Fly Like An Eagle

It's as much an offseason fixture as free agency. The Donovan McNabb trade rumors seem to happen so frequently and with such a lack of success, that it's almost becoming like the boy who cried wolf. Last year, with McNabb's hometown Chicago Bears needing a quarterback, conspiracy theorists expected the Bears to take a run at Philly's disenfranchised signal caller. Instead, the Eagles dragged their feet and the Bears opted for the younger and more surly Jay Cutler. The Minnesota Vikings needed a quarterback and also had the luxury of having one of McNabb's former tutors in Brad Childress as their head coach. However, no talks with the Eagles ever got past its infancy and the Vikings put all their eggs in the Brett Favre basket.

This year seems to be different from past years. Having seen what they have in heir apparent Kevin Kolb and with the injury-prone McNabb due a $6.2 million bonus in May, McNabb looks like he's finally going to be exiled from The City of Brotherly Love. Good for Donovan. McNabb's loyalty to the city of Philadelphia and Eagles fans(at least publicly) is a bit mind-boggling. After all, these are the same fans that booed McNabb on Draft Day back in 1999 when he was taken over Ricky Williams, and Eagles fans never seem to warm up to McNabb since. Plus, there was the exuberant amount of dog shit that McNabb seemed to always step in from a public relations standpoint. Perhaps no athlete in recent memory came under fire for just doing his job like McNabb has. After the Draft Day booing, there was the Rush Limbaugh fiasco with the conservative blowhard declaring on ESPN that the media's motivation behind rooting for McNabb was because he was a black quarterback. Then, there was J.Whyatt Mondesire, publisher of a black newspaper and president of the Philadelphia chapter of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who criticized McNabb's leadership and essentially called McNabb a disgrace to African American athletes. In between that was the widely publicized between McNabb and Terrell Owens. All the while, McNabb stood tall and took it on the chin. No Hal McRae-style public rants. No bombast. No trade demands.

My question is why? I like Donovan McNabb. I think he's one of 10 best QBs in the NFL, when he's healthy. He's certainly the best quarterback Philly has had since Ron Jaworski. If Philly isn't going appreciate his talents, why be so resistent to a move elsewhere? What have these people ever done for you, Donovan? They didn't exactly riot when Andy Reid benched you late last season. They aren't exactly picketing the Eagles' front office admist another year of rumors of your exile. Perhaps a change of scenery would be good for you. Maybe you've just spent so much time in Liberty Bell Land that you are jaded from the finer points of playing for some of the teams that might want you. Don't worry, D-Mac, I got you covered. Here's a deeper look at your top three suitors.

1. Oakland Raiders: I liked the alleged proposal of CB Asante Samuel and McNabb for CB Nnamdi Asomugha. Like Gabe said when we discussed this the other day, pure cover corners like Asomugha are a rare breed in this league. As for McNabb going from a contender to one of the worst teams in the league, look, McNabb brought that Eagles team as far as he was going to take it. 5 NFC Championships and a Super Bowl appearence. With McNabb at the helm, the Eagles were a contender nearly every year. Fans in Cleveland and Detroit would kill for that kind of run over the last 11 years. Will McNabb make the Raiders a winner? Of course not. That line is horrible and there isn't a receiver worth throwing to within 100 miles, but Oakland can offer McNabb something that Philly will not and has not: Appreciation. Sure, the creatures of The Black Hole aren't the most cordial of folks, but if they have to back either a 33-year old, injury-prone McNabb or a overpaid and overweight JaMarcus Russell, they will do everything but hoist McNabb on their shoulders and carry him from Philly to Oakland. Plus, it's the last year of McNabb's deal. He doesn't HAVE to sign an extension and with Russell making big bucks to sit the bench and be the black John Candy, Oakland would rather not pay both of them anyway. Plus, the weather is fantastic and the division is horrible. It's not a long shot to think McNabb can make the playoffs with this band of rejects.

2. Buffalo Bills: Great football city with a fan base that is dedicated to guys who will help them win(as any of the five people who watched "The T.O. Show" can attest after seeing Owens can bombarded at the airport by Bills fans upon his arrival). They have two good backs in Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, a decent wideout in Lee Evans and one of the finer offensive minds in head coach Chan Gailey. The offensive line is a work and progress and the defense is a year or two away as they adjust to the new 3-4 scheme, but it will get there. Sure, playing in the same division with the Dolphins(division champ from '08), New England(division champ of '09) and the Jets(AFC Championship game runner-up) doesn't make things promising in terms of contending, but the same can probably be said if McNabb was to stay in Philly and play in one of the toughest divisions in football.

3. St. Louis Rams: There really isn't much upside to going to a team that has won 6 games in 3 years, except that McNabb's presence would allow the Rams to use the #1 overall pick on Nebraska DT Ndomakong Suh, widely considered the best defensive line prospect to come around in years. Like Oakland, McNabb would be playing in a weak division. The team that won this division last year, the Arizona Cardinals, lost its Hall of Fame QB, one of its best recievers and two of its best players on defense. On top of that, their big free agent pickup, LB Joey Porter, just got busted for a DUI. Plus, RB Steven Jackson is like the running back version of McNabb. A beast when he's healthy, which is pretty rare. WR Donnie Avery could be a poor man's DeSean Jackson and head coach Steve Spagnuolo should be able to make a solid defense out of a defensive line headlined by Suh and fellow first rounders Chris Long and Adam Carriker, not to mention MLB James Laurinaitis. Now, I'll admit, this would be a much funnier scenario if the NFL approved Limbaugh to own the Rams, but this might turn out to be a better situation for McNabb then he thinks. An up and coming team, led by a fiery leader in a division that has no real dominator.

And that's it. That's the list. Look, Donovan, your days in Philadelphia are numbered. The draft is in a less than a month and fans and media alike are already planning for the Kevin Kolb Era. Philadelphia never appreciated you and, if you believe you have anything left in the tank, you need to use this newest slight as motivation to carry another team much like you used your halftime benching in the Ravens game two years ago as motivation to carry the Eagles to another NFC Championship. You're not going to Minnesota, Donovan. Brett Favre's coming back again in September and Big Red isn't dealing you to a team that came thisclose to the Super Bowl last season. For all his horrible clock management, terrible play-calling, inability to convert on 3rd down and in the red zone as well as his dubious challenges, Andy Reid isn't stupid(at least, not stupid enough to trade you to a team that's a QB away from the Super Bowl). You're 33. You've only played one full season since 2003 and you're due nearly $7 million in a recession. If the Chargers were willing to cut L.T. for half of that, the Eagles will no doubt do the same. Don't look at leaving Philadelphia as trip back down the ladder but rather an opportunity to finally play for a team that appreciates your talents(even if they are declining).

Like I said, Philadelphia owes you nothing......except a plane ticket out of town and, this year, it will finally happen.