The speed with which the Redskins unfurled McNabb Benching Excuse 1.0 suggested that the Redskins had been holding the explanation in their back pockets for a while.
Jay Glazer of FOX confirms these suspicions, reporting that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan first broached with the staff the possibility of benching McNabb in early October, when McNabb returned to Philadelphia to play the Eagles.
It would have been the ultimate indignity for Donovan to be benched in his return to the city where he played for 11 years. And it shows that Kyle and his father, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, have real concerns about McNabb’s performance to date with his new team.