If Donovan McNabb has played his last game as a Philadelphia Eagles, I thinks it’s ironic that it would be in a game in which he was the least of our problems.
Let me be clear that I think the Eagles should seriously consider trading McNabb and making Kevin Kolb heir starting quarterback, but the final Cowboys game was the least of the evidence against McNabb.
I hear Eagles fans and media members talking about how McNabb didn’t get the job done in the last Cowboys game and all I can do is shake my head.
There are other reasons why I think it might be time to let him go, but the entire Eagles team of both the players and coaches were totally dominated in that game.
I don’t think there’s a quarterback in the league who could have led the Eagles to victory in that game without any running attack and a jailbreak every time they threw the ball.
Quarterbacks, especailly pocket quarterbacks are dependent on their teammates to do their jobs. If they don’t get protection and if nobody gets open, they can’t do their jobs.
Check out Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Drew Brees when they’re getting nailed every play and tell me how effective they are.
If Kolb takes over this team he’s going to need much better support from his teammates than McNabb got on Saturday. Let take a look a couple of positions in the game.
Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson beat a lot of cornerbacks during the 2009 season but he hasn’t proven he can beat the Cowboys corners. That’s a going to be a problem going forward.
I had been told by some friends of mine at USC that Jackson is capable of disappearing when he runs into a talented secondary who pushes him around and beats him up.
He went into a shell last year against the Redskins and he did three times this year against the Cowboys.
Left tackle Jason Peters made the Pro Bowl, but last Saturday night Peters wasn’t able to block Dallas’ Pro Bowl outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware. The Eagles paid Peters the big bucks and brought him here expressly for the purpose of blocking people like Ware.
On the other side was Winston Justice, who has blossomed into a solid right tackle, but he was unable to stop the Cowboys linebacker on the other side, Anthony Spencer. Spencer is a youngster who will be there for years, so Justice had better find a way to block him.
Regardless of who is playing quarterback for the Birds, the Eagles will have little success throwing the football if, Jackson can’t get open and the offensive tackles can’t block the Cowboys outside pass rushers.
What makes the situation even more pathetic is the fact that the Eagles lined up a running back and tight end outside each offensive tackle so that they could chip the rushers and give the tackles help. It didn’t work.
I understand all of the talk about trading McNabb, but we must realize that our problems are greater than the quarterback position.
The Birds must have a great draft if they’re going to get better next year.
