Raiders Appear to Be in the Lead to acquire McNabb

The Raiders appear to be the front runner for obtaining Donovan McNabb. The Eagles apparently want a high draft pick in exchange for him. McNabb has repeatedly stated that he wants to stay in Philadelphia. He currently has one year left on his deal. The team claims they might trade him away, but only for the right price.

I believe trading Donovan away would be a mistake for the Eagles. McNabb is a proven winner. He has done a lot for this team. He has lead them to the playoffs multiple times. He's broken many Eagles passing records and he's played in a couple of NFC Championship games. At age 33, there's no doubt that Donovan can still be an effective quarterback for the next couple of years. For most of his career, he's had to play with an average supporting cast. Now that the Eagles have finally brought in some talent, they're thinking about trading him. This is rather unfortunate.

If the Eagles do decide to trade him, whoever replaces him would be expected to win right away. McNabb has set the bar really high with all that he's accomplished. The person most likely to replace McNabb if he's traded is Kevin Kolb. Kolb is a good player. He has shown some potential while on the field. The question is how effective Kolb would be while playing a full season. I doubt that at this stage in his career if he is as good as McNabb. Kolb would be under a lot of pressure to produce right away. The Eagles would probably be better served to keep McNabb.

The Eagles Released Brian Westbrook.

The Eagles today decided to release Brian Westbrook. Apparently, Westbrook was due about $7 million next month. Just like with LaDainian Tomlinson, it looks like the Eagles did this to save some money. I also think the concussions Westbrook had contributed to them releasing him. Andy Reid said that concussions had nothing to do with their decision, but I believe it did. When running backs get older, get injured and have a less than productive year, their teams tend to release them. Westbrook is a good player that can still bring it on the field.

Why The Pro Bowl Should Be Played a Week After The Super Bowl

The Pro Bowl should be played after the Super Bowl. By having the Pro Bowl played before the Super Bowl, we didn't get a chance to see some of the Super Bowl participants such as Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne or Drew Brees play. No disrespect to the players that replaced these guys, but I would have enjoyed watching Peyton Manning or Dallas Clark play in Miami. Even though many of the selected players like Tom Brady or Philip Rivers didn't play, the game was still entertaining to watch. I also liked that the fact that a player such as London Fletcher finally got a chance to play in his first Pro Bowl. He's been a great player for so many years and never got a chance to play in this game until now. Both the AFC and NFC scored a ton of points which made the game worth watching. It was a fourth down conversion late in the fourth quarter that won the game for the AFC. They defeated the NFC 41-34. I hope next year that the NFL will have the Pro Bowl played after the Super Bowl.

Saints vs Colts My Pre-Super Bowl Thoughts

Next week, the New Orleans Saints will play against the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl and quite frankly, I'm very excited. These are two evenly matched teams that will most likely put on a great show for us. Both of these teams have dynamic offenses that can score at will. I anticipate this game becoming a high-scoring affair. It could be one of those games where the last team with the ball wins.

In the NFC Championship game, the Saints defeated the Vikings in overtime. From beginning to end, both teams went back and forth trading points. It was a costly interception by Favre that gave the Saints a chance in overtime. Saints kicker Garrett Hartley, kicked the game-winning field goal in overtime and now the Saints march on playing in the Superbowl.

For the Saints to win, they have to play well on offense, defense and special teams. Offensively, they have to score a lot of points. Drew must distribute the ball to his play makers. These play makers must put the ball in the end zone whenever they get the opportunity. The running backs for the Saints must run the ball effectively. By running the ball effectively, they can keep the Colts offense off the field. By controlling the clock, the Saints will limit the number of chances the Colts will have to score.

Defensively, the Saints must put constant pressure on Peyton Manning whenever he goes back to pass. They must also contain the Colts wide receivers and tight end. Last week, the Saints defense allowed over 400 yards against the Vikings. If they want to win, I don't think they can allow this many yards against the Colts. Even though the Saints defense gave up a lot of yards to the Vikings, they did create turnovers which gave their offense the ball back. This defense must also generate turnovers against the Colts if they want to win.

The Saints special teams can also help their team by adding points as well. If the Colts decide to punt the ball to Reggie Bush, he definitely has the ability to return at least one of those punts for a touchdown.

In order for the Colts to win, they must continue to score. Peyton Manning must be given enough time in the pocket to distribute the ball to his play makers. The Colts must run the ball as well. By running the ball, they will keep the Saints defense honest. Defensively, the Colts must put pressure on Drew Brees. Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis have to play great. They've been playing well throughout the playoffs and must continue in the Superbowl.

Based upon what I've seen so far, I think this will be a great game. Both teams know how to score and play defense. My prediction is that the Colts win will the game. Peyton Manning and the defense are playing very well. The Saints struggled against the Vikings at home. It took a turnover by Favre late in the game and the win of a coin toss to beat the Vikings. Also, the Colts have only lost two games in the regular season and in both of those games, they rested many of their key players. In the playoffs, the Colts are soundly defeating their opponents. I'm looking forward to watching both of these teams play.