Draft weekend has come and gone. By now, you've probably watched or read every possible breakdown of how teams fared with the draft. Of course, I'm The NFL Chick, so folks have been asking me my opinion and how I thought my teams and others did when it came to the draft. I decided to add my own twist and categorized them in groups of how well they did. With all of the analysis you guys and gals received this weekend, the last thing you need is another in-depth look at how teams did.
Posted by The NFL Chick | Posted on 10:30 AM
Category: BlackSportsOnline , NFL , Santonio Holmes , social networking , Ted Ginn , The NFL Chick , twitter
Posted by The NFL Chick | Posted on 10:30 AM
Category: NFL , NFL Draft , NFL schedule , The NFL Chick
Posted by The NFL Chick | Posted on 11:58 AM
Category: Ben Roethlisberger , NFL , Pittsburgh Steelers , Santonio Holmes , The NFL Chick
When word got out late last night that Steelers WR Santonio Holmes had been traded to the NY Jets for a 5th round draft pick, I was floored. Not just because of the low price, but also because of who it was. Holmes is a Super Bowl MVP and has been a great asset to the Steelers since being drafted out of Ohio State. For him to be traded for a draft pick that may not even make the roster seems as crazy, if not more, than McNabb's big trade a week earlier. But looking past the Holmes trade, it's safe to say that the Steelers organization may have enough- and they are using Holmes as an example.
Posted by The NFL Chick | Posted on 11:13 PM
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On Sunday, when I got word that the Eagles traded QB Donovan McNabb to the Redskins, I was just as surprised as anyone else. A Pro Bowl and playoff QB, going down the street to his division rival, for peanuts. None of this made sense... and still doesn't. But is this trade as crazy as it seems?! My initial thought on Sunday was yes, this trade was ridiculously stupid. But after letting my thoughts regroup and taking the emotions out of it, maybe it's not as bad as we think.
It's safe to say that Andy Reid is a good head coach and has a good eye for offensive talent. Since drafted McNabb in the 1999 NFL Draft, Philly has been blessed with having a pretty consistent, high powered offense for much of Reid's and McNabb's tenure. That includes dealing with injuries to Westbrook and Buckhalter as well as working with busts like Freddie "Fred Ex" Mitchell. But Reid is a smarter guy than we give credit for. He's put some thought into this and seems comfortable in this huge decision.
First, there's the age and injury factor. It's no secret that McNabb has been labeled an "injury prone" QB throughout much of his career. The fact that McNabb has only played in 4 full seasons (not counting his rookie season), shows that his longevity is at question. McNabb is only 33 years old, which isn't old for a QB. But before you go mentioning Iron Man Brett Favre, let's be clear... we're talking about IR McNabb. One has to wonder how much longer will his body hold up. Can McNabb still play for an entire season?? Will his health continue to decline as he gets older (McNabb will be 34 in November)?? Is it really a good idea to give him another big pay day, when he may not last past week 6? If Reid couldn't answer the following questions with certainty, then maybe trading McNabb while he still had value was smart, after all.
The other angle of this is the Kolb Factor. The Eagles were high on backup QB Kevin Kolb when they drafted him out of Houston in the 2007 Draft. From the time he was drafted, it was almost if the McNabb Trade Watch had unofficially started. Kolb hasn't played in many games in his short NFL career, and most remember him from his devastating INT in the Ravens game, in which Ed Reed broke his own record.
Lastly is the Fan Factor. While I don't think McNabb's trade was hardly influenced by the fans, it's still should be noted that McNabb's biggest critics came from his own fan base. Who can forget the swarm of boos that rang out after McNabb was drafted in '99? Philly treated McNabb like an ugly stepchild at times, and felt no remorse in doing so.
Maybe Reid sees a vision that we have yet to see. McNabb is going to a Washington squad in need of a QB that can effectively run a West Coast offense, which he can do. But they also have major holes on the offensive line as well as a group of aging RBs in Willie Parker, Clinton Portis and Larry Johnson, who have a hard time in staying healthy. McNabb has always been known as a mobile QB, but there is only so much one can do. McNabb physically paid for it time and time again in Philly. Maybe it was time to move on. Time to give the young guy Kolb a chance to prove himself.
I leave with this final food for thought. Bill Belichick did the same thing, in trading QB Drew Bledsoe to division rival Buffalo, after winning SB XXXVI with Tom Brady. While the circumstances were somewhat \ different, the overall picture is eerily similar. An older, injury prone QB gets traded to his division rival for the young guy on the bench. We know how the Brady story turned out, 3 SB rings later. Maybe Reid thinks Kolb is the new Brady......