OYE! Gary Kubiak! Claim McNabb off waviers!

So the word on the street is that Donovan McNabb may not be claimed now that he has been wavied by the Vikings.  I have only one thing to say to that:

OYE!  Gary Kubiak!  Claim McNabb off waviers!

I can't think of a well-positioned playoff team better equipped to take advantage of his skills, and yet so hard pressed for a QB.  You guys are calling in dregs right now.  You aught to grab McNabb for the duration of this season, because he is drastically better than anything you've got.  Yeah, the guy has limits and there are questions about whether he has anything in the tank.  Don't worry about it.  He's still drastically better than anything you've got.  He'll get you to the playoffs, which is where you want to be.

Some may be afraid of Matt Schaub vs, Donovan McNabb QB controversy, but I don't see any reason to worry about that.  This may not be the long-term gig McNabb wants, but it is an opportunity to redeem an otherwise disastrous season by leading a good team into the playoffs.  If he does this, the next long-term gig may be there.

Is he a system fit?  Why not.  You run the West Coast.  He has run the West Coast.  You have a very good running game, and the best receiver in football.  He aught to be happy.

I really want to see the Texans in the playoffs this season, and this is the only way I can see it happening.

My take on the McNabb trade and the NFC East

So, I have to eat some crow. The McNabb trade did happen. You punks in the media are lucky. I was going to beat you down at the start of the 2010 season. You have avoided an ass-whipping of historic proportions. I wanted to be noted that Mike Florio is still a liar, and he was totally off base. The truth has come out and the Rams were never in the hunt for McNabb. His talk of "...McNabb being in St. Louis as early as Friday [several weeks ago]" was utterly wacko.

So what's my take on this trade?

1. The Eagles were crazy to deal McNabb for an unproven commodity like Kevin Kolb.
2. The Eagles' situation is not comparable to the Favre+Packer situation. McNabb is a lot younger than Favre, and he never did the "I'm retiring/I'm back" disco dance.
3. The Eagles will now enter a rebuilding/transition phase. They will win less games not more. The Eagles were 11-5 last season, I doubt they will be close to that this season. Perhaps they will finish 8-8.
4. Consider the Packers. They had a super QB sitting on the bench in Aaron Rodgers. Nevertheless, a team that was 13-3 in 2007 fell to 6-10 in 2008 largely because of the transition. Of course, the defense had much to do with it, but the Packer offense was not nearly as explosive in 2008 as 2007.
5. Do you think Kolb is as good as Rodgers? The Philly homer may want to say yes. The objective observer from the West does not think so. Rodgers may very well prove himself the best QB in the league this season, provided he stays healthy. He looks like one of the most deadly QBs in the league from my point of view. If the Packers can just cut the damn sacks down from 51 to 30, Rodgers may well take the MVP title from Peyton Manning this season. I seriously doubt Kolb is close to that level. Maybe I am wrong, but in my experience, a QB that good rarely comes along. I doubt we will see two such powerful QBs emerge so quickly in succession.
6. If Kolb is substantially less a QB than Rodgers, expect the Eagles transition to be worse than the Packers.
7. Dealing your QB within the division is stupid and borderline suicidal. Take it from me, a Ram fan. We dealt Jim Everett--a QB who lead a parallel life to McNabb in many respects--inside our division to the New Orleans Saints. Everett crucified every time we played against him. He knew our defense inside and out. He knew who was weak. He knew how to burn him. He knew all this from countless hours of scrimmaging against our defense, and hear the DC complain about guys.
8. Consider Sonny Jurgensen, a distant relative of mine on my mama's side of the family. The Eagles dealt him to the Redskins and he immediately threw 5 TD passes against the Eagles at the first opportunity. Believe me, history repeats itself: The first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.
9. Consider what Favre is doing to the Packers right now. I realize that Jared Allen was a major key to victory in both those games, but they would not have out-scored the powerful Packer offense without Favre in either case.
10. Consider the fact that Shanahan is now in Washington. Sorry to inform you of this, but Shanahan is better than Reid. It isn't just because of the 2 rings that I say that. They already have a fairly nasty defense. Now Shanahan and McNabb are going to boot-strap his offense into the picture. You have much to be concerned about.
11. The Eagles now have a lot of picks, but this has been the case for the past several years. The pattern is pretty clear. Most of the offensive choices do well. Most of the defensive choices don't. There are exceptions on both sides, but this is the pattern. If the pattern holds, a significant number of 2010 picks will be wasted on defensive players who don't pan out.

In conclusion, I see the East as a two-horse race. The Giants are rebuilding their defense, but they will chase the Cowboys from behind. The Cowboys now have to be the prohibitive favorite to win the East. If the Cowboys don't win the East, the 2010 Cowboys will be an utter disgrace to the lone star of Texas. If they don't win its a shame.

I expect some back-biting, recriminations and drama once the Eagles get into the heavy water of 2010. I wish you well, but I think you just jammed your dick in the door and slammed it. Like Mayock says "Be careful of what you wish for, because you just might get it."

I can't get Bradford, and I don't want Clausen. I'll take McNabb

The shocker has happened. Philly traded McNabb to the Redskins on Easter Sunday 2010 for the #37 pick in the 2010 draft, a #3 in the 2011, and a conditional #4 in 2011. The conditional pick can rise if the Redskins win more games, posting a better record. Most Philly fans seem glad that the McNabb era is over. They are also shocked that the trade happened inside the division. They seem to be happy that the Kolb era will commence now. They are unhappy that they will face McNabb in a Redskin uniform twice per year for the indefinite future.

CBS Draft Central was the first to publish the opinion that the real looser in this trade is Jimmy Clausen, not Jason Campbell. Campbell was expected to go elsewhere this season. This is only a confirmation of that notion. Clausen was thought, by some, to be the guy Shanahan would develop for the Redskin's future. It is pretty damn clear that Clausen slides past #4 in this season's draft. I believe it is extremely unlikely that Holmgren will select him. Ergo his very first possible landing point is at #9 with the Buffalo Bills.

Pray for the Bills' sake that the GM does not try to take the cheese out of the mouse trap.

This brings us to the Redskins feelings about this. Many D.C. fans are expressing subdued jubilation. They believe the Eagles, an arch nemesis and tormentor, will now spiral downward. A city which is 90% Black is happy to receive (arguably) the greatest Black QB ever. We should leave some room here for Hall of Famer Warren Moon.

On the other hand, Redskin fans are all-to-familiar with the pattern of grabbing over-priced washed-up veterans who under-perform when Dan Snyder gives them fat contracts. This is not just an artifact/relic of George Allen and the 1970s skins. It is a persistent pattern that continues to this day. Many of these fans had already pinned their hopes on Jimmy Clausen as their QB of the future. Shanahan is known as one of those few men in league qualified to evaluate and coach the QB. They hopped he would use his powers to groom Clausen into the Redskins' franchise QB for the next 10+ seasons.

This brings us to Shanahan. Nobody believes the Skins are taking a QB with that massive #4 pick in the 2010 Draft. Nobody believes the Skins are going to do a deal with the Rams for the #1 pick. That ship has sailed out of the harbor. Can anyone explain to me why Shanahan would want to pass on a QB in this year's draft?

• It is possible that he was out-voted. Bruce Allen and Synder could have pushed this deal through.
• It is possible that he felt Bradford was unobtainable. The Rams will take him or demand too much for him.
• It is possible he was concerned about Bradford's durability. The Redskins allowed more sacks (46) than the Ram (44) in 2009. That is a sad, sad commentary. It should be noted that Green Bay allowed the greatest number of sacks (51) in 2009.
• It is possible that Shanahan just didn't see what he wanted in Clausen.

As I mentioned in title line: I can't get Bradford, and I don't want Clausen. I'll take McNabb. Maybe this is Shanahan's decision tree? Maybe this was the read progression?

There we have it again folks. Shanahan and Holmgren are arguably the best QB developers in the league right now. There are a few others. Andy Reid and Mike Martz are two more. I seriously doubt Charley Weis is one of them. What do we say about Clausen now that Shanahan and Holmgren have apparently voted no-confidence in the kid?

Maybe I am right and maybe Kiper Jr. is wrong? Maybe? Maybe McShay is right and Kiper is wrong? Maybe?

Watch for Shanahan and Holmgren to go after Jevan Snead. The kid is going to be cheap, and he has real potential.

Oh so there is no front runner in the 'race' for McNabb?

I knew it all along. You wanna know how I knew? It's really quite simple. You can't have a front runner if there is no race in the first place. Since there is no race for McNabb, there can be no front runner. It's like asking about the current king of France, stupid!

I've been on the record since the beginning of this McNabb season, telling you all of these reports are absolute bullshit. People are just trying to invent soap opera drama to keep themselves employed during this off season. All of these reports are free-form creative nonsense flowing from the imaginations of sports writers around the country. There is not one shred of evidence or proof for any of these rumors. These are invented fabrications that defy all common football sense.

The second the Eagles lose McNabb, by whatever means, they will instantly be in rebuilding or transition mode. Take if from me, when the Rams lost Jim Everett (another disappointing guy with a ton of talent) we were in an ugly rebuilding mode for some 5 years. This is why you will not see a McNabb deal in 2010. At the end of the 2010 season, the Eagles will be negotiating with their free-agent QB (McNabb) to see if they can retain his services. The Vikings will win that bought.

Oakland was the latest candidate for McNabb, a rumor I found incredibly dubious from the beginning, given Al Davis's position on JaMarcus Russell. There is only one reason I paused for a split second upon hearing this rumor: The senility of Al Davis.

I rarely comment on the Raiders in this blog, a team I find greatly annoying. I will do so now. Al is one of the grant old men of football, but he is making decisions with his last 5 active brain cells. He hovers between 5th and 6th stage dementia all day long as a consequence of advancing Alzheimer's disease. He's in bad shape. He cannot walk without help now. We see him in a motor scooter most of the time. He has made a few absolutely crazy moves in recent seasons; things that just cannot be explained without recourse to Alzheimer's disease.

It was for this reason that paused... but only for one split second. Now that rumor is falling apart. It's all a bunch of damn lies.

I wish the Raiders well. We need the bad guys back. However, they will not get better until Al either dies, or until he hands the reins over to young, talented, smart, ambitious empire builder.

The remarkable foolishness of the Philly fans

Donovan McNabb rumors were all the rage last night on ESPN & the NFL Network. A full consideration of these rumors will lead you to a very humorous new understanding semi-spoiled, semi-desperate, and not too technically astute football fans. Before continuing on with the facts let me qualify my last statement:

• The Eagle fans are semi-spoiled because the Eagles have been consistent winners in one of the toughest divisions in football for the past 9 seasons. During this time, they gone to the NFC title game 5 times, and to the Super Bowl once.
• The Eagle fans are semi-desperate because they do not believe these quality years will continue for much longer before the wheels fall off the bus. They maintain that Donovan McNabb is the absolute limiting factor holding this team back. They are anxious to transition now, and take a shot at the Super Bowl now, before the quality years end.
• The Eagle fans are not particularly astute. They don't seem to realize that Andy Reid managed a pretty remarkable makeover of the Eagle offense during the past two drafts. The defense needs some work in this draft, but the Eagles are well set for some time to come. I do not see their quality years ending soon... unless they do something stupid.
• If the Eagle fans were a bit more astute, they would realize that the Eagles took a step back in 2009 because of the death of Jim Johnson, and the loss of Dawkins. The defense was the problem in 2009.

So where is the humor in this story? There isn't much if you are Donovan McNabb, however, if you are a marginally disinterested party, this story is a funny tale of irrationality and incoherence mixed with sports passion. Consider the logic of the following set of propositions:

1. The Eagle fans are desperate to unload McNabb
2. Yet they are desperate to get something for him before they 'waste' another year
3. They also do not want to allow him to walk away without any compensation for the team
4. They have embraced the fabricated rumor that the Rams will deal them the #33 pick and O.J. Otogwe for McNabb.
5. Yet Otogwe is not currently under contract by the Rams and cannot be traded.
6. Since Otogwe is not under contract by the Rams, the Eagles could simply sign him (at a price the Rams won't match) and Otogwe would be an Eagle

Implicit within statements #1 and #2 is the theory that McNabb is an impediment, and he must be disposed of. This would suggest that McNabb is a negative, and yet the Eagles want considerable compensation for him. This is declared in point #3. I find these three propositions contradictory, taken together.

Point #4 is confounded by the actual facts of life. The Rams are not negotiating for McNabb's services, period. This has been confirmed by NFL insiders such as Adam Schefter and Jason La Canfora; not to mention Steve Spagnuolo & Billy Devaney. League sources declare that only the Eagles and Bills have made some overtures the Eagles, and shown some interest. Yet Eagle fans don't seem to care about the ESPN & NFL Network reports exploding their current pet theory. They seem to be enjoying the story they are telling each other so much, that prefer to ignore the factual reports.

Point #5 and #6 add the cherry on top of the whipped cream. Otogwe could be signed by the Eagles for the price of simple contract, so his addition brings no value at all to any trade package. This is assuming that he could be traded at the moment, which he cannot. This major error uncovers the hand of a poor liar, not well versed in NFL subterfuge. In short, this is the work of Mike Florio.

I have to say that I am enjoying the fireworks. I got big belly laughs out of recordings of Eagle fans on Philly's 97.5 FM. Mike Missanelli reminded me of Buddy Hackett in some of his funnier roles. Consider the following video footage of this joker:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d817269e1/Moving-McNabb

What did he say?

1. He thought the trade with the Rams had already been consummated; this according to some of the fans he talked to on the radio. {Joke}
2. Sentiment in Philly is running 75-25 against McNabb; possibly 80-20. Eagle fans are ready to turn the page.
3. When confronted with reports discrediting the Ram trade rumors Missanelli simply says "General Managers have been known to tell some fibs this time of year." He quickly turned his attention to his interpretation of Andy Reid's behavior.
4. When confronted with the extension-veto that McNabb holds, Missanelli quickly denied the existence of the extension-veto, effectively saying "McNabb doesn't have much choice in the situation. I think we can get somebody to take the deal."
5. When asked why a team would even give the Eagles compensation for a player with just one year on his contract, Missanelli first evaded the question and then finally said "Signing McNabb is the other teams problem. You gotta do what you gotta do. We need to move on with Kevin Kobb" He also tried to assert that McNabb would accept an extension in St. Louis because "he has people there", specifically Shurmer and Spagnuolo.

Oh Bouy... Where do you start deconstructing this mess?

You could start with the fact that McNabb can't accept a contract extension with the Rams because they aren't bidding or negotiating... but I won't go there.

First of all, you can immediately understand why Mike Missanelli is not a General Manager in the NFL. He would have no talent for making the deal. What is the art of the deal? Adam Smith summarized it best when he said

"It is not to the charity of the butcher or the baker that we owe our meat and bread, but rather to his regard to his own self interests."

Adam Smith taught us that you interest somebody in an economic transaction by appealing to his/her most base economic interests. You have to find truly interested parties in the market. You have to point out why your item for sale will delight the customer. You have to explain why this transaction would be absolutely fantastic for the buyer. You have to take on all obvious objections and show why there is no negative downside to the transaction, for the buyer, not for you. Did Missanelli do that? Nah, hell nah.

• The whole sales pitch rings of me, me, me. The Eagle fans want what's best for them, and screw the other side of the transaction.
• In working the Ram rumors, the Eagle fans fail to identify a truly interested party.
• By saying "we want to unload him, you take him" you are asking for a favor, you're not interesting a customer in doing a deal.
• All of the Philly fans, including Mike Missanelli, have deprecated this trade deal by deprecating McNabb.
• You will hardly overcome objections, and void negatives by saying something like "signing him is your problem. You gotta do what you've gotta do."

During the whole conversation, Missanelli never once grasped the point that Fran Charles was making: Your deal is next to impossible because McNabb holds defacto veto power. It was zeal for the deal that did it. He's so anxious to move on, he doesn't want to hear any spoilers. To be a GM in the league, not a fan, you need to be an ultra-realist. You need to grapple hard with all possible spoilers and come up with a sound solution.

Mike Missanelli is basically saying "Here is a choke-artist QB with 11 years in the league. You pay him the last year on his current contract, and give us a pick between #20 and #33 for it. If it is #33, we want a sweetener." That's one hell of a lousy sales pitch if you ask me. You can't even sell a Sham Wow or Slap Chop in that style.

It is human to be extremely myopic and selfish. This is one of the humorous moments in this story.

If I step back and look at this scene from 20,000 feet, what do I think?

1. There is some merit in the Eagles fans claims. McNabb has come up small in some big places. His performance against top-end competition in the biggest venues has not been a model of excellence.
2. On the other hand, McNabb hasn't always had play makers around him, and it hasn't always been his fault. The Eagles lost the NFC Championship last time because the Eagle defense could not stop the Cardinals on their clock-killing and game winning drive. There was also a questionable non-call on a pass interference play.
3. McNabb does hold a pocket-veto power in this case. It may not look like it at first glance, but his refusal to sign an extension can spoil and beak any deal.
4. It sucks to be Donovan McNabb. Can you imagine toiling for 12 years (and it will be 12 years before he walks as a free agent), walking out the door unceremoniously as a free agent, holding all the Eagle records, having had a hell of winning record in Philly, and being this poorly regarded for your efforts? Can you imagine retiring after having your body broken in Philly, and being this unappreciated for it. It sucks to be McNabb.

One more point: Just as I was about to hit the Publish Post button, I discovered this little gem.

http://www.sbnation.com/2010/3/26/1391985/mcnabb-trade-eagles-raiders

It would appear that McNabb's agent Fletcher Smith has been given no reason to believe that a trade is immanent. Since any trade would likely require a contract extension, you can bet Fletcher Smith will be on board from the ground floor. I would say that this information should just about finish this inane conversation, but of course you know it will not.

This has more to do with the desire of frustrated Eagles fans than football facts and reality.

Oh, so now McNabb is headed to St. Louis again?

After being headed to Cleveland, Oakland, Buffalo, Minnesota, and parts unknown, it appears that Donovan McNabb is headed back to St. Louis.

I've said it before and I will say it again: Mike Florio's street-cred is 0.0000. He is on the floor. We now believe that anything he says regarding this matter is far more likely to be invented bullshit than substantive rumor. Same thing for the rest of the media. Mike, you need to quit. Just pack up and leave your job. Take up Amish Farming. Your invention and manufacture of McNabb trade-rumors has utterly destroyed your credibility as a journalist. Your situation is beyond repair. Just pack it in and call it quits before they toss you out.

This should serve as a warning to Steve Wyche and Jason La Canfora who like to dabble in these inventions and fabrications as well.

I will say this again also; The three biggest lies in the world are:

• The check is in the mail
• Donovan McNabb is about to be traded
• I promise not to cum in your mouth

I can't wait for opening day 2010. When Donovan McNabb takes his position under the Eagles' center, I am going to unload on all you faggots. You are going to take the biggest ass-whipping of your entire lives. You can take it anyway you want to take. You can kick and scream. You can take it with dignity, but come hell or high water you are going to take it.

OH! So now McNabb is going to the Seahawks, aye!

So, in the immediate aftermath of their loss to the Saints, the Vikings were purportedly hot to make a deal for Donovan McNabb. The rumor mill got tired of that one fairly quickly, so then they said that McNabb was going to the Rams "as early as Friday". That was last Friday, and Donovan McNabb never set foot in St. Louis. So now the rumor mill has it that Donovan McNabb is going to Seattle! Now how about that one? Ain't that a good one?

You know how false prophets are always saying that the end of the world will occur in... Name your date. They keep doing that, they keep expecting to be right some day, and they continue to be wrong. So it is with the endless Donovan McNabb trade rumors during each off season for the last slew of years. I never gave damn, and never believed any of them. They got my dander up when they started to mention my Rams in connection with these endless bullshit rumors.

I want all of your sports press guys to understand one thing: You street cred is below 0.000 right now. We don't believe a fucking word you say. I believe that you are a bunch of forked tonged lying assholes. We believe that you are absolutely full of shit regarding the future of Donovan McNabb.

One other thing: I'm laughing like hell at you. That includes you Jason LaCanfora You monkeys are funnier than Chris Berman picking the 49ers vs Bills 9 consecutive years in a row. He went 0-9 in that prediction series. You guys are about 0 for 10,000 on the McNabb trade front.

Oh, so the Rams are interested in McNabb now, are they?

That's a good one mate, why don't you pull the other one?

Is there no end to the bullshit rumors? Shortly after acknowledging that the Ram-rumor mill was running in overdrive in Indianapolis, a St. Louis writer by the name of Bryan Burwell decided to drop a large turd on the outhouse pile. The Rams have an intense interest in trading for McNabb. He wonders if the Rams have enough ammo to swing the deal, offering the #33 pick in exchange for McNabb. He says that there are a lot of questions unanswered.

The only question left unanswered is this: Will any fools out there smell the bullshit?

This is the off season. The Winter Olympics just ended. The NCAA Basketball tournament is not up and running. Myers & Hartman and Petros & Money are all talking about the Bachelor 2010 finale last night. Sports talk is in a hard place. Naturally every newspaper & sports site in the country is now reporting this false rumor. I am sure they are all silently thanking Bryan for giving them something to write and chat about during this dry season.

We might as well start a bullshit rumor about McNabb. There have been several thousand bullshit rumors about McNabb in the past. One more will never be remembered in the long run. A slice off a cut loaf is never missed. You might get 5 minutes of fame.

You watch: This just might be the biggest bullshit rumor of the NFL off-season.

I can't name 5 QBs in the league I want more than Donovan McNabb?

Today, the NFL Network broadcasted (what looked like) a all-new episode of The NFL's Top 10 show. This episode was titled The NFL's Top 10 Mobile Quarterbacks. I enjoyed it, as I always do, but this was certainly the worst of their efforts. The main problem was that the list was absolutely crazy. Certain key men named John Elway and Joe Montana did not make it on the list. A couple of men named Dan Marino and Bobby Douglas were on the list. We'll talk about that later.

I look particular umberage at a comment made by my draft super-hero, Mike Mayock. Those who read my blog know that I think the world of Mayock as a college tallent evaluator. He is my main trusted guru on the subject. However, he is a guy with biases. He is from Philly, and he covers a lot of Viking games. These two teams get special handling from him.

Now Mike has the audacity to tell me that I can't name 5 QBs in the league I would rather have than Donovan McNabb. Well, technically he is right. The number is not 5. The number is 8; maybe 9. Do I mean to tell you there are 8 or 9 quarterbacks I would rather have than Donovan McNabb? You damn betcha! Without further ado, here is my list

1. Peyton Manning
   
2. Drew Brees
3. Philip Rivers
4. Ben Rothlesburger
5. Aaron Rodgers
6. Kurt Warner
7. Tom Brady
8. Jay Cutler

Pending the outcome of Sunday's Cowboys vs Eagles game, I would probably take Tony Romo over McNabb also.

Do I mean to say that all 8 of those QBs are better than McNabb? Yep, that's right. Even Cutler? Well, he's younger and has much more unrealized potential. The first 7 on that list are clearly and distinctly better than McNabb.

Let us not forget that McNabb owns one of the worst performances in Super Bowl history. Let us not forget that demonstrated the worst 2 minute clock management skills we have ever seen. Let us not forget that he stated emphatically that he did not know regular season games could end in a tie. I have known that rule since I was frickin' 14 years of age, and I am not paid millions of dollars to know the rulebook.