The Donovan McNabb trade appears to be the most polarizing personnel move in recent memory for the Redskins. I’m very conflicted about this and it certainly adds a confusing layer of complexity to my Redskins-Eagles tailgate this season. But I guess my overall reaction is that the front office seems to be operating more professionally than any other front office in the wretched Snyder era.
I don’t know what is going on. It all started when we had 30-somethingish o-linemen come into Redskins Park and leave without record-breaking contracts in hand. I was pleased. Not necessarily psyched about the LJ and Fast Willie signings, but we got them on the cheap and any competition for CP is welcome. At least it will force him to practice.
I also like that they are being fiscally sound in the uncapped year. They took the uncapped year as a chance to pay out most of Fat Albert’s and MeAngelo’s bonus cash, suddenly making their contracts not so much in the albatross category. And now they are apparently trying to dump Haynesworth. Snyderrato would have taken this opportunity as a chance to throw record cash at all kinds of mediocre FAs. And I don’t even have to watch Randle-El return punts next year!
I’m still not sure what to make of the McNabb trade. It certainly seems like a fair price, assuming he extends for a few years and is productive. He should be an upgrade at the QB position, and I love that we took him from the Eagles. Next to Andy Reid, he is the person most familiar with their playbook and personnel from the past decade. And he seems like a decent guy. And he should be more than fired up for both Eagles games every year.
That being said, I still have a twinge of concern about it. I’d really like to be in “rebuilding” mode vs “reloading” mode….I’ll be less nervous when I see some kind of young talent infusion on the o-line. Bottom line, I’d rather be the Eagles from a managerial perspective - a playoff team last year, getting way younger, and loading up on picks in a very deep draft. I believe that Redskins fans are knowledgeable and patient enough to appreciate building through the draft, continually reloading, and unloading aging vets when they are nearing their expiration date but still have some trade value. Instead, we continue to covet other team’s FAs, get older and continue to completely neglect the draft and trade away picks. Hopefully they can recoup a 3rd rounder for Campbell, although they don’t seem to have much leverage at this point.
I do feel bad for Campbell. He has been a class act, has a great work ethic, and has not gotten a fair shake since he’s been here. Those first two attributes are increasingly hard to come by in a professional athlete these days. But it’s a business, and he can’t say he didn’t see it coming. The organization has been clumsily transparent in its attempts to denigrate him and run him out of town the past few years. I hope he maintains his dignity, films the classiest Eastern Motors commercial possible, and leaves town on a high note. He should strike while his job is still his credit.
In summation, it seems like this was a very good value if we are getting a motivated McNabb who can ball out for us for a solid 4 years. But I’m still jealous of the teams that build through the draft, grow their own talent and value their own players, create a team identity and gather players who fit that mold, and think long-term. Respecting the fanbase and not price-gouging everyone like whores would also be nice.
But there appears to be a level of professionalism around Redskins Park right now that I’m just not accustomed to. The jury is out on Shanahan and Allen, but things seems to be different than before in the hellish reign of the petite kommissar Snyder. We need to come out of the draft with a solid LT (hopefully Okung) and any and all other o-line help we can get in the draft or FA will be welcome.
Stay tuned….strange days indeed.