(Because of the strangeness of this whole ordeal, I don’t think I’m in the right frame of mind to truly sum up what Donovan McNabb has meant to this city.)
Thank You, Donovan
Before we say/do anything, let us take a moment to reflect on just how great the Donovan McNabb Era was in Philadelphia. Love him or hate him, it is pretty clear that Donovan McNabb is the greatest Eagle quarterback, at least of the Super Bowl Era, if not of all time. He burst onto the scene with an athleticism and charisma that reminded us of Randall. But, he wasn’t Randall. He also brought to the table a rare combination of football intelligence and competitive intensity that made us think of Jaws. But, he wasn’t Jaws, either. Though he may now be shrouded in fan dismissal and underappreciation because of the frustrating losses and seemingly unending “worm balls,” we will be telling stories to our children of Donovan McNabb’s greatness. It’s unfortunate that it ends with a fan base rejoicing, but the final legacy of D-Mac is yet to be determined.
His Legacy
McNabb’s rememberance might be eternally formed by the success/failure of his successor. Donovan McNabb’s legacy in this town will probably be written mostly by whether or not Kevin Kolb wins a Super Bowl. Kind of strange and unfortunate, if you ask me.
2004 Was a Prior Generation
The Eagles Super Bowl team was only five seasons ago. But, now with the departures of McNabb, Westbrook, and Sheldon Brown this offseason, there is only one player on the 53-man roster that was on that NFC Championship team. And, he is the f’ing kicker! Yes, David Akers (as great as he is) is the only Eagle left from the Super Bowl just five years ago. It’s a new generation of Eagles football. The pages have been completely turned, folks. To hell with the cliche “this isn’t your daddy’s Eagles,” this isn’t even your older brother’s Eagles.
The Youngest Team in Football
With a changing of generation does come some positives. Though McNabb is gone from the offense and Brown from the defense, there is still a good amount of talent on this roster. Trent Cole and DeSean Jackson are superstars on D and O, respectively. Jason Peters and Asante Samuel may not be as “elite” as they contracts say they should be, but they can both still play at a very high level. And, the best part about it is that–get this–the Eagles are now the YOUNGEST team in the National Football League. They only have one player over 30 years old, and he’s not exactly a cornerstone (Juqua Parker).
Who’s Team is it Now?
Youth is good. I like the youth movement, particularly in a sport like football where bodies break down very quickly. But, the problem with the youth movement is that who is going to be the leader now? Does DeSean Jackson have what it takes to step up and lead this team? What about Kolb, he of only 130 NFL passes? Can Trent Cole become more vocal? Can Asante Samuel become more professional? These are unanswered questions now that Dawkins and McNabb have been jettisoned in consecutive seasons.
But, Why the Redskins?
Ahhhh, the ultimate question right now. And, the one that will be debated endlessly. First of all, let me say this (and I have said it multiple times on this blog in the past): For the most part, I have absolutely no problem with the “intra-division” trade. I think that it is blown WAY out of proportion, especially in cases like Roy Halladay or Kevin Garnett. In fact, I have made the argument that if you’re the Blue Jays, why would you NOT want to trade him to the Yankees? You have to be confident that what you are getting in return is worth what you’re giving up, right? Therefore, by definition, your “divison rival” would be losing in the trade, right? And, if you’re not competing now, but playing for the future, isn’t it smart to take away some of that “future” from your closest rivals, instead of the Phillies, who won’t matter when you’re ready to “compete?” I believe that if you’re rebuilding and trading away a veteran player it makes MORE sense to trade within your division (assuming all else equal) because the “future” that you’re acquiring is coming at the expense of the team with whom you’ll be competing when you’re ready to do so. All that being said, there is one situation that makes it absolutely ridiculous to make an intra-division trade–when all of the following factors come into play:
- You think you can be competitive right now
- You play in a sport where divisions really matter (i.e. football or baseball)
- Your trading partner is also competitive and stands to fill a gaping need with the player they are acquiring from you
- Emotion plays an important role in deciding games (i.e. football or basketball)
- Every game is of the utmost importance, so one emotional player can change the course of your entire season (i.e. FOOTBALL!)
Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Yes, this situation meets each and every criteria for a time when you should never, EVER trade a player within your division.
The Patriots let Lawyer Milloy go right before the first game of the season a couple of years ago. Milloy was really upset and signed with the Bills, who just so happened to play New England in Week One. The emotion of Milloy led the Bills to a 41-0 trouncing of the defending Super Bowl champs–and Milloy was only a safety, not a quarterback.
The Jets let Chad Pennington go two years ago because of their infatuation with Brett Favre. Pennington signed with the Dolphins. The Jets went into Week 17 needing just a win to make the playoffs. But, they got hammered by Chad Pennington and the Dolphins, sending the Chad and ‘Phins to the division title and Brett and the Jets to the golf course.
I HATE the fact that McNabb has two games against the Eagles next year. I HATE the fact that the Redskins (and their WHOLLY underrated defense) may have only been a quarterback and a left tackle away from serious contention. Well, Eagles fans, we probably just filled both of those holes because now the ‘Skins don’t have to use the #4 pick on a quarterback, so they can pick a stud left tackle. Whether or not Kolb is an upgrade, the Eagles may have just become the fourth best team in the division yesterday.
Either Care or Don’t Care – You Can’t Do Both
And, the reason that the Eagles gave for the trading partner being Washington? Because they care about McNabb and didn’t want to send him to the Nether Regions of Buffalo or Oakland. That’s insulting. Look, if you care about McNabb, THEN F’ING KEEP HIM! But, if you decide that the song is over and it’s time to move on, then do what’s best for the team. I am all about treating these players as human beings, but you owe it to your fans to do what’s best for the team. The players are making millions of dollars every year; the fans are paying millions of dollars every year.
Don’t Fool Yourself, It’s Not the “Kevin Kolb Era”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m actually excited to see what Kolb can do, but all of this would not have happened if it was just the Kevin Kolb Era that was about to begin. Andy Reid, though has been stripped of a lot of his power, still has a lot of say, and there is no way that he could have been convinced that it was time to let McNabb go if it were just to give the ball to Kevin Kolb. No, while part of Andy Reid is really heartbroken by the loss of McNabb, another part of him has a schoolgirl-like giddiness to him because he’s going to get to employ the weapon he’s been drooling over for 14 over a year now–Michael Vick. I think, though no one knew it at the time, McNabb wrote his ticket out of here when he was uncomfortable sharing QB duties with Vick. Reid had this grandiose plan over revolutionizing the quarterback position, much like the RB position has been revolutionized in the past decade. But, he couldn’t do it with a stubborn, set-in-his-ways, successful quarterback. Now, he has Kolb, and what is he going to say? Expect to see a new-school, dueling quarterbacks offense. Kolb will still take the majority of the snaps, but Michael Vick will be one of the more important aspects of this offense. And, THAT is how Reid was convinced to move on at the QB position–because of his infatuation with the athletic abilities of Michael Vick. And, honestly, I’m pretty infatuated with the thought of it, too.
Inferiority Complex
There has been a theory floating around Philadelphia for some time now that I never really gave any credence to. But, there is ever more and more evidence to support this theory. I still don’t necessarily buy it, but I no longer dismiss it as yet another mundane byproduct of the city’s obsession with the sportstalk radio culture. The theory goes something like this: The Eagles have been the “top dog” in the city for, well, pretty much ever. And, for whatever reasons (monetary, egotistic, etc.), the Eagles have been rather proud and attached to that role. But, since the Phillies World Series run in 2008, the Eagles have been the decided “second banana” in the city, for the first time. And, many people claim that they simply do not like it. They have been accustomed to, and built themselves around the fact that they are a 12-month a year obsession in Philadelphia. But, for almost three years now, they have not been. And, many people claim that they are willing to do whatever it takes to upstage the Phillies. And, their timing has been impeccable, if you believe they are doing this intentionally. Today is Opening Day of the baseball season. Roy Halladay is making his Phillies debut. How could the Eagles possibly be on the cover of the Philly newspapers? Well, aside from the ever-enticing scandal, the only way is…well…announce the trade of its franchise quarterback to a division rival around 8:00 the night before the opener, regardless of whether or not it’s Memorial Day, Labor Day, or EASTER SUNDAY. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’.
2011?
I hate to be the cynic here, but I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that there may not be a 2011 NFL season, and regardless of the contract he signs, Kevin Kolb will be cheaper than signing McNabb to an extension.
The Dirty, Little Secret
There is something that’s been building within me since the Cliff Lee trade, but I haven’t felt abused, cynical, or outright depressed enough yet to write a whole post about it. I’m still not there yet, but I’ll let it out briefly. I have come to the outright belief that the problem with professional sports–for us, the fans–is that the bottom line for us and those making the important decisions are COMPLETELY different. I want to expound upon this in a later post, but let’s just say that this move is not about winning games. The owners of these teams are not playing WhatIfSports with fake players and computer simulations, where the end goal is to win championships. Championships may be a means to an end for owners, but the only real goal is sustained financial growth of the largest investment made by the wealthiest men in the world. And, the key to that sentence is the word “sustained.” Championships may come and go (just ask the Marlins), but being in “the running” every year (regardless of whether the season ends in a win or a loss) is the way to build a profitable organization. And, that is the bottom line for those making the final decisions about guys like Cliff Lee and Donovan McNabb. So, we fans, just have to sit back take the Blue Pill from the Matrix and, even though we know that an NFC East title is just a computer program making us feel happy, who cares because it feels so good.
