Flying Away to D.C.

I was heartbroken when I heard the Eagles had released Brian Westbrook and am hoping that he can find a new home soon. But I am not sure if I have ever been as emotional as I was when I heard that Donovan McNabb was traded to the Redskins. McNabb was the original reason why I began following football: about 10 years ago, a book I read on McNabb interested me in the Eagles and the NFL. Without Donovan, I would have started following football a lot later than I did. Right when I saw the headline on ESPN, I was trying to think of what players the Redskins were willing to give up. When I found out that the Eagles got just a second and a third or fourth round pick, I was shocked.

The 11-year NFL veteran out of Syracuse was traded on Easter Sunday. Everybody knows that he was hoping to play his 12th NFL season in Philadelphia, but as he said in the ESPN article posted above, he is excited for his opportunity with Washington. The 6-time Pro Bowler is 33, but he brings a lot to the table for the Redskins. Now, with a proven quarterback and a few other additions they've made this offseason, I really think they have a shot at the playoffs this year. I'm not saying McNabb is going to put up Pro Bowl numbers, but he is just one year removed from a career high in passing yards and in 2009, he put up his best passer rating in three years.

I personally thought it was unfair for the Eagles to blame him for not winning a Super Bowl. During his career in Philly, the Eagles got to five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. While the quarterback is arguably the most important position in football, he could not do it by himself. As we have seen in recent history, Super Bowl champions tend to have a great quarterback, but they need more than just that. The one full year McNabb had an elite wide receiver was the one year he got to the Super Bowl. If McNabb was given more time with elite wide outs, maybe he could have won a title.

I am not quite sure the Eagles did the right thin in this case. There were definitely positives to the trade, but there were also negatives. Nonetheless, the Eagles will go forward with Kevin Kolb, the fourth year quarterback out of Houston, with Michael Vick as his backup. The Eagles have gotten much younger this offseason with the departures of Westbrook, McNabb and wide receiver Kevin Curtis. Unfortunately, I think my team is now a few years away from contending for a title again. The Eagles have made a lot of big changes since the Super Bowl, and it is now clear that they want to head in the rebuilding direction. I just hope that McNabb gets a big cheer when he returns to Philadelphia.