Redskins Roundup: Jaws is scratching his head

Rich Tandler writes that injured TB Clinton Portis says he has no idea if he will play on Monday night and admitted his groin is “real sore.” Tandler also notes that Head Coach Mike Shanahan might have, possibly, just maybe, admitted he made a mistake by benching QB Donovan McNabb without a decent explanation.

Portis spoke to the media this week while wearing a Philadelphia Phillies baseball cap…days before his team plays that other Philly franchise, the Eagles. He says he did it because the red color matched what he wanted to wear, but some Redskins fans were incensed about it. The story collected over 900 comments on Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner blog. Count me as one of those Redskins fans who couldn’t care less about the Phillies cap. It’s Portis. He doesn’t know any better and even if he did he’d probably still do it. We should be grateful he didn’t wear an Eagles cap. If he does a good job picking up the blitz Portis should be allowed to wear any headgear he likes.

John Keim writes that it is hard to imagine Portis playing Monday night considering how far away he is from healthy right now. I agree. I expect Portis back for the Titans game, not the Eagles game.

Former Eagles QB and current Monday Night Football analyst Ron Jaworski, tells Ryan O’Halloran that the benching of McNabb a “head scratcher” and after reviewing the game tape twice cannot figure out why McNabb was pulled for backup Rex Grossman. Jaworski believes McNabb has been inconsistent throughout his career running the two minute drill.

“It’s a head scratcher. I’m sitting here right now in the third quarter of that Detroit-Washington game for the second time and I’m still trying to find something that would have hinted a change was going to be made and quite honestly I still can’t find anything….Certainly I thought Donovan was doing all he could have done in the situation and during the game and under the duress he was under. The offensive line wasn’t blocking well and they weren’t running consistently and the receivers weren’t catching the ball. That’s why it’s a head scratcher. You’re 4-3 and have a chance to go to 5-3 and you would choose that time to bench a quarterback? I can’t find any rhyme or reason why they made that decision.”

[Here is a transcript of the Jaworski chat with the DC media.]

Barry Svrluga writes that McNabb loves the 2-minute drill and can’t wait to get back to it.

John Keim has the sobering numbers indicating McNabb hasn’t been good on third downs or the 2-minute drill.

Shanahan calls the two-minute offense an extension of their third-down package. McNabb is 26th in the NFL on third downs with a 62.8 passer rating. On third-down plays where the Redskins need anywhere from three to seven yards for a first down, he has a 23.1 rating. …

The Redskins still haven’t practiced the two-minute offense. That’s six weeks and counting.  But Shanahan said he hopes they can practice it on Saturday, depending on how McNabb’s hamstrings are doing.

McNabb had this to say about the benching controversy that has raged the last two weeks:

* He has found the constant chatter “quite entertaining, I should say, from the talks to the reactions and things of that nature,” he said. “I’ve gotten some pretty good support from ex-players and commentators.”

*His relationship with the Redskins has “not at all” changed. “I have a pretty good relationship with the people in the organization here and some great back-up support,” he said. “It goes for the players as well.”

Michael Salfino of CSN Washington previews the Eagles-Redskins game.

Brian Burke has a fascinating statistical analysis of the Redskins defense. Short story: defensive line isn’t getting it done, but SS Laron Landry and CB DeAngelo Hall are going to the Pro Bowl. I think we knew that, but the article is well worth reading.

DeAngelo Hall thinks Eagles QB Michael Vick, a former teammate of Hall’s in Atlanta, is playing better than ever. Not much doubt about that.

You can read more Redskins news at DC Pro Sports Report.