I may get flamed for this but it's my OPINION nevertheless.
I think we should be careful when labeling Muslims. I'm not talking sects, I'm talking about judging one's iman. Terms like "Quran only Muslims" and modernists should be avoided, in my opinion.
I'm just going to speak from my experience as a youth leader who worked with NYC Muslim youth and learned how to significantly connect with them. Not so much about what Suhaib Webb's personal beliefs are.
I will, however, say that I've actually met Suhaib Webb and have seen him speak. Granted I don't know much about him other than the fact that he may not be the most orthodox imam out there. But the man HAS presence and as a community leader trying to connect with Muslim youth, that is CRUCIAL.
He does use American references to get his point across, which I believe is helpful for youth especially. Being able to relate to an imam who pretty much grew up the way they did can make a significant impact on Muslim youth that were previously "unreachable." Many Muslim American youth feel as if they can't connect to their imams simply out of fear of being judged or misunderstood. You have to be able to relate to them and I do believe Suhaib Webb does that well. He not only tries to connect with them but he works on maintaining that connection because there are Muslim youth that are seriously appreciative of having an imam that actually relates to them.
As for creating an "American Islam" I think that's a bit much. Like I said I don't know him much and I'll be honest, some of the contents of the article shocked me a bit, but I think he's simply trying to bridge the gap between Islam and the west. By all means, if there is any conflict between his words and Quranic teachings, then of course it's a different subject. I simply feel that in order to connect with the citizens of a particular country, one needs to be able to speak their language and understand their culture. Whether we like it or not, today's youth can't relate as much to traditions "back home" as they can with the traditions in their home country. That doesn't mean they're necessarily correct but simply being aware of those traditions shows youth that the individual knows what they're talking about as well as understands where the youth themselves are coming from.
And then they'll truly believe that this imam cares about their well-being and isn't simply trying to tell them what to do.
Bottom line: Islam is Islam. No one should try to alter it or change it. But one should remember that presentation is key and results in how well you connect with your audience. When it comes to Islam, out beautiful deen should be presented in it's pure, unaltered form. However, using references from the environment around you are immensely helpful.
As for Suhaib Webb, Rabb ul Alameen alone is the Supreme Judge. Yes, we're all human and we make mistakes (the Mary J. Blige comment was extremely inappropriate) but I believe his intentions are pure and simply about reaching out to American Muslim youth in a way that keeps them connected to Islam. However, he should be careful about not transgressing the limits of Shariah in any way, as should all of us.