Wrapping Up McNabb Trade Week
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Wrapping Up McNabb Trade Week
Les Bowen
Some final thoughts from the week the Eagles traded Donovan McNabb:
*I expect Donovan to start out gangbusters with the Redskins. He doesn’t want to admit it, but the fans’ frustrations and his own frustrations were an anvil around his neck these past several seasons, really ever since the Jeff Garcia year, an unsettled situation that morphed into the drafting of Kevin Kolb. Don needed this change as much as the Eagles did.
You might have noticed the way he threw himself into the ‘Skins offseason conditioning program. He only participated in that here if he was rehabbing a serious injury from the season before. His batteries are recharged; Donovan’s first month of the season is going to be lights out. After that, the reality of the Redskins’ wifty o-line and the fact that he really isn’t quite what he was five years ago – especially in sensing and sidestepping pass rush pressure -- will have a leveling effect. But brace yourself for a slew of premature boy-the-Eagles-sure-screwed-up stories from the national media.
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*If the Eagles do end up trading or releasing Michael Vick in the coming weeks, I would not be at all surprised to see Jeff Garcia return for a third stint in midnight green. I know he's tossed his helmet into the ring. Ideal guy to mentor Kolb.
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*I don’t put much credence into that “blocking Sam Bradford going to Washington” business, as a reason why the Birds traded with the Redskins. It comes from other GMs theorizing what the Eagles might have been thinking. Big leap from there to “this must have been what happened.” In this internet age, lots of media folks are eager to be Bob Beamon, if it helps their “brand.”
What I think happened: There weren’t that many really good offers, as April rolled around. The Redskins’ bid was pretty good, and Donovan liked the idea of going there. Other considerations might have dovetailed, but those were the two elements driving the deal, along with the fact that the Birds had decided they absolutely, positively needed to move on. I’m not sure they were quite at that point earlier in the offseason.
Speaking of which, very interesting and potentially damning to see an Andy Reid ally like Mike Holmgren imply the Eagles could have gotten more earlier in the process, before some of the suitors made other QB arrangements, based on indications the Birds initially wanted more than a second-rounder this year and something for later. But again: If Kolb leads the Eagles to a Super Bowl title, nobody will care what they got for McNabb.
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*Got a long, thoughtful email from a fan, contrasting Roy Kolb’s statements in my Thursday story with Sam McNabb’s talk this week of Donovan being resurrected on Easter, etc. The letter-writer felt Roy was a breath of fresh air.
I think Roy and Sam are good people. Both fathers did an excellent job raising their sons to be decent, responsible human beings. They are in different situations right now. If a time comes when the Eagles trade away Kevin Kolb, I doubt Roy will be any happier than Sam was.
In the toxic atmosphere that developed around Donovan here, Sam and Wilma took a fair amount of heat. I never thought they really deserved it. There is nothing obnoxious about appearing in a soup commerical, campaigning to raise funds to fight diabetes, or wanting to help young African-American quarterbacks; they are still a tiny minority in an NFL otherwise dominated by African-Americans. I think the McNabbs have always seen themselves as cultural warriors, and I think they mostly have fought the good fight.
That doesn’t mean they couldn’t be hard to take at times, such as with the Easter analogy. Sam delivered it to a national reporter Tuesday, after stiff-arming the Philadelphia media at the Redskins’ press conference introducing Donovan.
Covering the team, I didn’t find the McNabbs so overbearing – remember, I covered Eric Lindros’ entire career in Philadelphia, I know from overbearing. But I wish they could have been a little less tightly focused on fighting that cultural war, could have loosened up a little. (The same wish goes for their younger son.) It was frustrating that they weren't a little more discerning about who in the local media tried to be fair, and who just rode the tide of popular opinion. In their eyes, I think we were all the same malevolent, middle-aged white guy, intent on tearing down Donovan. They were not much for nuance. If somebody somewhere at your media outlet wrote or said or drew something they felt was a cheap shot, that was it for you. (In that sense, come to think of it, they WERE like the Lindros family.)
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*Rich Hofmann already wrote this, but I really don’t see why the Eagles are going to be terrible this year, as some folks seem to assume. I don’t think the 2010 Kolb is going to be a huge step down from the 2009 McNabb. If the o-line and defensive secondary come together, I would expect a winning season. Not the Super Bowl, but a winning season. In the NFL, youthful talent might make you erratic, but it shouldn’t make you incompetent.
That same sense of relief I expect to buoy McNabb in Washington will echo here; I think that was really what DeSean Jackson was trying to say the other day. I don’t believe he necessarily wanted Donovan gone, but I know he wanted this uncertain mess to be settled, once and for all. Lots of people did, yours truly included.
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*Maybe next week I can start thinking about the draft again?
Comment removed.
If you are going to comment on the draft, then an in depth analysis of the current depth chart would be a nice way to begin your series of articles.— The Reddgie- Donovan is better off in D.C. I live close in that area, and there are no Angelo Cataldis who will try to verbally attack him just to generate ratings. In fact, take Cataldi out of the equation and McNabb's time in Philly probably would have been a lot less turbulent. I wish that we could have included him in the trade.— phink
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- Don't discount Holmgren covering his own behind for getting Delhomme instead of McNabb. If he said the price he would have to have paid for McNabb was comparable to what the Redskins paid, he wouldn't have made too many Brown's fans happy. He already looks like he jumped the gun getting Delhomme. I mean, really, Delhomme? On purpose? How much worse could he have done by waiting?
- Its time 4 a change! He will be 33 YEARS OLD and we got a 2nd round pick!NOT SO BAD!— socalbirdsfan
- The Eagles will be as bad as their 1998 record, with more blowout losses. When that happens, does Reid get fired?— dowens1617
- I find it interesting that you mentioned the cultural thing that the McNabbs could not get over. I always felt that their goal, although it was to win,was to make sure that Donovan would be the 2nd black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. That was more important to them, then say the team winning. They always seemed to fly under the radar with the racial thing, but it was definitely there.I just wanted the team to win, but there was somehow always too many distractions with teammates, out of place comments, and at times poor performance on the field, when clutch plays were needed. Now this chapter in Eagles history is over, and now its time to start fresh and move on. Oh, and I would like to see Garcia come back as the back up.— watsonmr
- I agree with Les that McNabb's parents probably took themselves too seriously in their struggle to see Donovan treated like an elite QB. Donovan may start well in DC, but he has to make a commitment to that team and to Shanahan. Have a season like Randall had in MN in 1998, and every "hater" will have egg on their faces. To me, Kolb HAS to win a Super Bowl; the Eagles feel he is better; he and Reid have to prove it.— 76erfn
- Hey it was never McNabb.Andy and his mommy & daddy kill this man. First Andy he took a great running QB from college and took the run from him and made him the joke of the NFL. As for his parents he a big boy and will do better with out opening your mouths. I hope he runs all the time in DC. andy a running QB makes the defence works harderand being only a quterback coach you should know that you are the bigest joke of a head coach in the nfl. But with Kolb knowing the west cast offence from college it might work. and well i will be eating my words. But andy you will always be what you were in Green Bay.— I M Jim
- he had his chance to separate himself from the Van Brocklin's (1960 MVP)-Jaworski's (1980 MVP)-Cunningham's (1988-90 MVP) of the franchise but couldn't get it done,he could never rise to the occasion..KK will be the QB that gets this team to the Promise Land..good luck with the Deadskins LOL.wolf.— wolf 4
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- He's a Redskin now- what a rascist name by the way. What if their was a team called the Denver Darkies? At some point, we need to address this. Anyway he is the enemy now and I hope our defense lays him out.— Corey301
- McNabb will be the Second BLACK QB to win the Superbowl. How ironic it'll be with the REDSKINS!..Hail to the Redskins!..Hail Victory!— Warpath85nIraq
- Les, brilliant summary, makes a lot of sense.— JBP
