I’ve defended the man for years. I even had an argument with my wife last year because I thought he should stay in Southeast Pennsylvania until his retirement.
After eleven years, Donovan McNabb should no longer be the quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s still a good player who has quite a few years left, but it’s pretty obivious that he’s not going to bring a green parade to Broad Street.
The 34-14 annihilation in Dallas was a total organizational loss leaving the blame on everyone with a NovaCare Complex pass. While this is far from just being McNabb’s fault, the last two games against the Cowboys epitomized No. 5’s flaws.
Regardless of what McNabb or Andy Reid say, the Eagles have to explore every single option to improve this team. Who can forget what Joe Banner said last year about the definition of insanity.
There are five major reasons this needs to happen:
1. He is who he is
Let’s face it, McNabb is not going to get any better. The same inaccurate throws he made earlier in his career are the throws he still makes today. His strength is vertical, downfield passes while the staple of the West Coast Offense(Reid’s version included) is short/intermediate throws. Also, McNabb has always been known to extend plays with his feet. The more he advances into his 30s, the harder that will be.
2. His contract status
No. 5 was awarded a raise last year, but not an extension in years. That move didn’t show much faith in what McNabb will do in the future in my opinion. With one year left and the bulk of that raise paid in 2009 due to the threat of an uncapped 2010 season, this is the perfect time for the Eagles to pursue trading McNabb.
3. Kevin Kolb
The Eagles know what they have with McNabb and many feel he’s still their best option. But how do we know that? The biggest issue with backup QB Kevin Kolb is we still don’t know. At some point you have to give him a chance. It’s completely asinine to spend a second round pick on somebody only to watch him walk away and flourish somewhere else. The San Diego Chargers let Drew Brees walk to give Philip Rivers an opportunity and the Green Bay Packers traded Brett Farve because they believed in Aaron Rodgers. How often does a team have the option of giving a young QB that knows the system a chance?
4. Comment about “The Team Showing It’s Youth” didn’t sit well
Regardless of what the public response was, I don’t think McNabb’s comment after the 24-0 season finale sat well with Desean Jackson or any of Donovan’s young group of weapons. While the statement may have been true, McNabb didn’t necessarily show his veteranship in that last two games either. No. 5’s press conferences may irritate the public constantly, but the “youth statement” is the type that can cause the loss of respect in the locker room.
5. Plenty of teams will want him
Regardless of his shortcomings as a Philadelphia Eagle, there are still plenty of teams that believe Donovan McNabb will take them to the next level. The potential return(probably a 2nd round and 5th round pick) the Eagles would receive for McNabb is very attractive. Denver, Cleveland, Seattle and Buffalo all could use him. Pending on their current starters decisions after the playoffs end, Arizona and Minnesota could be possibilities as well.
The bottomline is: Whether from a disgruntled fan perspective or a business point of view, trading Donovan McNabb this offseason would be a very logical move.
