Essentially, the Eagles and Redskins have made a bet.
The Eagles have said: "Go ahead, have McNabb. He's not that good."
The Redskins have said: "You are f'ing crazy! We'll take him. You're on!"
Now, we wait and find out who is right.
It's possible, that both sides "win" this bet. The Eagles may indeed go forth with new vigor under Kevin Kolb and win more, or even win it all. Or at the very least, win the same as they did under McNabb.
While at the same time, McNabb may have plenty left in the tank, to make the Redskins suddenly quite good, for a healthy 3-4 years going forward.
From my standpoint, this is a blockbuster move that I am strongly in favor of, yet I have limited expectations of the results.
Contradiction?
No, not really.
I look at it this way.
McNabb at 33 is NOT past his prime. He's IN his prime. Late prime, yes. But prime. He is poised - barring injury, of course - for a Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Brad Johnson, Rich Gannon golden age of experience and sub-40 health.
McNabb instantly brings leadership to a squad that has been desperate for it from that position for years. Nothing against Jason Campbell as a person, but he never managed to swell up to the role that starting QB demands when it comes to leadership. You can say a good part of that is the dysfunction around him. True. But McNabb is an instant upgrade.
If McNabb plays well for 3 years, it'll be worth it. Period. He doesn't even need to raise his numbers significantly, just be in that 60+% completion range, with 2-to-1 TDs to INTs. Every year after that, is gravy. Three years is a long time.
Now that the Redskins have made a gamble with a 2nd round pick and a 3rd/4th that the QB position is SET for 3 years, they can go about fixing all the other things currently wrong with the team.
Three years from now, with a hopefully better team re-built underneath McNabb, if his production is slipping, you can pivot into the next option at QB. Or, if he's as good as ever, you make a Super Bowl run at age 37.
The Eagles have much more to lose.
In effect, McNabb's legacy is in Kolb's hands. If he plays great, then nobody weeps for #5. If he's a Scott Mitchell like flash in the pan, then they'll regret this for decades.
We once took Sonny Jurgensen off the Eagles hands. I hope this is a repeat.
But for the relative cost (we once paid two mid-round picks for the likes of TJ Duckett and Brandon Lloyd) it was a bet we just had to make.
Good post, Czabe. As a life-long Eagles fan, I understand the move to let-go of McNabb and it's a pretty ballsy move to trade within the division.
ReplyDeleteIt's a definite upgrade at QB for the Skins, and if you can keep him on his feet, I think you will get several good years from McNabb. When he's "on" he can absolutely torch you -- but you'll also have to head-scratch your way through the turf-balls and rifle shots that are somehow 2 feet behind a guy that's only 5 yards away.
I will continue to root for McNabb--- even though it will seem really strange to see him in the Burgundy and Gold. I just won't root for 2 games a year.
So is McNabb the best Qb we've had here since Theismann? Or is he better?
ReplyDeleteAlso a life-long Eagles fan. Donovan is a good guy and I wish him well. That being said, it was time for a change. It feels like the Eagles have been stuck in their own version of "Groundhog Day" for a long time now. Every season is pretty much the same and you know how it's going to end.
ReplyDeleteDonovan needs to go to a team where they run the ball more and where he's not counted on to pass the ball 70% of the time. Since Andy Reid is pass-happy, the Eagles need a QB who is more accurate in the West Coast offense and hits receivers in stride, which is not Donovan's strong suit. Too many drives stalled with worm-burners and overthrows.
Donovan was a top flight QB from 1999 - 2004, but from 2005 on he has been plagued by injury and inconsistency. He can look awesome for 5 or 6 games stretches, and then suddenly fall apart for weeks on end. Last year he happened to hit the wall at the worst possible time.
He also has a tendency to mope in games where things aren't going well early. He doesn't exactly exude confidence and rally the troops around him. His leadership skills are overrated, IMO. He also puts too much pressure on himself and plays tight in big games. I always thought that he would be better served playing in a smaller market where winning and losing isn't treated like life and death like it is in Philly. Donovan is very sensitive. If 99 fans are cheering him and one is booing him, he'll only hear the one booing him.
I like what I've seen from Kolb so far, but of course it will be a while before we know if he's the real deal or not. I'm glad that we are getting the chance to find out. The Reid/McNabb combo just couldn't get it done together. It will be interesting to see if either one can get it done with their new dancing partners. My guess is probably not. I have contended for years that each is fatally flawed in their own ways and destined to make the same mistakes over and over again.
I wish that Donovan was traded to a non-divisional foe so that I could still root for him, but now that he's a stinking Redskin I can't. It should be an interesting rivalry over the next few years. I look forward to D-Jax dancing in your endzone next year.
On paper it seems like a reasonable risk. This is what scares me. The skins history of picking up older players is bad. Particularly older stars. Andre Carter and London Fletcher were good pickups and neither of them were big stars coming into Washington.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the odds that the skins will pull one over on anyone, much less Andy Reid? Pretty slim.
I can't tell you how this will turn out badly, but history says it will. Maybe McNabb will blowout a knee. Maybe the Eagles will draft two hall of famers with their picks who play particularly well against the skins.
This is a win/ win. The Redskins get to win the off season yet again and the Eagles get to finish the McNabb drama with a big crescendo.
ReplyDeletethank GOD for this, coming from a redskins fan (obviously). am i high on mcnabb? hell no. was i high on campbell the past two years? HELLZ no. We have a 'proven' QB, although can be counted on to make that late 4th quarter, Brett-Favre-like, interception to seal a game for the opposition, but at least he gets them in striking distance.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this seals the deal for us not making another mistake by wasting a high draft pick on a QB (hello Campbell, Heath Shuler). We needed OL help, and now we will get it. One more FA deal for an OL, coupled with Okung, should help mcnabb start at least 13-14 games. 7 wins would be a good season for us this year, however :/
Life long eagles fan - it's tough when your favorite player goes to your hated rival, but this move was perfect for Donovan. He's going to leave a town that has wanted to get rid of him since the day he showed up, and go to town that's gonna show him love redicuously - look at how Brunel and Campbell have both been treated. Fairwell, my friend. Enjoy the ride.
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