I don’t believe so, but you know what it is time for? Large groups of fans in Philadelphia to lose their minds, blame every Eagles failing on Donovan McNabb, and call for him to be replaced, banished and run out of town.
It feels a little different this year, because all of the discussion is moot — head coach Andy Reid will be back, and he’s already said that he wants McNabb back with him. It’s a done deal. Of course, none of this stops all the discussing, shouting and complaining.
It feels like I say it every year, but my opinion on the staying or going of Donovan McNabb is this: When you have a better option, Eagles, then maybe you should think about it. Until that moment comes, however, you should probably be happy with the quarterback you have, who is better than the starting quarterbacks on most other NFL teams.
The NFL is not a league where you can succeed without a quality quarterback. With McNabb, you have someone you know is going to give you a quarterback rating of about 90, every year. That’s pretty good. It’s the kind of thing that allows you to, I don’t know, win 10+ games a year, seven out of 10 years.
What plan do you have that could give you a non-McNabb quarterback next season who will also have a rating around 90? Is it Kevin Kolb? I guess there’s an outside chance of that, but I wouldn’t bet on it. It is Michael Vick. Ha. No, it’s not Michael Vick.
Is it someone you’re going to draft? No, at least not right away. If you’re willing to wait three years or so for the guy to develop into an upper-level NFL quarterback (and take the 50-50 shot that he’ll turn into Rick Mirer), then hey, enjoy rebuilding. Is it someone in free agency? No, unless you like the idea of someone like Jeff Garcia or Daunte Culpepper captaining your franchise.
We don’t even need to get into the discussion of how good or bad Donovan McNabb might be. There’s no better option, and that’s just the way it is. Your can either stick with McNabb, or rebuild and miss the playoffs for the next few years. There’s no third way to go.
