Mr. McNabb Goes to Washington

There's not as much of a hot stove off season in football as they are in baseball. Yes there's your normal free agent signings, but not much in the way of trades. So when one happens, you can't help but notice. That was the case with the recent Donovan McNabb from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Washington Redskins. The trade is even more interesting considering that the Eagles and Redskins are in the same division.



McNabb probably deserves a medal for years of putting up with Philadelphia fans. They make the liquored up Red Sox fans in the Fenway Park bleachers look like a bunch of Boy Scouts. Philadelphia fans of course are the same group of people who booed Santa Clause. They booed Mike Schmidt who probably was the best third baseman ever to play baseball. Eagles fan were cheering as Michael Irvin was laying on the turf with what looked like (at the time) a serious neck injury. McNabb found out quickly about the nature of Philadelphia fans during the 1999 NFL Draft. Imagine being a football star coming out of college and getting booed by the fans of the team that selected you. That is what literally what happened to McNabb when he was selected by the Eagles. Eagles fans preferred Ricky Williams, who would soon be known for as off the field love for marijuana as his on the field activities.



McNabb was part of a turn of fortunes of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise. One of the worst teams in the league when he arrived, the Eagles soon became perennial contenders. They even played in the Super Bowl, losing to the New England Patriots, who were in the peak of their dynasty run. While the game was not one of McNabb's best (he was seen throwing up on the sidelines in the waning minutes) the mere appearance in the title games symbolized the turn around the Eagles have made.



McNabb and the Eagles failed to return to the Super Bowl and despite their consistent success, McNabb got the brunt of the blame from Philadelphia fans. In the meantime the team drafted Kevin Kolb and signed Micheal Vick. The demands for the Eagles to draft McNabb grew louder. At first the team resisted such offers. Till this week. The Eagles traded McNabb to the Redskins for draft picks.



What this all mean? The Redskins get a signifigant upgrade at quarterback. Kolb is the likely new starter for the Eagles. The networks will most likely schedule a Eagles-Redskins game for prime time. Philadelphia fans finally get what they wanted: McNabb no longer playing for the Eagles. The NFL is suddenly more interesting now than