• March 28, 2024

Reasoning Behind McNabb Going To Washington

The suspense is over.  Donovan McNabb is no longer a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.  The initial reaction along I-95 from the Broad St. exit to the Landover, MD exit is probably the same.WHY??

Why would the Eagles trade a six time Pro Bowler who still has a few years left to a divisional rival?  It’s an unwritten code that you don’t do deals with divisional rivals, right??

Wrong!! The NFL is a business.  It’s important to get the best compensation offered (not possible, but officially offered), regardless of whom the opponent is.

I would’ve preferred two 2010 picks instead of one 2010 pick and a conditional pick next year, but this was the closest they were going to get to the first round selection they reportedly wanted for McNabb.

Getting a second round pick (No. 37 overall) in return is nothing to sneeze at.  The Eagles definitely could use it to address one of their many needs on defense.

The Eagles couldn’t afford to wait on St. Louis while they continue to access Sam Bradford (knowing they’re going to take him).  The Redskin’s second round pick is higher than Buffalo’s or Oakland’s.

Arizona and San Francisco reportedly were not interested.  How long were the Eagles supposed to wait on Brett Farve’s decision to see if Minnesota would make a deal?

Some Eagles fans are going to call this the dumbest move ever.  Some are just glad to get McNabb out of Philly.  I’m going to sum it up with one word: BOLD.

Looking at this from the Redskins side is another thing.  Why would a team that went 4-12 last year want to go with a possible stop gap solution?

New head coach Mike Shanahan could’ve helped Jason Campbell become more productive.  They could’ve selected Jimmy Clausen with the No. 4 overall pick.  It’s quite possible St. Louis could pass on Bradford, making him available to the Redskins at that pick.

Washington also had only five picks in this draft to begin with.  Now they only have four picks.  After the first round they won’t pick again until the fourth.

The Redskins will likely use their No. 1 pick on a left tackle (Russell Okung or Brian Bulaga).  I doubt they will surprise folks again by drafting safety Eric Berry.  McNabb isn’t as mobile as he used to be and needs his blindside protected at all costs.

McNabb has the opportunity to show the Eagles twice a year now that it was a mistake to let him go.  With Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker he can sell a play action pass all day long.

Overall, I think both teams got what they wanted out of the deal.  If anything, the Eagles versus the Redskins in 2010 is going to be a highly anticipated contest.  If there wasn’t a prime time match up already, I’m sure Monday Night Football is working to adjust their schedule accordingly.

Haran Knight

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Butch007
Butch007
April 5, 2010 7:05 am

NFC East 2010:

Redskins: 13-3
Cowboys: 11-5
Giants: 9-7
Eagles: 7-9

Dumb.

drummerwinslow
drummerwinslow
April 5, 2010 7:11 am

The Eagles act like they were doing McNabb a favor in allowing him to chose Washing. McNabb had to approve the trade. He had to assure the Redskins that he’d sign an extension.

drummerwinslow
drummerwinslow
April 5, 2010 7:13 am

We’ve lost a lot of leadership in the past two years. Ask Belichek about allowing his veterans walk. Once a great second half team, they are no more.

ReidSucks
ReidSucks
April 5, 2010 7:23 am

Redskins 13-3? Fat chance. You should go look at their offensive line. It is hideous and godawful. They have one playmaker, Santana Moss. Who is scared of Devon Thomas, Malcom kelly and Fred Davis? McNabb will be running for his life behind that line. There is no way they get anywhere near double digit wins. I don’t like the trade within division but you are giving undeserved credit to McNabb.

paulman
paulman
April 5, 2010 7:28 am

Time to move for everyone.. I am excited that Eaglesd now have 11 draft picks with the top 8 selections out of the top 137 players… They need to nail this draft and have to get about 5 quality starters out of the top #8 selections by year 2011 or they will be in trouble…If they draft well and address the
Secondary,LB,D/Line and O/Line positions, They will be fine for 2011 and beyond..

Eagles NFC East for 2010
Cowboys 12-4
Giants 9-7
Eagles 8-8
Redksins 7-9

With the shpae this defense is in, I did not envison the Eagles a Playoff Bound team regardless if
McNabb was QB or Kolb or Vick for that matter and even if they were tyo sneak in as a WIldcard for 2010, they were not going to compete with the Vikings,Cowboys,Saints for a deep run. Now by having Kolb run the show, they should be that much better for 2011 and beyond (which is really what this off-season has been about if you have been playing close attention)

keep 5
keep 5
April 5, 2010 7:38 am

Paulman don’t give that “we were not going to compete anyway” crap. Clearly with DJax, Maclin, Celek, Weaver, and McCoy we would’ve competed w/ 5. The defense was the problem this year and will continue to be the problem if they don’t make the moves they need to make. If we could’ve gotten Landry in this deal then we should have gotten him.

keep 5
keep 5
April 5, 2010 7:39 am

If we could’ve gotten Landry in this deal why didn’t the Eagles do so. That secondary now with the loss of Dawkins and Brown looks very weak to me. The whole defense is weak to me. But for some reason the Eagles decided to act on the most stable position they had…. The QB position.

ReidSucks
ReidSucks
April 5, 2010 7:52 am

Landry = Roy Williams = Taylor Mays. A guy who can hit if he gets there. Frequently he didn’t get there. We don’t need a guy who is a liability in pass coverage. Hopefully we can draft someone who can do the job, like Earl Thomas.

Butch007
Butch007
April 5, 2010 8:27 am

The Redskins still have the #4 pick in the draft which they’ll probably use to trade down and acquire the offensive linemen they need to solidify their O-Line. Shannahan never was very good at building a good defensive system (coaches, players, etc.) but no one can accuse him of not knowing how to pull together an offensive unit. Given that the Redskins defense has already proven they can be blistering eliminates a big component that kept Shannahan from being successful. Getting an elite franchise QB eliminates the other limiting component Shannahan has run into. Santana Moss, Chris Cooley and Devin Thomas will be pretty good targets for McNabb if the offensive line situation gets worked out.

enzone
enzone
April 5, 2010 9:05 am

Agree or not (I don’t) the deal went down b/c that’s what Banner wanted. They should have gotten more, especially considering he was a Gold Standard player. (tongue-in-cheek) If the 2nd rounder we get in the deal turns out to be an IMPACT player and stays healthy, it’s a good deal for the birds. The draft can’t get here fast enough.

Dparente
Dparente
April 5, 2010 9:12 am

It is a good deal. We wouldnt have gotten a better pick then 37. and a possible 3rd rounder next year? so what if we play him 2 times a year or not. If we dont make the right picks we will stink anyways.

ChuckRob
ChuckRob
April 5, 2010 10:02 am

I’m Truly happy for D Mac. I now live in the DC area, and the skins fans are happy and excited. I don’t know how to feel. Because I live in this area I know a lot about the stinky Skins. And right now they are a better team than the Eagles, there Defense was better last year and will be this year. Ford wrote a great article today in the Philly paper. People talk about how horrible the Skins line is, but is our (Eagles) line much better? Not according to Dallas. The Kevin Kolb era starts this year, is he ready? We shall see… Everyone loves the #2, the one solace for me is I like Vick at #2, at least we have someone to turn to if Kolb turns into a Bust, which honestly no one knows.

SportsBum
SportsBum
April 5, 2010 4:19 pm

Butch: Put down the crack pipe.

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