What they're saying: Time to trade McNabb?
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What they're saying: Time to trade McNabb?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
With the Eagles' season over, the national pundits have joined in on the conversation on what moves the Birds need to make going forward.
And as you might have guessed, the focus is on the quarterback.
The folks at the Inquirer and Daily News have been chiming in on whether they think Donovan McNabb should be back for another season.
And you all had your say in our Stay or Go feature. With nearly 14,000 votes as of Wednesday morning, 67 percent of you say it's time for McNabb to go.
Every season/offseason, the consensus from the national media is that Eagles fans are too harsh on McNabb. They say he's underappreciated by this city and its fan base.
But after McNabb accounted for just one touchdown in two games against the Cowboys to end the season, have the national media changed their tune?
Here's a roundup of links. Decide for yourselves.
SI.com's Peter King said he'd be surprised if the Eagles got rid of McNabb, but now might be the right time:
I think I'd be stunned if the Eagles got rid of McNabb, because Andy Reid's not the kind to throw away (or trade for a couple of good draft picks) his starting quarterback. But I think it's time for the Eagles to seriously think about it.
If the Eagles believe [Kevin] Kolb is a player, and I'm told they certainly do, Reid owes it to the franchise to think long and hard about allowing Kolb to compete for the job or take the job next year in his fourth season, at age 26. It's not like the Eagles need draft fortification, but McNabb could bring, let's say, something in the range of two second-round picks from Brad Childress if Brett Favre retires. Maybe it'd do Kolb good to get out of the Philadelphia cauldron.
John P. Lopez of SI.com gave out grades to the Eagles' positional units following last weekend's loss. Both McNabb and the offensive line received an F:
You could make the case the Eagles offensive line lost this one even before kickoff. These guys were so bad all year, the Cowboys clearly game-planned for it: With no running-game, get physical with the Eagles receivers and tee-off on the quarterbacks. Philly's O-line was manhandled all night.
ESPN.com's Gregg Easterbrook points to the loss of Jamaal Jackson as a major reason the Eagles fell apart:
As for Philadelphia, could it be that Jamaal Jackson was the league's MVP? Since the Eagles center went out injured in Week 16, the Philadelphia offense declined from among the league's best to 14 points in its final two outings. Many snaps were bad, disrupting play timing, and backup center Nick Cole doesn't understand how to move laterally to help other blockers, which Jackson does well.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio says he won't believe that McNabb is returning unless the Eagles give him an extension:
Until then, we'll suspect that the Eagles are feigning interest in bringing McNabb back in order to operate from a position of strength if/when someone calls about a trade for McNabb. And there could be many potential suitors.
Joe Fortenbaugh of the National Football Post warns Eagles fans to be careful what they wish for:
Has everyone forgotten what life was like before McNabb? We all loved what Randall Cunningham brought to the team in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but in the 11 years (1985-1995) Randall quarterbacked this franchise (the same number of years McNabb has led the team), the Eagles made the playoffs five times, winning just twice (2-5 overall) and failing to get past the divisional round.
The Eagles ranked third in Football Outsiders' final DVOA ratings for the regular season, behind the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers.
Matthew J. Darnell of Yahoo's Shutdown Corner blog advocates keeping McNabb:
We don't even need to get into the discussion of how good or bad Donovan McNabb might be. There's no better option, and that's just the way it is. Your can either stick with McNabb, or rebuild and miss the playoffs for the next few years. There's no third way to go.
Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning-News wonders who NFL GMs would rather have: McNabb or Tony Romo?
In the case of Romo vs. McNabb, the Cowboys quarterback has looked like the better passer almost since he got the job during the 2006 season. In his three full seasons as a starter, Romo's passer rating was always five to seven points higher than McNabb's – a significant number with so many quarterbacks owning marks in the 80s and 90s.
Bob Matthew of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle says the Buffalo Bills should go after McNabb:
McNabb would not be Buffalo's QB of the future, but he'd be a huge improvement for the present. Even if the Bills select a QB (Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen) with the No. 9 pick in this year's college draft, McNabb would be a solid starter for now.
Have a link I missed? Send me an e-mail and I'll include it in my next post.
First of all- stop the comparisons to Cunningham- Randall was a benchwarmer by his final season in Philly. Anybody else remember that crazy blowout of Detroit in the 1996 playoffs? The Birds put Randall in there to mop up and got a huge ovation cause the fans knew he was leaving. Randall Cunninham played effectively and fully from 1988 through 1990 and then parts of 92 and 93. I don't remember him starting in 94 or 95. My position is that if the Birds want to remain good, stay with #5...if they want to acheive greatness, throw in Kolb and let him grow. What's a rough aseason or two matter anyway (which I don't think he will have anyway) when we didn't win the SB in McNabb's prime?? It's all about the championship-nothing else should matter. What I also don't get is how reluctant the birds seem to be with McNabb. Staley, Dawkins, Sheppard, and other Birds' vets have been able to leave without the eagles having a plan. Is #5 that different?? It looks like McNabb and Akers will be here for eternity...— kjuggs77
It's like deja vu all over again. Loved Randall but that last season with Eagles was brutal. I was ready for change at time, then he go's to Minny and had his best year. I'm willing to give D.Mac 1 more year if not he' outta here!— fla.eagle- Well now, I never knowed center was that important. Nope, never did.— ItalianSausage
Comment removed.- palmyra21--so NO other QBs receivers drop passes? Maybe we should just trade for those receivers then!— reils
- i was a huge mcnabb fan but he showed that he doesn't have the ability to get it done anymore, from not running 4 yards for the first after 10 seconds have passed to not being able to hit a receiver in the numbers, i want him gone but if he stays we at least need to see how he does with a different offense coordinator, the only way i'm an eagles fan next year is if he's gone or there is a change of philosophy in their play calling cause this is disgraceful, we let the f******* cowboys beat us and it wasn't even close two weeks in a row— jbettner
- The problem here is Reid, not McNabb. Let's face it, if they kept sending Ryan Leaf out there, he would dtill be playing in the NFL. The nfact that Reid doesn't understand that McNabb will never get the Eagles to the Superbowl, much less win it falls on his terrible judgementss year after year. He and McNabb laugh in our faces and tell us they will do whatever they want to regardless of wins and losses. There is only one way to combat that. Stop buying tickets. This will make Lurie understand how we feel.— marioP
- Comment removed.
- paolibulldog um TO is done in Buffalo, 1 year deal and they don't have any intention of bringing him back— bobf876
- For his sake HE should go....the ship is sinking and he deserves better....the only way to save the ship is to cast the captain over the side....Andy picked the players, the backups, coached them up ??, designed and set the schemes , established the chemistry and "controls " everything...and he has for 11 years....and we still don't have a Lombardy Trophy.....guess Jeff does not care about winning it all or he would hold Andy accountable....and until Jeff is "consumed with winnng it all" we will not......Get out now Donny....the stepfords and the "settlers" are Jeffery clones......and you deserve better....— nuggett
- I agree with sore richard. Neither P Manning or Brady could have won that game against Dallas, considering the way the rest of the team was playing. I understand the importance of a QB in a team's performance, but those two game were mainly about getting shoved around in the trenches, and on both sides of the ball. You can make a reasonable argument for trading McNabb, but don't try to tell me that Kolb is the better QB. Kolb is morely likely closer to Matt Ryan than McNabb.— p-diddy
- So what if the Eagles have a bad year or two while KKolb gets settled, and I think a change of scenery would probably do Donovan some good (if he does better, good for him,!); BTW when is KKolb's present contract over?— southphilly42
- Palmyra21, To be exact, since 1998, Brett Favre is 3-6 in the playoffs (we'll see what he does w/ the Vikes); McNabb is 9-7. That doesn't mean that Favre was no good all those years, but it does point out how unusual it is to sustain a very high level of team success in the NFL. Regardless of the stone morons who don't understand that (like the sociopathic idiot who somehow blames McNabb for running for a td in the season opener), that is why I and knowledgeable Eagles/football fans appreciate his play, and his great resilience over the years. Would I trade a few of those playoff wins for one SB victory? Of course, I would, and DM would as well. But, he - with slight apologies to Dawk, Jimmy Johnson, Westbrook and AR - was the main reason we had all that success, including an improbable 11-5 record this year.— MG44
- This is like that show on MTV: Parental control. We have our Eagles Team that has been dating Mcnabb for 11 years, and things are going well but we've grown tired of his half-hearted commitment to the relationship. Kolb was our mother's choice. Smart, sensible, not the glamour pick but someone you could see yourself with for a long time. Vick is the sexy choice by our father. All the electrifying plays, the arm strength, but comes with a lot of baggage. Who will we choose? Should we stay with what we know? or test the open waters and see where we find our selves....— HoofHearted
- We need to hear just what teams would be really interested. We need to hear what deals would bring help to the Eagles. I am not interested now in Donnie because what we can do to move him on for real help, would aid the Eagles down the years, not just for 2-3 more years of failure or discontent in the team and in the fan base.— KGKoons
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