NFL Trade Rumors: Minnesota Vikings Getting Another Favre with McNabb?

The Minnesota Vikings are in the process of acquiring Donovan McNabb from the Washington Redskins, and have been quite aggressive in their pursuit since the lockout ended earlier this week.

Two years ago the Vikings were in the same boat when they actively pursued Brett Favre, so why are they going down this road again?

When the Vikings made a play for Favre, they said that they were going to win that year and whatever happens down the road will happen, but at least they will have a Superbowl championship thanks to Brett.

Things didn't work out that way, though.

Sure, they came close. They finished 12-4, won their division, and went all the way to the NFC Championship, but still they fell short.

So they tried it again the next year with the Human Iron man and this time it didn't work the same. The Vikings fell to 6-10, missed the playoffs, and Favre's consecutive game streak was snapped at 297. They finished the season with Jackson at QB and decided to worry about it next year.

Now they are repeating the same mistake: putting all their chips on an older, veteran quarterback. McNabb's not the 134-year-old that Brett was, but he is still a fragile 34-year-old and doesn't have the athleticism that made him the almighty quarterback who led the Eagles to the NFC Championship three straight times with one Superbowl appearance.

Quarterbacks like Peyton, Brady, and Drew Brees will play until their 40's and they'll still be good. They are pocket passers who can stand around all day, but Donovan was known for being a guy that could escape the pocket and throw on the run. He can still do that, but nowhere near as efficiently as he used to.

With Adrian Peterson in the backfield, the Vikings do not need a QB like Peyton or Brady to put up four passing touchdowns per game, but they do need a leader who can manage the ball with few turnovers. McNabb has never had an interception problem in his career, but that trend seems to be changing.

Since 2006, his interceptions have slowly increased—he threw 15 last season. That still isn't many, but it should make Vikings fan worry about the future.

Why didn't the Vikings go after someone like Kevin Kolb? A young guy who has proved himself during the last two seasons and—if he escaped injury—would be THE GUY in Philadelphia.

The good news about the McNabb deal is that the Vikings will not make a play for him unless they can reconstruct his contract. The new deal would give McNabb half of his current 14 million dollar salary and it would only last one season.

Maybe the Vikings did learn from their time with Favre and figure that if he had one solid year with the them then perhaps Donovan McNabb could as well.

But after that cut him loose, Minnesota.

Don't make the same mistake twice.