Before futility was set in concrete, Redskins coach Mike Shanahan tried buying time last season by explaining that his quarterback situation was "week to week."

What he meant - at least, what the rest of us couldn't help thinking - was that juggling Rex Grossman and John Beck was a case of going from weak to weak.

That's been the condition of Redskins quarterbacking for as long as anybody can remember. Weak to weak. A revolving door of mediocrity, resulting in one disappointing season after another.

Under the circumstances, would it be such a terrible thing for the Redskins to roll out the burgundy and gold (and green) carpet for Peyton Manning, pending his release from the Colts?

Joe Theismann believes it would be.

"It's not a good idea, it's not a bad idea - it's a horrific idea," he said this week on a Washington radio show.

Well, now. People can disagree about whether the Skins or any team should take a chance on Manning. He turns 36 in March. He's coming off major neck surgery that forced him to miss last season. We don't know yet if he'll be 100 percent.

So sure, there are risks involved, just as there are risks to the spirit and mental health of Redskins fans whenever Grossman and Beck take a snap.

Given Mannings' age and uncertain condition, some misgivings are understandable. But that's not the same as Theismann saying that signing Manning "would be one of the poorest things that we could do as a franchise."

One of the poorest things? That covers a lot of ground considering the amount of bungling attributed to Dan Snyder's franchise over the years.

"Are we gonna go find another guy for just a couple of years again?" Theismann asked. "Haven't we done this before? Haven't we seen this act before?"

Perhaps Theismann was reflecting on the signings of Donovan McNabb and Deion Sanders. Or maybe he was thinking of the millions recently wasted on Albert Haynesworth.

All due respect to McNabb and Sanders, but Manning's signing would be different. Assuming his neck and right arm can stand up to the challenge, he's Peyton Manning. And he plays the most important position on the field.

Snyder has shown a weakness over the years for marquee attractions on the downsides of their careers, but one act the Skins have never performed is signing a future Hall of Famer to play quarterback.

For me, part of the appeal of the Redskins signing Manning would be the circus it would create. Let's not pretend that one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time would be "another guy for just a couple of years." He'd light a fire under the franchise, single-handedly improving its national image.

"And by the way," Theismann continued, "if you get Peyton Manning, don't you have a concern about protecting him? Don't you have a concern about who he throws the football to?"

Legitimate questions. But isn't Manning as adept as anyone at sliding around the pocket, avoiding sacks? His genius for reading defenses and the speed of his delivery would make any line better.

He'd also have a positive impact on Redskins receivers, a collection of nonentities burdened by ordinary quarterbacking. In Indianapolis, Manning didn't just complete passes to Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, he also made very good use of Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon. The Skins could help themselves, too, by using their first-round pick on a wide receiver.

Theismann, though, can't see Manning in a Redskins uniform. He, like other naysayers, contends that he's looking at the big picture, but actually, he's thinking small.

"We're tired of looking for stop gaps," he argued. "It's time to draft one of your own or make a deal for a young one of your own, and nurture him, and then put the players around him.

"If we're gonna be 5-11, if we're gonna be 6-10, let's do it with somebody who's [learning as he goes]."

The Redskins might gamble on moving up in the draft and taking Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. But by then, Manning will have gone with another, bolder team, and the Skins' next promising young arm will be denied the chance to learn behind one of the smartest quarterbacks ever to buckle a chin strap.

Theismann's call for a youth movement also ignores a big problem as far as Shanahan is concerned. If the Skins go 5-11 or 6-10 next season, he's finished in Washington. Manning could set the team on the right path - even the playoffs wouldn't be out of the question.

A stickler for order and professionalism, it's unclear if Manning will even entertain the prospect of playing for a franchise as traditionally dysfunctional as the Redskins. But as far as the fans and team are concerned, is imagining the possibility really such a horrific notion?

Say it ain't so, Joe.