2011 NFL Predictions: Donovan McNabb Will Be This Season's Rebound Player

After last season it appeared Donovan McNabb may have seen the last of his better days as a quarterback when he limped away from a Washington Redskins team that never gave him a chance.

McNabb has always been one of the league's most exciting quarterbacks to watch and one of the league's most feared to play against.

Although he is aging, his last two seasons in Philadelphia were as good as some of his first seasons with the club.  McNabb actually had a better QB rating later in his years than when he was in his prime.

The only reason McNabb's numbers changed dramatically with Washington is because he didn't have the same level of talent available to him as he did in Philadelphia.

You can't compare the Washington Redskins of 2010 to the Philadelphia Eagles and then hold McNabb under a microscope as he basically went from the major leagues to Triple-A ball in comparison.

It was natural to see his numbers drop across the board, and it was sad to see a great player cast as the scapegoat and cast away from an organization.

Now McNabb is a Viking, and if this preseason has showed us anything it is that McNabb still has plenty of gas left in his tank.

McNabb put together a decent preseason as he gets to find his groove with his new teammates by averaging an 86 percent QB rating in the games he played.

McNabb will have a great group of receivers to throw to in Percy Harvin, Bernard Berrian and Michael Jenkins and will be able to utilize Visanthe Shiancoe over the middle of the field.

If he had this caliber of players in Washington, McNabb would probably still be a Redskin.

The running game, led by Adrian Peterson, will also take pressure of of McNabb as Peterson's dominant running attack will afford McNabb the luxury of not having to throw as much.

At this point in his career, anything that could help his longevity is welcomed.

The Vikings' offensive scheme is something McNabb has thrived in for many years, so similarly to how Brett Favre was able to plug and play in 2009, I would expect McNabb to ease in.

I don't see McNabb having the same success as Favre did in 2009, but I do see the return of the McNabb we are used to watching on Sundays.

My projections for McNabb: 3,400 yards passing, 200 yards rushing, 23 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns.

I do feel McNabb will throw around 15 interceptions, mostly by trying to force the ball to a receiver.

Th bottom line is there is no other player that I can say has the potential upside McNabb has at the moment, and I would expect him to be the top rebound player of 2011.

My projections have the Vikings at 9-7 with a possible Wild Card berth.  This team is a sleeper as there are many who underestimate it.

If McNabb stays health and plays 16 games, the Vikings get that more dangerous!