Former Eagles, Redskins, and Vikings quarterback Donovan McNabb wants another NFL job. Recently, his former coach in Philly gave McNabb an endorsement. On Wednesday’s PFT Live, I gave McNabb’s coach in D.C. a chance to share his views on the subject.
Specifically, I asked Redskins coach Mike Shanahan what he would say if someone called for a reference on McNabb.
“One of the reasons we did get Donovan is Donovan is one of the best throwers in the National Football League,” Shanahan said. “And you saw what he did through the early part of his career. He could throw the ball, and he’s got great mobility. You know, the thing that I look at as people get older, ‘Do you want to make that commitment?’ You’ve gotta be in the best shape you’ve ever been in. As you get older, if you want to play at a very high level, you’d better be in the best shape. You’d better study, especially when you’re coming in to learn a new system. You know, you’ve got to spend a lot of time.”
Arguably implied in those remarks is the suggestion that McNabb wasn’t in the best shape and didn’t study the new system as much as he should. At a minimum, it’s a warning to a potential employer that, before taking a chance on McNabb, he needs to make his commitment to being in shape (i.e., the shape of something other than a pear) and working hard at his craft.
“One of the reasons why we didn’t go in that direction, even after giving up a second [round draft pick] and fourth was we felt [it was] in the best interests of our team to go another direction. Obviously, it didn’t work out. I wish him the best.”
Asked whether he has heard from any other teams regarding McNabb, Shanahan said, “No, I don’t think so. No one’s called me. And I don’t think anyone has called [offensive] Kyle [Shanahan].”
Shanahan conceded that Donovan McNabb did some good things in Washington, but that at the end of the day the team had to make tough decisions in the hopes of getting to the playoffs and winning a Super Bowl. Reading between the lines, however, it’s fairly clear that the Redskins decided McNabb wasn’t willing to put in the effort to get the most out of his abilities on the wrong side of 30.
The full clip appears below. And while nearly all of the content appears above, the video includes shots of McNabb frolicking on a beach in something other than “the best shape [he’s] ever been in.”