As if Donovan McNabb in burgundy and gold isn't strange enough, now the quarterback's apparently encouraging Redskins coach Mike Shanahan to add his former teammate/nemesis Terrell Owens to the roster. ESPN's Ed Werder, who just returned from Redskins Park, and Sal Paolantonio teamed up on this report.
Shanahan told Werder the Redskins weren't actively pursuing T.O., but it's obvious he's trying to upgrade the position. And the T.O. thing isn't a complete stretch since Shanahan seems to value aging players more than most head coaches. All you have to do is look at the Skins' running backs to know how much Shanahan leans on experienced players.
It would certainly be entertaining to have T.O. make his third stop in the NFC East, but I think it would be a big mistake by Shanahan. When Jerry Jones signed T.O. to a free-agent contract in '06, he was still an elite receiver. Now he's a declining player coming off a season in which he didn't reach the 1,000-yard mark. Yes, I realize that McNabb's a major upgrade over Trent Edwards and whoever else was throwing passes for the Bills, but at age 36, T.O.'s not worth the risk.
McNabb and T.O. apparently broke the (block of) ice on their relationship while filming a television show together earlier this offseason. But just because they had a friendly exchange during a basketball game doesn't mean they should be teammates again. Last August, I remember hearing that McNabb had encouraged the Eagles to sign Michael Vick. To me, that particular facet of the Vick story seemed a bit forced.
Perhaps McNabb's thinking about the T.O. that played with him in '04. Let's keep in mind that T.O. was 30 at the time. He was still among the top two or three wide receivers in the game. It would be one thing if we thought he could be a mentor to young receivers such as Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly. But he's normally drawn to players who aren't threats to his playing time.
I appreciate the "win now" attitude that seems to be permeating at Redskins Park, but this strikes me as overkill. But I guess after watching McNabb get traded to a division rival, nothing should surprise us at this point.