The biggest story that has emerged for the 7-month doldrum that is the NFL offseason has been the long anticipated trade of Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb away from the franchise that he had a great hand in resurrecting. That fact that McNabb was traded within the NFC East to the Washington Redskins makes the deal even more intriguing. For 11 years Eagles head coach Andy Reid and Donovan (whom Reid took with his first ever draft pick as the skipper of the Eagles, #2 overall in the '99 draft behind Tim Couch) have seemingly been joined at the hip but the time for the breaking of that fellowship has come in the eyes of many Philly fans.
I wrote about the end of the McNabb era earlier after the team's season ended after back-to-back embarrassing losses at the hands of Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys in '09. I had always believed that the 2009 season was McNabb last chance to win a Super Bowl in Phildadelphia but thanks to an undersized and depleted defense along with a "predictable" offense the team fell short despite a promising regular season. Although I was initially surprised when I found out Donovan had been traded to Washington I'm glad the Eagles' brass decided to honor McNabb's wishes to be traded to a team that had a chance to compete (rather than perennial bottom-feeders Oakland and Buffalo, which were rumored to be the most likely landing spots for the 6-time Pro Bowler) and were able to land 2 draft picks including the #37 overall pick in this upcoming draft. I think the team got a fair deal in the end and like many Eagles fans I am excited for the Kevin Kolb era to begin in the city of Brotherly Love.
I got the chance to see a good sampling of Kolb early in the 2009 season after McNabb was forced to miss 2 games after breaking a rib in week 1. He has shown the ability to make every throw asked of an NFL QB and I believe the 3 seasons he spent learning and understanding the team's offense will benefit his transition to the starting role. During his collegiate career at the University of Houston Kolb proved to be a strong-armed, athletics passer that coach Reid believed (and has never wavered from that belief) was a perfect fit for the Eagles's offense who should be the future of the franchise. Taking over an offense laden with young, successful play-makers, the pressure will be on Kolb to produce in his first year at the helm. There is a lot I can say on the subject but in short I feel Kevin Kolb has paid his dues (I thoroughly disliked him until week 3 this year until he turned my head) and deserves the chance to show that he can win NFL football games. It seems simple but with many quarterbacks they either have what it takes to be a champion or they don't but you can only find out if they're given a shot.
(I am also very aware of the door I am opening for McNabb to come and beat the Eagles en route to an NFL title [as if he cares] because I also believe a fresh start with a new head coach will serve him well.)
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