Mr. McNabb Goes to Washington

Photo courtesy the NY Daily News.

Donovan McNabb has gone from one NFC East team to another, as the Philadelphia Eagles traded the face of the franchise to the Washington Redskins in a questionable move for both teams. The NFC East is the toughest division in football, home to the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Eagles, and Redskins. You need a great quarterback in this division, which Philly had in McNabb and Washington did not. Now, the two have essentially traded places in that regard as the Eagles will go with Kevin Kolb at QB.

For Philly, this is a step back with the potential for being a huge step forward, depending on the level of talent they get in the draft picks Washington sent them. The Eagles get a second-round pick (37th overall) and a conditional pick next year. Philly's season rides entirely on Kolb's shoulders now, and the fan base will not be forgiving should he struggle. The team has a lot of youth on the offensive side of the ball in receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin and running back LeSean McCoy. As much as I think Philly shouldn't have traded McNabb, Philly did at least have the class to make an accommodating trade that fit his wishes. Most players don't deserve that type of accommodation, but since McNabb has played in an Eagle uniform for eleven years, he is an exception. The other destinations McNabb could have headed, Buffalo and Oakland, are not nearly as appealing to a quarterback as DC is.

New Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan. Photo courtesy the Bleacher Report.

For Washington, this deal hinges on McNabb's play, or the naysayers will say the price was too high, given the draft picks given up. McNabb will have lots of help at running back with Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker. His receivers are mostly young, but he has Santana Moss as his #1. On the downside, the trend with Redskins ownership has been to spend like a drunk in free agency and trade/give up draft picks and this trade continues that trend. Most great teams become great teams through the draft, just ask New England and Indianapolis. Plus, McNabb is a free agent after this upcoming season, so it could become a "rent-a-player" situation.

The unmentioned winner in this deal: the NFL. One of the league's historic franchises suddenly becomes TV-worthy and one of the biggest rivalries, Washington-Dallas, becomes noteworthy again. Meanwhile, the Eagles should remain competitive and Dallas and NY Giants fans everywhere start to sweat a little.

EDIT (1:48 PT): Had to reformat some photos, so if you're seeing this post twice, my apologies.

McNabb Heading West?

Photo courtesy of the Lehigh Valley Express-Times / Associated Press.

There's a lot of speculation in the NFL that longtime Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb will be traded to the Oakland Raiders for at least a second-round pick in this year's draft. It would be the end of an era in Philly as McNabb has been with the Eagles since 1999.

McNabb has certainly had a rocky time in Philly. First, his selection in the 1999 NFL Draft (1st round, 2nd selection overall) was booed by Philly fans because they wanted running back Ricky Williams, who later turned out to be a bust in New Orleans. Talk about a warm welcome. McNabb has made the Pro Bowl six times, led the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game five times and one Super Bowl where they lost to the New England Patriots on a field goal. Initially, McNabb had sub-par receivers to work with, but when the Eagles traded for hothead Terrell Owens for the 2004 season, the duo lit up the scoreboard. Finally, acceptance by the Philly fans, right? Nope, because they lost the Super Bowl that year. Then, in 2005, Owens publicly ripped McNabb over his Super Bowl performance and subsequent play. In 2006 and 2007, there were rumblings the Eagles would replace McNabb, who had had injury issues in those seasons. In 2008, the criticism continued with Eagles fans caling him a "choker" after losing in the NFC Championship Game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Photo courtesy the New Jersey Star-Ledger / US Presswire.

And to top it off, the Eagles are considering trading him to the Oakland Raiders, a team who hasn't had a winning season since 2002 and is known more for its crazy owner, Al Davis, and its bizarre fans in the Black Hole. Classy move, Philly. Is McNabb the best quarterback of his era? Certainly not, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have had better runs. But after those two, McNabb can be considered a top performer and maybe even a potential Hall of Famer, though winning a Super Bowl would greatly increase those odds. For Philly to treat McNabb the way it has for ten years then to ship him off to the wasteland that is the Oakland Raiders, #5 deserves better. Whether it be back in Philly or not, at least somewhere other than Oakland.

The NFC Playoffs are Here!

After another week of football, the NFL regular season has ended. Despite the crazy scenarios for the AFC, it eventually finished the way many had predicted, while the NFC shifted a tad. So here are the playoff teams for the NFC:


Photo courtesy of NowPublic.net.

1) New Orleans Saints
The Saints have clinched home-field up to the Super Bowl, should they advance that far. While playing in the Superdome is an advantage, the Saints have not played at a dominating level since they smoked the Patriots in late November. Also noteworthy, Steve Wyche of NFL.com wrote in his column that no team with a three-game losing streak going into the playoffs has won the Super Bowl. They have a chance to win the Super Bowl based on the team's immense talent, but will they be ready to compete at the high level required to eliminate another playoff contender?

2) Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota also has a home-field game and first round bye. Between Minny and New Orleans, the Vikings are the better team right now. Minnesota has a lot of older, veteran players desperate to get to the Super Bowl, none more than quarterback Brett Favre and the team is healthy at the right time. However, while Favre can be an asset, he can also be a liability since he has a knack for making risky throws. Another minus is that defensive end Jared Allen recently hasn't been the dominant force he usually is.


Photo courtesy of the Financial Post.

3) Dallas Cowboys
After the 'Boys shutout the Eagles yesterday to take the 3 seed, a date with the Eagles next week in Dallas seems easy, right? However, history suggests beating a team three times in a season is very difficult. In 2007, the Cowboys beat the NY Giants twice in the regular season, but were then beaten by the Giants in Dallas in the playoffs. That being said, the Cowboys are playing healthy and loose right now, especially after the team's first successful December in years. Getting that monkey off their back was huge for this team. Having the top defense (in terms of points allowed) doesn't hurt either.

4) Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals rolled over and played dead with the Packers on Sunday and get a do-over with Green Bay next week in Arizona. The Cardinals are playing similar to the Cards of last season, albeit with a better record (10-6 vs. 8-8 last season). Arizona played okay at home, but was excellent on the road (4-4 vs. 6-2), so going to another team's stadium doesn't spook the Cards. Plus, last year's Super Bowl contending team is nearly intact. That experience will help them.


Photo courtesy of UPI.

5) Green Bay Packers
While Green Bay has been playing excellent football as of late, the Pack are very banged-up defensively. What happens when they play the high-octane offenses of the Saints, Vikings, or Cardinals? Having said that, the Packers did have considerable defensive success at times during the season, but I think the farthest Green Bay can go is the second round.

6) Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have been in this position before (they were the 6 seed last year) and are still a dangerous team. They were winners of six straight prior to yesterday's shutout in Dallas. But can they beat the team that has had their number all season? If they do, look out.


Photo of Minnesota's Metrodome courtesy of ESPN.

So my NFC predictions are as follows:

3) Cowboys defeat 6) Eagles
4) Cardinals defeat 5) Packers

4) Cardinals defeat 1) Saints
3) Cowboys defeat 2) Vikings

3) Cowboys defeat 4) Cardinals
Cowboys advance to the Super Bowl in Miami.

The Eagles-Cowboys game will be on Saturday, 8pm ET/5pm PT on NBC while the Packers-Cardinals game will be Sunday 4:40pm ET/1:40pm PT on FOX. Tomorrow, I'll post my AFC predictions.

NFC Playoff Picture: A Matter of Seeds

Photo courtesy of Eagles blog Bleeding Green Nation.

The NFL season is a week away from ending and only three of the playoff seeds are locked down. Let's start with the NFC...

If the playoffs started today, the seeds would be:

Seed No. 1) New Orleans Saints (13-2)
As a result of the Minnesota loss last night, the Saints have home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. However, they have lost two straight and are showing vulnerabilities, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Seed No. 2) Philadelphia Eagles (11-4)
The Eagles currently own the 2 seed, but the Cowboys, Vikings, or Cardinals could also claim this spot. If the Eagles beat the Cowboys in Dallas next week, then they have the 2 seed locked. Philly is playing well and is considered the team to beat in the NFC right now.


Photo courtesy of nflnewsworld.com

Seed No. 3) Minnesota Vikings (11-4)
The Vikings have lost three out of their last four games and lost the two seed last night. Quarterback Brett Favre is making more drama again, this time with Vikings coach Brad Childress. The Vikings can reclaim the two seed with a win at home against the NY Giants and a Philly loss against the Cowboys, but even if they get the Cowboys assist, I doubt the Giants will just roll over.

Seed No. 4) Arizona Cardinals (10-5)
The Cardinals are playing better lately and have been a stellar road team this year. That being said, if both Philly and Minnesota lose, the 2 seed is the Cardinals' to have. I'm not sure how advantageous having the 2 seed would be for Arizona given their road success, but I do think the Cardinals will make it to the second round of the playoffs. They host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.


Photo courtesy of the NY Daily News.

Seed No. 5) Green Bay Packers (10-5)
The Packers are locked into the 5 or 6 seed, so of the NFC teams, the Packers have one of the most predictable roads. Either way, they'll be playing on the road for the duration of the playoffs.

Seed No. 6) Dallas Cowboys (10-5)
The Cowboys have the 6 seed, but could jump up to the 2 spot if Philly, Minnesota, and Arizona lose. The surprise victory in New Orleans has really jump-started this team and given them the extra confidence to overcome the December woes of recent Cowboys teams. This team could go far in the playoffs, especially if they beat Philly on Sunday.

Tomorrow, the AFC playoff picture. If the NFC picture is a little fuzzy to you, wait 'til you see the AFC picture. What a mess.

Vick is an Eagle

Photo courtesy of the New York Daily News.

On Friday, Michael Vick was officially introduced as the newest member of the Philadelphia Eagles. His contract is a two-year deal. The first year, Vick will be paid $1.6 million and the second year is worth $5.4 million. Also, his contract has $3 million in incentives. All told, he could receive as much as $10 million.

Does Michael Vick deserve to be in the NFL? It ultimately depends on your view of forgiveness. One can say, "He doesn't deserve the privilege of playing in the NFL for the awful things he did." True, he did some despicable acts of murder, but how long can one hold that against him? It's the same question posed against kids in juvenile hall, the unfaithful wife or husband, or any other case where someone or something is wronged. My family owns two cats and has owned dogs. I despise what Michael Vick did to the dogs he had, but I also know that I can forgive a man for his deeds. To quote Ephesians 4:32, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."


Photo courtesy of OregonLive.com/Associated Press.

In terms of football, this is a peculiar move by the Eagles. Why take on the risk of having Vick on your team? It certainly took guts to sign him in spite of the public outrage over his past deeds. Why sign him when you have a franchise quarterback in Donovan McNabb? When I first heard of the signing, I thought, "Poor McNabb." When Philly drafted him in 1999, he was booed by Eagles fans for not being Ricky Williams, a star running back from Texas that eventually turned out to be a bust. There have been moments where the fan base loves Donovan, than weeks later, calls for him to be traded. Philadelphia sports fans in general tend to be among the most mercurial in the country, especially regarding Eagles football. How will they react to Vick? I sense that this may be the last season McNabb wears an Eagles uniform, or Vick will be traded next year. No way will those two be on the same team with the other offensive playmakers they have.


Photo courtesy of NJ.com

I'm glad Michael Vick has Tony Dungy, in the above photo, far right, as a mentor. Dungy was known as a coach that commanded his players respect in a far nicer way than other famous coaches like Bill Parcells or the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin. Dungy invested time into not only his players' skills on the field, but also their lives as a whole. Were it not for Dungy, I'd have serious doubts about Vick returning and succeeding in starting a new chapter of his life.

Housekeeping Roundup

Photo courtesy of ChristianityToday.com

Today's post is a roundup of stories I'm working on or need to wrap up...

1) I updated my NetworkedBlogs application on Facebook Wednesday night, so my posts will also appear on my Facebook page. My Twitter account should be linked soon as well.

2) I just started reading Michael Lewis' book, The Blind Side. I just finished chapter 3 and am looking forward to posting a review soon. My previous book review, Buster Olney's The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty, can be read here. Other books I have on my list are Lewis' other noteworthy book, Moneyball, and Buzz Bissinger's Friday Night Lights.

3) I promised I'd wrap up the Ortiz steroid story in that post. Truth is, I don't know if he did or didn't take the 'roids. His stats suggest he took them, but his character, and previous public statements say no. He is 34, so his power numbers will drop, which they have. His batting average the past two years (last year's .264 was not stellar, this year, it's currently at .220). I do think the list of players' names does need to be released at this point, so we don't have this same scenario play out with each newly leaked name.

4) As I post content more frequently, I'm looking to really expand the reach of FTRS. So, if you have any sports fan friends/family, send them a link to FTRS. Thanks!

Coming up on Monday...Michael Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles late yesterday. How does that affect the Eagles and the NFL?