I'm sure most of you have already heard the news by now, but if you haven't let me break it to you. As of about 8:30 tonight, Donovan McNabb is a Washington Redskin. The Philadelphia Eagles traded their long time quarterback to Washington for a second round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, as well as either a third or fourth round pick in the 2011 Draft. Ladies and gentlemen, the Donovan McNabb era has ended in Philadelphia.
Of course, that means that Kevin Kolb is now the starting quarterback for the Eagles. In the two games that Kolb started in place of McNabb last season, he put up great numbers, but you once again have to remember that the Eagles were playing against the Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints, two teams that weren't exactly known for their pass defense early in the season. Now, it's Kolb's team on offense, and he's got to prove that he can in fact get to places that Donovan couldn't. That means that this guy has to win the Super Bowl. Not too much pressure on you, kid.
I really, really tried to think about something good to say about this deal, but nothing is coming to me. The second round pick is nice, especially with it being so high in the second round, but to trade Donovan McNabb, the best quarterback the Eagles have ever had, to a division rival makes no sense what so ever. I have no idea what this team was thinking when they made this deal, because it doesn't help the Eagles out in any way. Sure, the team gets a second round pick, but you know that McNabb has already got the two games against the Eagles marked down, and he's going to go all out to show this team and this city how good they really had it over the past 11 years. This whole situation boggles my mind.
How can you trade a franchise quarterback to a division rival? I don't know if there were any other teams with offers on the table, and quite frankly, I don't care. What I know is that the Eagles should have listened to other offers before even thinking about going through with the one that they did. I don't care whether or not Donovan didn't want to go to Oakland. I would have been fine with him in silver and black, because the Eagles don't play the Raiders twice next season. I knew that this trade was coming, as did most other Eagle fans, but not to the Redskins. Why would you make another team in your division better? About the only thing that the Redskins were missing last year from making a decent run was a good quarterback, and now they have that with Donovan. Washington has a top ten defense, a solid running game and good young receivers. Now, they have the quarterback that can put all of that together.
If you look at what the Eagles have done so far this offseason, it's clearly a rebuilding process now. They've either traded, released or let go their starting quarterback and running back from last season, as well as a former All Pro offensive tackle, their starting middle linebacker for half of the season, almost all of their defensive linemen and, arguably, their best cornerback from last season. If anyone thinks that this team isn't going to take a big step back next year, I want to have some of what you're smoking. Instead of Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook in the backfield, the Eagles now have Kevin Kolb and LeSean McCoy, two players that look like they could be good, but have proven very little yet. There is no leader on this team right now. Sheldon Brown seemed to step into the role, and now he's gone on defense. Westbrook and McNabb were the veteran voices on offense, and now it's DeSean Jackson and Jason Peters, with Brent Celek there as well. This is a team that is going nowhere next season, and possibly the 2011 season as well.
Honestly, I would be surprised to see the Eagles win eight games next year. They still have too many questions in that defense, and no amount of their 11 draft picks this season are going to make that defense good enough to compete with the Dallas Cowboys this coming season. It's just not going to happen, I'm sorry to say. Then again, perhaps the front office saw that the Eagles weren't going to be able to compete over the next few years and decided to get what they could for McNabb now, before the market completely dried up. That would be the only rationale that I could accept when it comes to making this trade. I still think McNabb has a bit left in his tank, and while he's never been the most accurate passer in the league, he was still able to do plenty with what he had on the Eagles, but his time is up now.
In the 11 years that McNabb was the quarterback for the Eagles, he got the team to the NFC Championship five times. However, he came up short in four of those games, giving Philadelphia fans enough of a reason to call for his head each and every time the Eagles couldn't get over the hump. The one time he did get the Eagles to the Super Bowl, he apparently was winded in the huddle during the last two minutes of the game, and that would become his legacy in Philadelphia: a player that was good, but couldn't get himself, or his team, to the promised land. It's honestly a sad way to be branded, and he doesn't deserve all of the blame. McNabb was never really liked by all Eagle fans from the day he was drafted. The idiots that booed him are probably cheering the loudest tonight, even though this team isn't going anywhere this, or next season. I hope that Kevin Kolb can fill McNabb's shoes, but I don't exactly have the highest hopes right now. I just hope that this team can prove me wrong.
McNabb won 82 games with the Eagles (though most came before the 2005 season), passed for 216 touchdowns and almost 33,000 yards and rushed for 3,249 yards with 28 touchdowns on the ground. From his first start with the Eagles, fans could see that he was something special, and through the years, he proved it again and again. Whether it was fourth and 26, a 14 second scramble against the Cowboys, or the seasons where he led the offense with James Thrash and Todd Pinkston as his starting wideouts, McNabb always made me feel like the Eagles had a chance to win the game. Whether they would or not is another story, but on this night, when Donovan McNabb is done as an Eagle, I want to remember the good times.
Donovan, I wish you nothing but the best down in Washington, and next year, and I mean this, I hope you come to Philadelphia and kick the Eagles' asses. Show this team and these fans what you can do. Best of luck, #5.
CSNPhilly.com: Eagles trade McNabb to Redskins for picks
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