Be Careful What You Wish For

On Sunday night the Eagles did the unthinkable, trading the face of their franchise to a division rival. Though the compensation for a soon to be 34 year old quarterback seems to be fair (2010 2nd rounder and a 2011 3rd/4th rounder) the Eagles are putting themselves in very dangerous territory.

It was just two years ago that the New York Jets rid themselves of long time starter Chad Pennington. He went to their arch rival, the Miami Dolphins, and ultimately beat the Jets in their own stadium in the final game of the season. The Dolphins won the division and the Jets went home. The story of sweet revenge went according to plan.

Eagles fans will reference the Drew Bledsoe example when he was traded by the Patriots to their division rival, the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots would go 5-1 against Bledsoe over the next 3 years. However, there is one big difference between the two situations. The Pats were coming off a Super Bowl victory with Tom Brady. The Eagles are coming off a season in which their replacement quarterback, Kevin Kolb, played in just two games.

Regardless of which example repeats itself, one thing is clear. The fans of Philadelphia have grown tired of McNabb and wanted to move on. After 11 year without a championship that is understandable. The shocking part in all this is that they would trade him to a QB-needy team inside their division. Make no mistake, this decision speaks volumes about what the Eagles hierarchy thinks of McNabb. They believe he is no threat to them in 2010 or in the foreseeable future. That remains to be seen, yet, the thinking behind the decision is as clear as day.

In 2010, the Eagles might get a taste of failure for the first time in a long time. With McNabb at the helm, the team has never had to rebuild or refocus. That may not be the case with a young inexperienced quarterback leading the team next year. The Philly faithful might have to be patient and understanding when their team is in the cellar of a tough division in 2010.

The winner in all this is Donovan McNabb. Sure his supporting cast will be a huge drop off from the Eagles to the Redskins, but he has won with sub par talent around him before. McNabb is like the guy who has been dating the hot girl that treats him like crap. In the Redskins, McNabb will find that though the girl may not be as good looking, she will definantly treat him better.

Joe Banner, Andy Reid, and the rest of the Eagles organization better hope things work out next season. The image of McNabb leading the Redskins to victory in Lincoln Financial Field might be too much for Eagles fans to stomach. They've wanted McNabb out and they have finally gotten their wish. However, as the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for."