The End of an Era? Eagles Face Offseason Decision on Donovan McNabb

After being humiliated on national television on Saturday evening, one can't help but wonder if we have seen the end of an era of Philadelphia Eagles football—namely, the Donovan McNabb era.

During the "Big Debacle in Big D," Brian Westbrook, ravaged by concussions and nagging injuries all season, contributed sparingly. One has to wonder if we have seen the last of him in an Eagles uniform too.

Donovan McNabb—who, in fairness, spent much of the night dodging oncoming traffic—was some combination of typically inaccurate with his passes, the victim of an ineffective game plan, and just plain unlucky (particularly in the turnovers category).

The young guns and supporting cast, to say the least, did not get the job done (and boy is that a euphemism). 

Let's be honest:

The Eagles' "hot streak" and 11-4 record heading into the first Dallas catastrophe were deceiving.

In fact, the entire season, the Eagles did not defeat a team that made the playoffs. Of their five regular season losses, two came to the Cowboys, one to the Saints, and another to the Chargers (the fifth coming at the hands of the hapless Raiders).

Combine that with the momentum built by the Cowboys in December (who's laughing now?), and the train wreck we all witnessed these past two weeks should not come as such a surprise.

The main question for the Eagles is how to move forward, knowing that the road to NFC East glory now runs through Irving.

Given the number of holes that were exposed in the team (offensive line, defensive line, linebacker corps, and safety, at minimum), they may decide to finally pull the trigger on the most difficult move in team history: attempting to trade Donovan McNabb.

With Kevin Kolb waiting in the wings at QB, the team may hope to land a package of draft picks for McNabb to help fill the talent voids elsewhere on the roster.

It is, after all, decision time for No. 5. He is currently under contract only for the 2010 season, meaning it is likely that he will be extended or traded this offseason. Trading him, though, may be harder than the Eagles think for several reasons:

2. He will be 34 next November. As his mobility decreases with age, his ability to buy himself more time as a passer will decrease.

3. His shortcomings (inaccurate passing, questionable decision-making, failure to win the big game) are well known by now. Only a playoff-caliber team with a weak QB would be a logical fit (no rebuilding team wants a QB with this profile), which leads to...

4. There are very few playoff-caliber teams with a weak QB. It is questionable to call Carolina a playoff-caliber team (they finished at .500), though they are in clear need of a QB.

Then there is Arizona, where McNabb maintains an offseason home, and where rumor has it that Kurt Warner may retire at the end of this season. With its weapons at wide receiver and its more traditional style of offense, Arizona may be the best match of all.

The strong suspicion here is that Donovan would fit better in an offense that is not of the west coast variety, given his difficulties at times in making quick decisions and throwing accurately—two qualities that are must-haves for a consistently successful quarterback running that scheme.

If the Eagles find it impossible to trade McNabb for a reasonable return, they may decide to try to retool yet one more time (please, nobody named "Andrews" this offseason) before ushering in the Kevin Kolb era in 2011.

If they are able to trade him, it will mark the end of an era of Philadelphia football—not necessarily the end of a remarkable run of seasons characterized by deep playoff aspirations, but for certain the end of an era during which the team was repeatedly led almost to the promised land by the greatest quarterback in the history of the franchise.