or Kevin Curtis played in over the years).

It does hurt to see the connection lost between McNabb and DeSean Jackson, but aside from that there isn’t that much lost. Smarter play calling always outweighs the minor details of roster personnel.

As of now we see McNabb’s status going up. If the first pick for the Redskins in this year’s NFL draft is a Left Tackle, except Donovan to have a great season in Washington.

Early Prediction: 4000 passing yards and 30 Total TD’s, 14 INT’s

Kevin Kolb

Some fantasy experts think Kevin Kolb could be an Aaron Rodgers type player that jumps off the bench and lights up the score board week in and week out. While Kolb has looked good early on, the two starts last season were both at home. There is no proof yet that Kolb can go into Dallas, New York, or even Washington and pull out a win. We have yet to see Kolb start on the road, and until then his fantasy value remains in question. Yes we believe Kolb has the tools and surrounding talent to become an excellent fantasy quarterback, but how soon we see it becomes the mystery.

Gridiron Experts predicts the Eagles and Kolb to have a rocky up and down learning curve season, with high points that will make you jump out of your seat in amazement and low points with bad throws made from a lack of experience.

Early Prediction: 3400 yards 29 TD’s 18 INT’s

Chris Cooley

Cooley is likely to see the biggest boost in fantasy numbers with the addition of McNabb. The 11 year veteran was constantly looking at his tight end option for quick check down throws. Brent Celek has thrived while playing with McNabb, and we see the translation pushing over to Cooley.

Early Prediction: 900 yards 9 TD’s

DeSean Jackson

Jackson is the top fantasy player on either of these teams. His fantasy value last year shot him up fantasy boards faster than D-Jack blasts by coverage on the field. While Kolb doesn’t have the arm strength that McNabb does, he can still stretch the field.  The only concern is the lack of mobility from Kolb, there were more than a few occasions last year in which McNabb bought time with his feet and was able to bomb it down field. Watch for the Eagles to address their offensive line in the draft to allow Kolb more time to stretch the field. If the Birds ignore the O-line, Jackson’s numbers may take a hit.

Early Prediction: 1200 Yards 9 TD’s

Jeremy Maclin

Maclin’s value really has nothing to do with the change at quarterback. This talented receiver slowly turned it on last year and should be a great mid round pick for any fantasy owner.

Santana Moss

While Moss hasn’t been a regular starter in fantasy line-ups in quite some time, the addition of McNabb’s cannon arm might spark up the stats of this seasoned veteran. Moss was shut down last year with only one really good fantasy game. Against Detroit, Moss had 10 catches for 178 yards and a TD, but really didn’t do much the rest of the season. Training camp will give us a better indication of who steps up as the number one receiver. With talk of maybe bringing in restricted free agent Brandon Marshall, Moss’s value seems undetermined right now; he will head to training camp as a 31 year old starter.

Either Running Game

The addition or loss of McNabb doesn’t really affect either running game right now. Currently the running back by committee has fantasy owners avoiding all in Washington, and with the Eagles being a pass first option, LeSean McCoy is no stronger with or without a change.

Fantasy Football:

What Does Mike Shanahan Mean For McNabb?

Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan is known around the league as a top talent when it comes to the development of running backs. He’s been responsible for the success of some talented players over the last decade: Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns, and Tatum Bell. This year he takes the reigns as Washington’s head coach with a terrifying trio of running backs Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker.  With newly acquired quarter back Donovan McNabb at the helm some fans may expect to see a vibrant pass happy Redskin offense, however Dan Snyder didn’t invest all of his money at the RB position to watch them drink Gatorade on the pine.

Shanahan has historically bolstered a run first west coast offense; it will likely be no different in Washington which could affect the way in which Donovan McNabb performs in a Skins uniform. Don’t be surprised to see McNabb play an almost “Farvian” like role with his new team (15-20 pass attempts/game).

While in Philadelphia McNabb had a stellar run game with Brian Westbrook, although the Eagles were never able to pick up the key yards on the ground when they mattered; forcing Donovan to always make the play. With a power run game behind McNabb for the first time his entire career, the pressure on him is likely to decrease, especially on third down and so too are his pass attempts.

This isn’t necessarily bad news for McNabb owners, if the running backs ARE able to produce then naturally McNabb will be under less scrutiny from the defense. Passing fewer attempts with a higher completion percentage will allow Donovan to get into his groove.  When in rhythm and sporting a smile on his face, #5 can tear through any defensive. This was the situation in Minnesota that allowed Favre to thrive last season (granted Adrian Peterson) however with Shanahan’s history of running backs this style of play isn’t a far stretch and could allow McNabb to play as if he was a much younger quarterback.

Fantasy Football:

• Rams release Marc Bulger on Monday. Someone should tell Sam Brafford he needs to get himself a real estate agent in the St.Louis area because this is a slam dunk. Bulger was scheduled to make $8.5 million next season and was never expected to be with the team, heading into training camp.

• The Seahawks and Detroit Lions made a few trades today: Seattle sent guard Rob Sims to Detroit for a fifth-round draft pick. Sims was a 4th round pick for the Seahawks back in 2006 and started 14 games for Seattle last year. The Lions also traded away Robert Henderson for a 7th round draft pick in this years draft.
• Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove has signed his tender offer, and the team announced that he’ll be back in New Orleans in 2010.
• NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reported that the Redskins already have buyers remorse after signing Albert Haynesworth to such a huge contact. Rumors were that the big man was on the table when McNabb trade talks were commencing. Eagles had no interest.
• We had DT Jared Odrick high on our draft boards but not as high as the Cleveland Browns. PFT.com is reporting there is a lot of love for the big man in Clev-town
• Tim Tebow Signs A Deal With Nike

Fantasy Football:

Donovan McNabb was traded to a division rival the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

The trade will not break McNabb free from the Eagles completely though, as now he will get to face his old team twice a year, but in a new jersey color.

Most Philadelphia Eagle fans have been wanting to see a change for years with either McNabb leaving town, Reid going, or both, but this move may sting if the Kevin Kolb project doesn’t turn out. Or if now Kolb demands huge starter money and isn’t much better.

Trading McNabb now was the smart business move as they had get something while he was still under contract, but trading him to a rival in the same division makes no sense.

Philadelphia will receive the No. 37 overall pick in the 2010 draft and either a third or fourth round pick in 2011 for the 6 time Pro Bowler.

Personally I think the Eagles didn’t get as much as they could have with McNabb and should have waited to the start of the NFL Draft. The Eagles are now a re-building team and should see a drop in their Super Bowl Odds in Vegas futures overnight.

Kolb is essentially a rookie, with only two starts to his name, along with 2nd year running back -LeSean McCoy taking over for Westbrook. DeSean Jackson, Maclin, Avant and Celek are also a very young crop of players, which will no doubt be a monster power house in a few years, but I don’t see success overnight.

McNabb on the other hand is headed to a team that could only string together 4 wins in 2009, and has a bad O-Line. New coach Mike Shanahan is known for his running game and will love the option of having a rocket arm that Donovan possesses. The same can be said for McNabb, as he has always been apart of a pass happy offense, something that many believe to be a bad an unbalanced strategy, the change could help him.

Of coarse McNabb the classy guy he is had this to say: “I’m really excited about my future with the Washington Redskins,” McNabb said in a statement. “I’m eager to work with coach Shanahan. He’s been a very successful coach with a couple of Super Bowl victories on his resume. While it’s been my goal to win a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, we came up short. I enjoyed my 11 years here and we shared a lot more good times than bad.”

Fantasy Football:

McLane writes that McNabb would be willing to go to St. Louis with a contract extension, and that a trade could happen quickly. Although, this goes against everything McNabb has recently wrote on his site Yardbarker:

“I was asked to respond to statements made at the NFL owners meetings that the Eagles would entertain offers to trade any of their three QBs. Here is my response:
“My position hasn’t changed. I’ve said all along that I would like to win a Super Bowl and finish my career in Philadelphia.
“I understand the situation well and just hope whichever direction the Eagles decide to go in, they do it quickly. I think that would be best for me, Kevin, Michael, the Eagles, and any other teams involved. No matter what happens, I’ve already begun preparing to have an outstanding season in 2010.” -Donovan McNabb.

This is getting out of control, Andy Reid is playing with fire. We had mentioned that a move that is dragged out not only losses value from teams giving up in the situation (Seahawks, Browns) but it paints a messy picture for the start of a new season. If Philly doesn’t make a move fast the 3 QB’s are going to start to get ticked off and begin to vent to the media. Reading McNabbs latest post has a hint of anger that he just wants a trade to go down, no matter who it is. Remember, this isn’t like trading a guy in Madden, these are people and have to pick up and move to a new city, not to mention get their hands on the new playbook ASAP. The longer the Eagles wait, the less they’ll get in return

[**UPDATED**]

Earlier we (and just about everybody else) reported that Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer had stated that he had an inside source on McNabb on his way to the Rams….what do you know, another rumor.

Per Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Rams G.M. Billy Devaney says that report of a trade is “[a]bsolutely false” and “utterly ridiculous.”

Fantasy Football:

Excuse me for not freaking out and going into a mad spiral rant about a minor NFL overtime change that occurs only in the playoffs, as I really don’t care.

The reaction to this overtime rule change is surprisingly controversial. People are digging up old wounds to games lost over the years and adding the “what if” reasoning to it.

Better yet people are taking a little away from the recent win from the New Orleans Saints after beating the Vikings in the playoffs, which is totally ludicrous. I have seen the rule change be called the “Favre rule” giving credit to the fact it was made to cradle the ego of number 4’s recent bonehead play.

I personally understand the change and don’t see it as that big of a deal. With NFL kickers never missing field goals due to leg strength, more accuracy it makes sense that getting into field goal range should not be the deciding factor in a tight contest

The hard work over at Profootball talk have many articles devoted to the possible winning scenarios including: Nine-point overtime win is possible under new rules and a history lesson to which overtime was starter…”yeah”

Please somebody send a text to Donovan McNabb about the rule change, as overtime already eludes him

Fantasy Football: