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.

But do we REALLY know what Kolb is about?? Should the Reed INT be the defining factor of his career? Apparantly, Reid doesn't think so. Kolb had a near-perfect performance against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2009 season, throwing for over 300 yards for 2 TDs. And while most will argue that it was Chiefs, who was a bad team at the time of victory, others will say that Kolb showed that he has the tools to be the next Aaron Rodgers. And with a young receiving group in DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and TE Brent Celek, it's safe to say that Reid wants his young QB to grow with his receivers, so they can make beautiful music and sweet TDs for years to come.

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.

I'd find it hard to believe that many fans are crying a river to the news of McNabb's departure, other than the fact that he now has a chance at redemption twice a year against them. But Philly is a tough crowd, and McNabb was never fully accepted in the city of Brotherly Love.

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......

Or maybe this trade is as crazy as it really seems.