McNabb's Last Stand?

It's that time of year again, folks. Every January -- although it honestly has been a year-round discussion for four years -- this question is asked: Could this be Donovan McNabb's last game as an Eagle?


I know this question has become old and annoying for most Eagles fans, especially if you listen to the sports talk radio stations in the city. But I can't stop thinking about this and reality is that his Eagles career really could come to an end on Saturday. Let's run down a few reasons why:

1) I doubt that McNabb or his agent, Fletcher Smith, will want to have Donovan play next season with only one year remaining on his current deal. There is very little security in that, especially for a player who has the injury history and age concerns that McNabb does. The Eagles did renegotiate his contract this past offseason but that was only a raise as no years were added to the contract. That means the McNabb camp will likely want to talk extension. The Eagles? They probably won't entertain that idea short of a Super Bowl victory. This probably won't sit well with McNabb, who has always had a problem with being respected.

2) In addition to McNabb having only one year left on his deal, so too does Kevin Kolb. The Eagles have to decide who they are keeping long term this offseason. In the past this would have been a easy decision (in McNabb's favor) but this time there is an extra wrinkle. That wrinkle? Kevin Kolb has actually played meaningful games now. Yes, it's a very small sample size. However, it's no smaller than the one the Packers used in deciding to move forward with Aaron Rodgers instead of Brett Favre. Kolb played rather well in those games, except for two bad interceptions in the Saints game. Some would say it's a good idea to let a young quarterback grow with the young weapons they have, not an old one. Whether that thinking is right or wrong, who knows.

3) At some point you have to realize you're just not going to win with a guy. Listen, Andy Reid isn't going anywhere for three more years, so the offensive philosophy isn't changing. With the young stud receivers we have Andy is going to throw, throw and throw again. It's obvious this isn't McNabb's strength, it never was and it never will be. He's too inaccurate and prone to terrible games to throw as much as he does. If you asked him off-the-record I'm sure he'd tell you he would have won a Super Bowl by now if he had a consistent running game his whole career. He's probably right. But the fact remains that isn't going to happen and that the Eagles may deem Kolb the better choice for the future.

I love Donovan McNabb. I always have and always will. Has he frustrated me at times? Of course he has, but he's given me the best decade of football in Eagles history and that's important. I want him to stay and this conversation is probably premature, especially considering that Wade Phillips coaches the Cowboys and they could implode at any moment. But if the game goes anything like last Sunday, this really could be McNabb's last game as a bird. And that's upsetting.

So how 'bout we just win the Super Bowl so I don't have to worry about this shit, ok?