Speaking on a Phoenix radio station, ESPN's Sal Paolantonio floated the idea that Andy Reid could sign free agent Donovan McNabb as a back-up if he lands in Arizona.

Paolantonio also suggested that Reid never wanted to deal McNabb in the first place to Washington and had to be talked into the trade by Eagles current GM Howie Roseman.

"Reid had to be talked into trading McNabb to Washington by (GM) Howie Roseman, kicking and screaming," Paolantonio said in the radio interview on Burns and Gambo on Arizona Sports 620 in Phoenix.

Its a story that worries me somewhat.

I know a lot of people will look at what McNabb did in Washington and Minnesota and say he was in decline and couldn't play anymore.  I will agree he was in decline, but franchise quarterbacks in decline are still guys you can win with.  Since McNabb left the franchise has had a mess at the quarterback position where Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, Vince Young and Nick Foles have gone a combined 22-26.  Meanwhile, McNabb in his final season went 10-4, yet was considered in "decline."

In his career McNabb went 92-49-1 with the Eagles - that's winning 64 percent of his game with the team.

Look at a guy like John Elway, who from 33-35 years old went a combined 24-22, then from 36-38 he went a combined 35-8 and won a pair of Super Bowls.  Sometimes franchise quarterbacks don't play at the same level that we are all accustomed to but they give the team an identity and a focus.

One of the biggest issues the McNabb-less Eagles had was turnovers - something McNabb rarely committed.  Think about how different the Eagles would have looked the past three season if they didn't turn-the-ball-over to consistently.

So if Roseman was willing to give-up on the franchise quarterback for the next hot name, why should we have confidence that he is the right man to lead the team going forward.  Yes, the 2012 draft looks like a fine draft class, but if the man in charge then couldn't see that McNabb was the pulse of the team, should we really feel confident that he can re-build this team going forward?

 

 

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