For the first time in quarterback
Donovan
McNabb’s career, he will
not be wearing an Eagles
uniform. The overall feeling
on campus is positive.
Looking at the Eagles situation
in general, trading
McNabb made sense. The
team seems to be having a
youth movement, so why
not have quarterback Kevin
Kolb be a part of that?
McNabb is built to play
for an Eagles team ready to
compete for a Super Bowl.
The 2010 Eagles are most
likely not going to compete
for one even if they kept
McNabb.
“Thank God he’s gone,”
Ryan Schuler, an athletic
training and music major
said. “I was a fan of him
early in his career. (Then
his talent) declined when
he started getting hurt; he
just wasn’t accurate.”
There were certainly
many electrifying plays
over McNabb’s career in
Philadelphia. The plays
ranged from fourth and 26
to a 14 second scramble
against Dallas.
“My favorite McNabb
memory was that scramble
against the Cowboys in
2004; that was sick,” Ken
Fetterols, a health and
physical-education major
said.
For every electrifying
moment, there were certainly
disappointing times
too. These performances
ranged from McNabb’s
pass being intercepted by
Ronde Barber in the 2003
conference championship
to his poor play against
Dallas in last season’s
playoffs.
“As I had as my status,
think of McNabb as cash
for clunkers. I’m glad to
see him go, I think that his
time has come and he will
be in a better place and so
will the Eagles,” Men’s
Basketball Coach Steve
Coyne said.
All the good and bad
moments have been pushed
farther into the past with
McNabb’s trade to the
Redskins. McNabb’s legacy
will likely be just as
mixed as his moments.
“I was a McNabb fan,
was being the operative
word,” Coyne said. “I was
a little tired of his throws
into the ground, over
receiver’s heads, and
behind receivers.”
McNabb’s statistics were
certainly great with Eagles,
landing atop of many franchise
passing records.
However, he struggled off
the paper, never being able
to quite win the important
games.
“I also got tired of his
whining and grin, acting
like everything was okay,”
Coyne said in reference to
McNabb’s reaction to big
losses.
While Washington may
seem like they need way
more than just McNabb to
be successful, it will certainly
be interesting to
watch McNabb play under
Mike Shanahan. Shanahan
has a little bit of success
with veteran quarterbacks
winless in the Super Bowl.
As for the Eagles Coach
Andy Reid, he was
adamant in moving
McNabb to a desirable
location. The trade is certainly
loyal and deserved,
but one has to wonder if
Oakland had a stronger
offer
“I don’t mind him going,
but in the same division?”
Fetterols said. “I actually
hope he comes back and
beats them twice just to
teach them don’t trade in
the division.”
At the end of the day, it is
the Eagles signing Reid’s
paychecks, not McNabb. If
Oakland had a better offer,
then McNabb should be
wearing the black and gray.
Either way, it was Reid’s
call where to move him,
and Washington was the
pick. If things fail early in
the post-McNabb era, it
will be rather interesting to
see how the public views
the Eagles’ organization.
“You have to start with
Kolb sooner or later,
McNabb only had five
wins his first year, you
have to let Kolb ride it
out,” Fetterols said.
Coyne has faith the
Reid’s and the Eagles organization’s
ability to make
the Kolb-era work well.
“I’m looking forward to
Kolb, I think the eagles
know good players, it
should be interesting,”
Coyne said.
There has been an overall
interest in seeing what
Kolb has in store for the
future.
“Maybe Kolb could be
the next Tom Brady, who
knows? I don’t know,”
Schuler said. “I think Kolb
will do enough; the team
should play old school
Eagles football: run the
ball and do short passes.”
If we have learned anything
from the McNabb-
Reid era, it was that running
the ball the majority
of the time was not the
team’s forte.
“Reid will have to lean
towards the running game;
you can’t just rely on
someone who has been on
the bench the last four
years”
However, the time will
come when the Eagles
need a big plays from
Kolb.
If Kolb makes the plays,
then few will regret moving
McNabb, and Reid will
regain the popularity he
had in McNabb’s early
years.
Yet, if Kolb doesn’t make
the big plays, then everyone
will question moving
McNabb, and Reid will be
the only person left to
blame for not winning a
Super Bowl.
After all the smoke has
cleared, there are only two
words that can be said
prior to this season: We’ll
see.