Donovan McNabb Trade

So now that most of the hyperbole has stopped surrounding the trade of McNabb to the Redskins, I think it's time to take a closer look at what made this happen, and what it means for both teams.

1. Philadelphia had to trade McNabb. He will start the season at 34 years old, coming off several injuries, and with one year left in his contract. The Eagles needed to find value for him anywhere they could. Not to mention, McNabb can't win big games. This is a team that believes they are ready to compete for a Super Bowl. They have Jackson, Maclin, Celek, and McCoy as great offensive weapons and a defense that will regain Stewart Bradley and should be a top 12 unit next season. McNabb has proven to be a poor game manager and unable to handle the pressure. Don't mistake this as me saying he's a bad QB. His regular season numbers are borderline hall of fame, and with a few more seasons will be. However, he isn't the QB that will win you a Super Bowl. It's unfortunate because he seems like a decent guy, but he just doesn't have it in him. Does that mean Kevin Kolb can win it all? Not necessarily, but the longer he sits on the bench, the shorter his career as a starter will be. As long as Reid was in town he wasn't going to unseat McNabb for the starter spot. But the kid has to be given the chance to succeed or else you'll never know.

2. That being said, trading McNabb to the Redskins is a mistake. You never want to improve another team in your division by giving them a pro bowl caliber player for draft picks. So what if he didn't want to go to Oakland or Buffalo. If he threatens to retire than big deal. Make him prove it. I understand that Reid and McNabb are forever linked because of their time together, but the NFL is a business. Loyalty is wonderful, but when you're the only person that believe that he can get you a ring, then you need to find someone else. Oakland was willing to talk about Asomugha, and Buffalo was willing to give up more picks (speculation of course, but I don't doubt either). When you're trading a player in the NFL, the rest of the team comes before the player being traded. Plus, now you have a pissed off player that will be looking to destroy you twice a year instead of maybe just once. This isn't free agency where you have little to no control, this is a trade.

3. Let's stop all the John Elway comparisons right now. Elway made it to 3 Super Bowls before Mike Shanahan showed up, and was languishing on teams that were terrible. Without looking up Wikipedia or pro-football-reference.com, I feel confident that no one under 30 besides me can name a single offensive player from those 80's Denver teams. Because there was no one. Elway didn't have a TO, or a BW. He had Ricky Nattiel and Rod Bernstine. Elway carried those teams on his back. Once he finally got some help and balance, he was able to finish the job. While I understand the similarities between the situations to a degree, McNabb isn't the same caliber. Not to mention McNabb is moving to a completely different team, a new city, new teammates, and an entirely new staff. Cool your jets everyone.

4. So who won the trade? It would be easy to say that both teams won, or both teams lost, but really, everyone knows that isn't true. The truth is that unless McNabb wins a Super Bowl with the Redskins, the Eagles won this trade. Even if Kolb isn't the answer, they will still be ahead at least a year in trying to find the guy who is. The Eagles still have a much better roster, and will compete at a high level. The Redskins must win a Super Bowl with McNabb, young, inexperienced WRs, old RBs, and depleted O-line, and a decent D. Do I see him giving the Redskins a boost, absolutely. They will probably post at least 9 wins. But Philadelphia traded him to win a Super Bowl, not to make the playoffs, and that's why they come out the winners.