Donovan McNabb obviously heard the media people demanding that he say something about the departure of Brian Dawkins and Tra Thomas. The following comments were on his Yardbarker blog.
"I usually don't remark about teammates unless asked but I felt it was necessary to share my thoughts on a couple of teammates that are no longer in Philadelphia.
I have been a part of the Philadelphia Eagles for 10 years and I have not played a game, attended a practice, sweated in training camp, built a playground or participated in a Carnival, and more importantly dreamed of a championship parade, without Brian Dawkins and Tra Thomas being a part of it.
We all had a goal of bringing a championship to this city and while we didn't achieve that goal, we have had a lot of successes during our time together. I was always confident that Tra had my blindside. When he was out there it was one less thing to worry about.
As for Brian, mere words cannot explain what he has meant to me, our team, and the City of Philadelphia. He and I shared many things besides a locker room. We shared a passion for the game, a desire to make a difference, and dreams for better things.
There may be other men to come in here and play these positions and hopefully we can share successes. I will always regret not having the chance to win a championship with these guys.
It is important to note that I also will miss playing with a few other guys as well. Correll Buckhlater, Lito Sheppard, Greg Lewis, and Sean Considine will all be missed and I do wish them all success."
First of all, McNabb has nothing do with the departure of Dawkins and he's not responsible for anything regarding the negotiations. At times it seems that some fans want hold McNabb responsible for everything that happens with the team.
Clearly McNabb knows his days are numbered with the departure of these veterans but if they weren't let go his days are numbered any way.
The number of veteran players departing this year is a bit high but players come and go and that's the way it is in the NFL. Plus you know the Eagles policy about dealing with veteran players.
The Eagles have had a policy of making sure to let go of a player too soon rather than hanging onto him too long. Their thinking has been if you hang onto him too long, you wind up paying for a player who is either not producing or injured.
