An Era Comes to an End

After 11 seasons, the Eagles have traded Donovan McNabb to the Washington Redskins. McNabb, a polarizing figure as of late, leaves behind a very mixed legacy. With all due respects to Ron Jaworski and Randall Cunningham, McNabb will likely be considered the best quarterback in franchise history. Over the past decade, McNabb led the Eagles to 5 NFC East championship, and appearances in 5 NFC Championships and Super Bowl XXXIX. Despite the successes, McNabb is most remembered for his failure to win a Super Bowl. In the Super Bowl loss, as well as the 4 NFC Championship losses, McNabb often came up short when it mattered most. Sabremetricians can crunch all kinds of numbers to make McNabb look good, but those of us that actually watch the games can tell you that when McNabb would come out for a final drive while trailing in the 4th quarter, we would all just have that feeling of knowing that he wouldn't get it done. There is a certain intangible that the Montanas and Bradys of the world possess that McNabb just didn't have. The blame cannot be placed squarely on McNabb; Andy Reid's pass heavy playcalling is laughably predictable, and the Eagles defense has often had a penchant for folding in the clutch as well. However, with the game on the line and the oppurtunity there to take charge, too many times McNabb came up small.

Another much discussed issue is McNabb's love/hate relationship with Philadelphis fans. Although the booing on draft day story is completly overblown, the Eagles' selection of McNabb with the #2 pick in the 1999 draft was not well received at the time. Although greatly supported during his initial successes, more and more fans turned against McNabb every year after watching the same mistakes result in the same ending over and over again. The national media will say that the horrible mean Philadelphia fans who booed Santa Claus just didn't appreciate what they had. But we know the real story. Much is made of the Philadelphia boobird stereotype, but in reality, Philly fans do not make ridiculous demands. All we ask is that you show that you care as much as us. Every time McNabb laughed and smiled after a game changing interception or fumble, he may have thought it was all in good fun, but in reality he was laughing in the face of every long suffering Eagles fan. While the past decade of contention has been fun, we all knew inside that the Eagles would never win a Super Bowl as long as the Reid/McNabb system was in place. Does Kevin Kolb have what it takes? Will Andy Reid ever figure out how to run the ball or manage the clock? Many questions will be answered this season.