Although they have a lot of weapons now, they’ve had plenty of gifted players on the offensive side of the ball throughout their history. They’ve come from a variety of different positions, but each has made an impact while in Philadelphia.

Let’s take a look back at some of the most explosive offensive players in Eagles history.

10. Michael Vick
Michael Vick has been making big plays in the NFL for a long time now. However, he hasn’t been doing it in an Eagles jersey for all that long.

Last season, we saw that Vick fully removed all the rust put on while he served his prison sentence. After taking over as the starting quarterback, Vick reinstated himself as one of the most explosive quarterbacks in the league.

The things he can do with his legs are tremendous, and the way he can effortlessly throw the deep ball is just scary.

As time goes on, I’m sure Vick will make a lot more plays for the Birds and definitely be remembered for them.

9. Mike Quick
Mike Quick spent nine seasons with the Eagles, making it to the Pro Bowl five consecutive times. During his career with the Birds, Quick never had a season in which he averaged less than 15 yards per reception.

After limited time his rookie season, Quick blossomed in his second year and never looked back. He was never a stranger to catching the football and landing in the end zone.

Of course, the most memorable play of Quick’s career came with the Eagles backed up on their own one yard line. This is where no team wants to be, but Ron Jaworski put the ball in Quick’s hands and he did the rest, dashing down the field for a 99 yard touchdown.

8. Harold Carmichael
Although there have been a lot of talented receivers in the NFL who were on the shorter side, it’s hard to look past the NFL’s tallest receiver of all-time, Harold Carmichael.

Carmichael spent 13 seasons with the Eagles, ending his career with a total of 589 receptions for 8,978 yards while scoring 79 touchdowns.

Defenders had a tough time stopping him in a number of ways. To begin, it was damn near impossible to get higher in the air than Carmichael with his 6′ 8″ build. Even when catching short passes, he was still a menace. His long stride would break right through defenders arms and it often took multiple defenders to bring him down.

The people of Philadelphia loved Carmichael both for things he did on and off the field, and he’ll be a player that will always be remembered in Eagles history.

7. Steve Van Buren
Although he played way before my time, it’s impossible not to put a Hall of Fame player on the list. Ray Didinger described Van Buren as a “John Riggins in a leather helmet playing in the 1940s.”

When Van Buren played, the NFL season was only 12 games, so you have to look at his numbers keeping that in mind. The 1,000 yard benchmark that we look for in today’s game was not as easy to achieve. However, Van Buren eclipsed the mark twice, and missed it another season by just 55 yards.

He led the league in rushing four times during his eight seasons with the Eagles, and if you’ve seen highlights of him, it’s hard not to call the guy fearless.

He didn’t have the flash that we see in some players today, but he could run over linebackers and outrun corners.

6. Tommy McDonald
Tommy McDonald was another guy before my time, but has also found himself voted into the Hall of Fame. He also played in a time where the NFL had a shorter season, playing in both 12 and 14 game seasons.

In seven seasons with the Eagles, McDonald accumulated 287 receptions for 5,499 yards and 66 touchdowns. Those are pretty impressive numbers given the shorter amount of games.

He wasn’t necessarily the biggest guy, but he was a fearless guy. McDonald was known as one of the last players to not wear a face mask. It may not have been the smartest move as he ended up having his jaw broken.

McDonald was the type of guy that fits the Eagles bill perfectly. He was a tough player, and fit in here so well, that he decided to stay in the Philadelphia area after his football career was over.

5. Randall Cunningham
No one can scramble like Randall right? Sure, he may not have put up the most impressive passing statistics, but he went to the Pro Bowl three times with the Eagles and was fun to watch.

Cunningham has some of the most memorable highlights in Eagles history and went six consecutive seasons where he rushed for over 500 yards, almost eclipsing the 1,000 yard mark in 1990.

The best season of his career may have come when he was in Minnesota, but there’s no denying that everyone loved watching him make plays during his long career in Philadelphia.

4. DeSean Jackson
I ended up ranking Jackson a bit higher than I originally intended, but this guy is just plain explosive. He’s been with the Eagles a short amount of time, but it hasn’t taken him long to make a ton of great plays for the Eagles offense.

Jackson is still young, but is one of the scariest players in the league today. He has he ability to catch the ball at the line of scrimmage and take it to the house, but he can also torch defenders and beat them with the long ball.

He may run his mouth a little bit and not always hang onto the ball as long as you’d like, but Jackson goes out on the field and simply makes plays. It will be fun to see how many more plays he makes before his time in Philadelphia ends.

3. Donovan McNabb
Whether you love Donovan McNabb or hate him, he brought a lot of success to Philadelphia based on his ability to make plays. He wasn’t the pick the fans wanted, but he came in right away and proved he was the right decision.

How long did he go without having a talented group of wide receivers? Basically his whole time in Philadelphia, but he still found enormous success.

Is it upsetting that McNabb could never capture the championship we all wanted? It sure is, but the Eagles wouldn’t have gotten anywhere close without him.

McNabb made plays with his feet and his strong arm, and he created a ton of highlights during his career in Philadelphia.

2. Wilbert Montgomery
During the late 1970′s and early 1980′s, Wilbert Montgomery did it all for the Eagles. He was a talented running back who was able to both run the ball and catch passes out of the backfield.

To this day, Montgomery is the Eagles all-time leading rusher, and did it all in just eight seasons, including two years where he ran the ball 45 times or less.

Montgomery wasn’t a big mover and shaker, but he had tremendous vision as a runner. He saw the field very well, looked for an opening, and used his speed to turn it into a big play.

He was a workhorse for the Eagles and was extremely reliable. During his time in Philadelphia, Montgomery made his fair share of plays for the Birds.

1. Brian Westbrook
What couldn’t Brian Westbrook do? To me, he was one of the most underrated running backs in league while he was with the Eagles.

Westbrook didn’t receive as many carries as other running backs, but that’s just how the Eagles offense works. When he was running the ball, he made the most of every carry and averaged nearly five yards per rush while in Philadelphia.

Of course, to me, the thing that sticks out the most about Westbrook was his ability to make plays out of the backfield as a receiver. He had five consecutive seasons where he caught at least 50 passes, including 2007 where he recorded 90 receptions.

Overall, Westbrook was a tremendous all-around back, and was one of my favorite Eagles to watch.

During his time in Philadelphia, McNabb brought the team a lot of success with the limited options he was given. The Eagles have a lot of talented receivers on the team now, but that hasn’t always been the case.

McNabb was forced to deal with subpar receivers throughout his career, and he made the best with what he was given. If he had the chance to work with the receivers on the team now while he was in his prime, he made have brought a Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia.

Let’s a look back at the top options McNabb had to catch the ball from him while in Philadelphia.

10. Jeremy Maclin
Let me preface this ranking by saying that I don’t believe every receiver in front of Maclin on this list is better than him. However, McNabb and Maclin only had one year to work together, and it was while Maclin was a rookie.

McNabb helped show everyone that Maclin was worth moving up in the draft for. An offense like the one the Eagles run is often hard to grasp for a young player, but Maclin came in and recorded 56 receptions for 773 yards and four touchdowns in his first year.

Maclin made an immediate impact for the team, and he helped McNabb record his third highest yardage total while with the Eagles.

9. Brent Celek
Celek played three seasons with McNabb and showed everyone that the Eagles made a great choice when they drafted him out of Cincinnati.

We saw Celek start to shine at the end of the 2008 season with McNabb at the helm. In 2009, the duo picked up right where they left off and Celek put up career numbers to this point. During his 2009 campaign, Celek recorded 76 receptions for 971 yards and eight touchdowns.

His numbers fell when McNabb left, but it was because the Eagles decided to use him in a different type of role. However, there’s no denying that McNabb was very confident in Celek as a receiving target and exposed the league to the potential Celek has as a pass catching tight end.

8. Jason Avant
Avant is an underrated receiver in this league. With Maclin and DeSean Jackson lining up with him, I believe he’ll continue to be an underrated receiver for the rest of his career.

Avant spent four years with McNabb, and Donovan began to show us how Avant could be considered “Mr. Reliable” for the Birds.

He wasn’t featured much as a rookie, but Avant started to come into the role-playing receiver that he is during his second season. Avant doesn’t have the flare that the other receivers do, but McNabb showed everyone how valuable Avant could be on third downs out of the slot.

Avant recorded his career high in both yardage and touchdowns in McNabb’s final season.

7. Chad Lewis
Lewis was never the flashy tight end that caught a ton of passes and really grabbed your attention. However, he was an unsung hero and a guy that I’m sure both Eagles fans and McNabb both loved.

As an Eagles fan, this is one of the players I really loved during the McNabb era. He did everything that was asked of him. Lewis was more of an all-around tight end compared to guys now that are more built on either catching or blocking.

I’ll never forget the NFC Championship win against the Falcons (and Michael Vick). Lewis had just four receptions for 20 yards, but two were for touchdowns.

Lewis’ touchdown dance on his butt against the Falcons is an Eagles memory I’ll never forget.

6. Reggie Brown
Brown never turned into the type of receiver the Eagles had hoped for when they drafted him, but he put up some decent numbers for McNabb during his time in Philadelphia.

Everyone wished Brown would have been more, but this was right in the prime of McNabb’s mediocrity of wide receivers. However, Brown averaged roughly 50 receptions, 800 yards, and six touchdowns in the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Again, everyone hope for a lot more out of Brown. However, if the Eagles would have had some strong options to line-up with him, Brown may have had better numbers.

5. Todd Pinkston
Much like Brown, Pinkston was never a player that panned out like the Eagles hoped. However, he was a player that helped take advantage of McNabb’s big arm.

We’ll always remember how he ducked out of taking a big hit on a ball down the field, but he was one of the few players that could make a play down the field early in McNabb’s career.

Reuben Frank considered Pinkston to be one of the more underrated receivers in Eagles history because of his deep ball abilities. He will always be remembered because of how he got pushed around by corners and his tendency to use alligator arms when around contact.

However, he was one of the first players to come in and successfully display McNabb’s ability to throw the ball down field.

4. Kevin Curtis
The Eagles were looking for a go-to guy when they brought in Curtis, and he immediately connected with McNabb.

During the 2007 season, it was hard to forget the Eagles home game against the Lions for a number of reasons. The biggest reason was probably the ugly throwback jerseys were wearing that day. The second biggest reason was the score.

When it was all said and done, the Eagles pounded the Lions 56-21. One of the biggest contributors in that game was Curtis who recorded 11 receptions for 221 yards and three touchdowns.

This wasn’t just a big seasons for Curtis, it was a big year. He ended the 2007 campaign with 77 receptions for 1,110 yards and six touchdowns. This was his only full season with the Eagles, but if he could have stayed healthy, he could have gone on to repeat those numbers for a few more years.

3. DeSean Jackson
Heading into 2011, Jackson will be one of the most electrifying players in the NFL. However, McNabb helped make every team in the NFL regret passing on Jackson in his first season in the league.

In just two seasons with McNabb at the helm, Jackson recorded 62 receptions both years and collected 912 and 1,156 years respectively. Like those who attempted the feat earlier in McNabb’s career, Jackson proved to be the perfect match in showing off the quarterbacks ability to stretch the ball deep down the field.

In fact, Jackson at least doubled the amount of receiving yards any other receiver had in McNabb’s most successful year passing (2008). Who knows what would have happened if McNabb had Jackson in the beginning of his career.

2. Brian Westbrook
Is it sad that McNabb’s second best receiving option was a running back? Yes and no.

To begin, McNabb had Westbrook at his disposal for a long part of his career. Westbrook was a dual-threat running back with the Eagles, excelling in catching the ball out of the backfield.

From 2004-2007, Westbrook had at least 600 yards receiving. In 2007, he recorded 90 receptions for 771 yards and five touchdowns. When the Eagles struggled to have a receiver shine, Westbrook picked up a lot of slack.

Sure, McNabb wasn’t often slinging the ball down field Westbrook, but Westbrook made the most out of every reception he recorded.

Westbrook was a huge asset to McNabb, and will live down as one of the most productive running backs in Eagles history.

1. Terrell Owens
Love him or hate him, Owens was the best receiver ever to team up with McNabb during his era.

After years of struggling to provide McNabb with a true number one receiver, they brought in Owens and they immediately started to shine.

In his first season with the Eagles, Owens recorded 77 receptions for 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. This was also the season in which McNabb completed the highest number of passes, as well as his second highest number in yardage and highest total of passing touchdowns.

The two had a bit of a rocky relationship, but McNabb never had a better option than Owens.

Although no one could have predicted what would take place for the Eagles in 2010, it has been pretty enjoyable. The Eagles are the NFC East Champions again and will be back to the playoffs. With someone not named Donovan McNabb, will the Eagles find the promised land? Who knows. If they do, that will be for 2011 to hold.

Today we’ll focus on 2010 and the top 10 Eagles moments of the calendar year.

10. The Eagles 2010 Draft Class
The Eagles entered the 2010 draft with a ton of draft picks. Personally, I didn’t think they’d use the 13 picks they entered the draft with. There were some obvious positional needs, and I thought they would use their picks to try to trade up and draft their main needs early.

The Eagles did trade up in the first round when they moved all the way from the 24th overall selection to the 13th overall selection. With the pick, they took defensive end Brandon Graham. It was a bit surprising to see them draft a defensive end as everyone knew they were in desperate need of a safety. However, with the 37th overall pick, the Donovan McNabb pick, the Eagles drafted safety Nate Allen.

Although Graham and Allen are done for the year, they were both opening day starters and made great contributions throughout the season.

The Eagles would go on to draft 11 more players. The amazing thing is that 10 of those players still remain with the team. Two out of our three seventh-round picks are now starting, and many other picks have seen a good amount of time on the field.

Andy Reid and his staff really did a good job during the draft to find talent in every round.

9. Opening Day Doesn’t Go As Expected for Birds
In 2010, Eagles fans knew that the season was going to be interesting before it even began. We may have thought so for different reasons then those that have taken place, but we still knew it was going to be interesting.

In the opening game against the Packers, we watched the much-anticipated “Kolb Era” last for less than one half of a football game. It may have been a blessing in disguise, but at that time it was pretty gut wrenching. No one wants to see their starting quarterback get injured in the first game of the year.

Along with Kolb’s head injury, Stewart Bradley also suffered an injury to his head and didn’t even know where he was on the field. We these injuries, our training staff got put into question and the team started to get some early, unwanted media attention.

The injury bug continued to run rampant in the opener as we saw two key offensive players go down for the year. Jamaal Jackson rehabbed incredibly hard to get himself ready for the season opener, but he suffered a torn tricep during the year which put him back on the injured reserve.

After a solid Training camp, it looked like All-Pro fullback Leonard Weaver was ready for another big year. However, in a very gruesome injury, Weaver took a horrific blow to his knee. A lot of damage was done and Weaver was placed on the injured reserve as well.

This wasn’t the way the Eagles were hoping to open the 2010 season.

8. Eagles Finally Get Revenge at Jerry’s World
The year 2010 started off on a bad note for the Eagles. Actually, it started out on two bad notes. The Eagles ended their 2009 regular season by traveling to the new Cowboys stadium for the first time (note: this was early January 2010).

With a chance to win the NFC East, the Eagles came out flat and embarrassed themselves as they lost to the Cowboys 24-0. The only good thing that came out of the game was the fact that the Eagles would get to come back the following weekend and take the Cowboys on in the wildcard round of the playoffs.

The Eagles failed to get their revenge as they put forth another embarrassing performance and lost 34-14. Not only did they lose to the Cowboys, their season was over.

In Week 14 of the 2010 season, the Eagles headed to Dallas for another shot at redemption inside Jerry’s World.

With Michael Vick at the helm, the Eagles took an early lead, but only led 14-10 at halftime. The Eagles came out flat in the third quarter allowing the Cowboys to score 10 unanswered points and take a 20-14 lead.

David Akers would hit two straight field goals to tie the game, but then the real magic came. With the ball on their own 9-yard line, Vick dropped back and hit DeSean Jackson on a quick out route. Jackson turned the ball into the middle of the field and left defenders in his dust as he ran for a 91-yard touchdown.

The Eagles would end up holding on for the win and get some much needed revenge on the Cowboys.

7. Eagles Win NFC East Despite Having Game Postponed by Blizzard
The Minnesota Vikings headed to town for a Week 16 matchup originally scheduled as a 1:00 game. However, the NFL decided to flex the game to the 8:00 position on Sunday night. Little did they know the impact it would have on the game.

As Christmas passed, we heard a lot of talk about a blizzard that was heading straight for Philadelphia and ready to drop 6-12 inches of snow. Mayor Michael Nutter declared a snow emergency in Philadelphia and it was decided that the Eagles game would be postponed. Not only would it be postponed, it would be moved all the way to Tuesday night.

If the NFL didn’t decide to flex this game and it was still scheduled for 1:00, the game would have been played.

So the players and fans were left to watch the other games that were going on in the NFL. At 1:00, the Bears and Jets played. This was a good one for fans to watch as the Eagles need the Bears to lose a game before the season ends to help with seeding. The Bears won in a close game and the fans grew more disappointed.

However, the fans received a treat in the late afternoon game. Coming off their gut-wrenching loss to the Eagles, the Giants traveled to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers. The Giants turned the ball over repeatedly, and the Packers really turned on the scoring. In the end, the Giants were dismantled, and this dismantling meant that the Eagles were the 2010 NFC East Champions.

The Eagles didn’t even have to play and became NFC East Champions for the first time since 2006.

6. Andy Reid Keeps Perfect Post Bye Week Record in tact by Beating Colts
Coming into the 2010 season, Andy Reid had a perfect 11-0 record coming off of the bye week. Apparently, Reid makes the most out of the extra week off and can design a pretty good game plan.

In 2010, it seemed like his record might be broken. The Eagles would take on a Colts team who is always a force to be reckon with when Peyton Manning is taking the snaps. It was also the return of Michael Vick so it was unknown whether or not he’d bounce right back after missing three straight games.

The fans at Lincoln Financial Field would be treated early as the Eagles would score on their first possession off of a big play. Right after that, Asante Samuel intercepted Manning and the Eagles took a 10-0 lead in the first four minutes of the game.

Unfortunately, the Eagles went a bit flat after that and the Colts ended up taking a 17-16 lead to halftime. However, Vick would not have that.

The Eagles would do the only scoring in the third quarter, a David Akers field goal, and take the lead back. Behind multiple plays from Vick, the Eagles were able to get another touchdown in the fourth quarter. This gave them a 9 point lead.

The defense would allow the Colts to score again, but it was too little too late as the Eagles held on for the win and Andy Reid moved to 12-0 after the bye week.

5. LeSean McCoy’s Late Heroics Against the Giants
In the first matchup with the Giants this season, both teams entered with a 6-3 record. Both teams were tied atop the NFC East and knew the winner would have the outright lead.

Every game between NFC East opponents tends to be a battle and this was no disappointment. After leading 13-3 at halftime, the Eagles let the Giants come back and take a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter.

With under five minutes remaining in the game, the Eagles were faced with a fourth and one situation at midfield. The ball was snapped, and Vick could barely handle it. After finally securing the ball, he pitched it to LeSean McCoy as he tried to break around the left end. Eagles guard Todd Herremans put down a huge block and McCoy used his speed to break it for a 50 yard touchdown.

The Giants were deflated and the Eagles would hang on to win the game and take the outright lead in the NFC East.

4. Reid Does Flip-Flop, Decides to Start Vick over Kolb
After Kevin Kolb was knocked out of the opening game against the Packers, Michael Vick was forced to come in and finish the game. Although Vick couldn’t rally the team to a win, he got close and played very well in the process.

Kolb was unable to get back into the lineup the following week, so Vick was forced to make his first start as an Eagle in Week 2 against the Lions. In the game, Vick was 21-34 for 284 yards and two touchdowns. This gave him a quarterback rating on the day of 108.

With Kolb healthy again, Andy Reid announced that Kolb would be back in the starting lineup the day after the Lions game.

The following day, Reid did a complete 180 and shocked the city as he said Vick would remain the starter. Vick had a nice game in his second start of the year but was knocked out of the game the following week as Kolb had to take back the reins.

Vick would go back to starting for the Eagles after missing three full games and has made a strong case for the NFL’s MVP award.

3. Michael Vick Decimates the Redskins on Monday Night Football
In the first matchup with the Redskins this season, the Eagles lost quarterback Michael Vick to an injury as well as ended up losing the game. When the second matchup came around, it was time for revenge.

The Eagles did not hesitate. On the first play of the game, Vick ran a play action where he rolled to his left and threw a strike down the field to DeSean Jackson that resulted in an 88-yard touchdown. Despite the huge opening play, Vick was just getting started.

On the Eagles next possession, Vick found the end zone on a seven-yard rush to put the Eagles up 14-0. Roughly five minutes later, the Eagles would go up 21-0 when Vick hit LeSean McCoy for an 11-yard touchdown pass.

After Jerome Harrison made it 28-0 in the first quarter on a 50-yard rush, the Redskins were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as the quarter came to an end.

Unfortunately, Vick wasn’t finished. On the first play of the second quarter, Vick threw a 48-yard strike to Jeremy Maclin as the Eagles went up 35-0.

Vick went on to add another rushing and passing touchdown in a game that ended 59-28 in favor of the Eagles. With Vick accounting for over 400 yards of offense and six touchdowns, it’s one of the most dominating performances I’ve ever seen.

2. Donovan McNabb Traded to the Washington Redskins
After back to back disappointments in Dallas, many believed that it might be time to party ways with Donovan McNabb. He spent a lot of time in Philadelphia, and did plenty of great things while he was here. However, everyone knows that all good things must come to an end.

Sure enough, in early April, the Eagles finally traded the quarterback after the fans had listened to many rumors over the past month or so. There weren’t too many people surprised that the Eagles traded McNabb, but everyone was surprised the Eagles traded him within the division. That obviously meant that the Eagles would see him twice a year while he was a Redskin.

The timing also came at an odd time as it was the eve of the Phillies season opener.

1. The Miracle at the New Meadowlands
After being down 21 points halfway through the fourth quarter, Michael Vick rallied the offense to one of the most intense comebacks I’ve ever witnessed. With 1:16 left in the game, Vick found Jeremy Maclin for a 13-yard touchdown to tie the game.

It was an amazing comeback, but it seemed like the offense might have struck too soon. There was a decent amount of time left and the defense would have to hold the Giants offense and send the game into overtime. The defense stepped up, but there would be no need for overtime in this game.

With 14 seconds remaining on the clock, DeSean Jackson lined up in punt return position for the Eagles. Giants head coach Tom Coughlin instructed his punter, Matt Dodge, to punt the ball out of bounds.

Dodge failed to do so. Instead, he sent a line drive punt straight at Jackson. The startled Jackson fumbled the punt and it looked like he might have blown his opportunity. However, Jackson regained possession of the ball, backpedaled, and didn’t see much of an opening. Again, it looked like there wasn’t much of an opportunity.

Somehow Jackson broke through Giants defenders in the middle of the field and began streaking down the sideline. Keyed by a huge block from Jason Avant, Jackson sprang the return for a touchdown as the Eagles won the game with no time remaining on the clock.

Turns out, once again, Reid made another phenomenal personnel move. McNabb has not only struggled this season, but the Redskins and the “genius” of a coach Shannahan have been the laughing stock of the league this year.

McNabb’s Redskins beat the Eagles early in the season but it wasn’t because of number 5’s play. However, after the game McNabb said in the locker that the “Eagles made a mistake by letting me go.”

McNabb, you could not have been more wrong. Because of the trade and an early Kevin Kolb injury, the Eagles now have a bona fide MVP candidate in Mike Vick. They also have a bright future and that is something to get excited about. In contrast, McNabb’s future is cloudy at best. McNabb has been benched twice now and he is the third string quarterback on a dismal team. McNabb will surely not be back with the Redskins next season, and it’s amusing how the Redskins thought they were on the right track for once when the traded for McNabb.

As a result of the trade, the Eagles received a second round pick last season, in which they selected safety Nate Allen. They also received another draft pick for 2011 that was a 4th round pick that could be a 3rd round pick if: 1) The Redskins won 9 games and 2) McNabb played 70% of the snaps. The Redskins are not going to win 9 games so this will surely be a 4th round pick in the upcoming draft. It’s obvious that the Eagles are the clear winner in this trade.

The Eagles could not have asked for a better way to have this season pan out the way that it has. We may not always agree with Reid’s coaching abilities, but he is brilliant when it comes to player personnel. Who knows where McNabb will be next season, but it’s obvious his play has significantly declined. The Eagles no longer have a quarterback controversy and the Redskins are right back where they started prior to the trade. Then again, the Redskins could always trade for Kolb.

Prior to coming to the Eagles, Reid was an assistant coach with the Green Bay Packers. Reid joined the Packers in 1992, the same year the Packers drafted Favre. Reid would be a key figure in the development of the future Hall of Famer, and this would eventually lead to the Eagles hiring Reid in 1999.

We all know what Reid did with his first pick when he joined the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid would develop Donovan McNabb into arguably the best quarterback in Philadelphia Eagles history. However, if you followed the Eagles throughout the past decade you know that McNabb was not exactly durable, so other quarterbacks had to step in and fill the role.

In 2002, little known AJ Feeley helped the Eagles preserve their playoff hopes as he won four of his five starts before McNabb took over in the playoffs. The success did not go unnoticed; however, when Feeley was traded in 2004 to the Dolphins for a second round pick. Feeley would also receive a formidable contract from the Dolphins.

Another QB that Reid helped to reinvent himself was Jeff Garcia. Garcia was said to be washed up before coming to the Eagles. However, Garcia again became a household name when he took over for McNabb after a season ending knee injury in 2006. Many believed the season would be over, but Garcia led the Eagles to the playoffs that year.

Next we enter Kevin Kolb. While we have seen little of Kolb, it’s obvious that he is a starting quarterback in this league. Once again, many questioned the move to draft Kolb in the 2nd round in 2007. Kolb has spent the past three seasons learning behind McNabb, but this was supposed to be his break out year. Unfortunately this came to screeching halt when he sustained a concussion during the first game of this season.

This opened up the door for Michael Vick to show that he is still an elite quarterback in this league and he did not look back. Vick has single-handedly changed the outlook of the season from a rebuilding year to being playoff bound. When the Eagles signed Michael Vick two seasons ago, many critics questioned the Eagles integrity. Despite the offseason issues, Vick has been a true blessing for this Philadelphia Eagles team. Reid and his staff have transformed Vick from an athlete playing the quarterback position to a bona fide passing quarterback.

Sure, Reid may not be the best at time management or play-calling, but he is a genius when it comes to evaluating and developing quarterbacks.

The Washington Redskins and quarterback Donovan McNabb have agreed to a five-year, $78 million extension which could be worth up to $88 million with incentives, a source with knowledge of the agreement told ESPN NFL Insider Michael Smith.

The source said $40 million of the deal will be guaranteed.

On the day in which Donovan McNabb will take on his former team for the second time this season, it looks like the Eagles will see a whole lot more of McNabb in the future.

McNabb’s new deal comes just two weeks after he was benched by head coach Mike Shanahan in the final two minutes against the Lions. Shanahan chose to go with Rex Grossman in favor of McNabb, citing multiple reasons including his lack of knowledge of the plays and cardiovascular endurance.

When the Eagles were shopping McNabb, it was known that whoever ended up with the quarterback would likely extend him. This didn’t happen early on in Washington, and it didn’t exactly seem like McNabb was performing in a manner that deserved an extension.

However, we were told that McNabb and the Redskins were in contract talks during the bye week and they were obviously able to work something out.

Does McNabb deserve the extension? In my eyes, not really. Sure he has a great track record in Philadelphia, but he hasn’t accomplished much in a Redskins uniform. His play has been lackluster. I don’t think the blame can be squarely put on McNabb’s shoulders, as he has a shaky offensive line and limited play makers on his team.

Despite this, I think the Redskins have really stuck their neck out on this one. I think they overpaid McNabb here, but I guess he’s more proven then anyone else they could potentially draft.

Congratulations to McNabb for getting your pay day, and we’ll see you soon.

I was seven when he was drafted in 1999. I wasn’t even a football fan yet. I had no clue what was going on at the time. When he was drafted, I was probably playing with friends in the backyard or something. I know that at the draft there were thirty mostly drunken buffoons booing him. I know there was a mayor who wanted a running back from Texas. I know the Eagles had previously gone 3-13 in what was the worst season in franchise history. I know that “with the second pick the Philadelphia Eagles select Donovan McNabb, quarterback, Syracuse University.’ And the rest is history.

But it’s a rich history, no question about it. It’s a history that I eventually settled myself in amongst. It’s a history that will be recounted by countless Eagles fans from my generation and the generations before me as a true golden age of Eagles football. Yeah, we never won the big one but we had a fun time. If you were to ask any Eagles fan what some of their greatest memories as a fan are, I guarantee you that nine out of ten will say 4th & 26 as one of their answers. They’ll remember McNabb dropping back on 4th down, keeping the play alive for a few seconds and then drilling the ball right to Freddie Mitchell over the middle of the field.

They’ll paint mental images of McNabb getting tackled by an Arizona defender in 2002 and his leg getting twisted like a Philadelphia pretzel. They’ll tell you how he went on to throw four TD passes and lead the Eagles to victory in that game. They’ll tell you how it was only after the game had finished that we found out McNabb had a broken ankle.

They’ll remember, some with tears in their eyes, a thick bearded McNabb hoisting the NFC championship trophy. They’ll remember that unshakable feeling that the demons of the past were finally gone, that Philadelphia was finally going to be a winner. They’ll remember the city being a mad house with people running up and down Broad Street, screaming at the top of their lungs as if they’d actually won the Super Bowl.

But we know how that story ends. We know that at the end of the day it ends in heartbreak with the Eagles coming up three points short in the big game. We know about the INTs that McNabb threw. We know about the offense being executed inexplicably slow with just a few minutes to go. We know all that. For many of us, memories of that game still haunt us. In a way it almost hurts worse knowing that we were so close than it would have had we gotten blown out. There was still a chance at the end.

But all those things serve to humanize McNabb. He was very flawed and we knew it. But, let’s be honest: Philadelphia is a flawed city. Just like McNabb, we can be the best one minute and the worst the next. We can be so loving one day and merciless the next. For whatever reason, it’s our nature. Maybe it’s the fact that we haven’t won much over the course of our sports history. Maybe it’s just in the city’s DNA blueprint. But the fact is that McNabb was like Philadelphia in many ways. There were times that things he did we loved and things he did that we hated.

But at the end of the day he did more good than bad. At the end of the day he was the best QB this city has ever seen. Ultimately, when we tell the stories of McNabb, we’re going to be telling the success stories rather than the failure stories. Because, again let’s be honest, there’s a lot more stories of success than there are of failure. He gave this city a reason to believe that the Eagles could be winners. That alone gave the city life and a reason to hope for many things.

And for that, I will forever be grateful to Donovan McNabb.

The Redskins’ offensive line is weak-very weak. They’ve let McNabb take an absolute thrashing this season, letting up 23 sacks and 50 quarterback hits. McNabb is getting almost no time to get the ball out of there and this is the first step in beating him. McNabb is just like every quarterback where, if you hit them early and often enough, you can make them obsolete through the entire game. Trent Cole leads the Eagles defense with 7 of the team’s 24 sacks. He will be facing rookie left tackle Trent Williams, who hasn’t been looking that strong lately. In his first week he was able to neutralize a Dallas pass rush through sheer strength and athleticism. Since then, teams have figured him out and given him fits. Trent Cole did an excellent job of getting pressure on Peyton Manning and he will do the same against McNabb.

Behind their offensive line they are going to be starting running back Ryan Torain, who had a solid day against the Eagles in the previous match-up. He is a physical runner who is solid inside the tackles but struggles when bouncing it outside. Over the past weeks, the Eagles rush defense has stepped up significantly. They need to continue this trend against the Redskins and I believe they will. For whatever reason, the Redskins completely abandoned the run against the Lions in week 8, and Torrain only had 9 carries in which he rushed for 10 yards. I’d expect Shanahan to dial up a lot of running plays to take some of the pressure off McNabb. Torrain will get some yards but I don’t see him taking over the game. The Eagles are proving to be very stout against the run, and a lot of that has to do with the emergence of the line-backing core.

That line-backing core will again be largely responsible for the coverage of one of the top tight ends in the league, Chris Cooley. Cooley is McNabb’s most reliable targets and one of his favorites. He is second on the team with 39 receptions, 440 yards, and 2 TD receptions. In the previous meeting, he hauled in a shockingly low 2 passes for only 37 yards. One of those catches came at the beginning of the game and was a TD. The Eagles were beaten fairly badly by a backup offensive lineman turned emergency tight end in the Colts’ Jacob Tamme. He caught 11 balls and earned 108 yards and TD. I’d look for McNabb to be looking Cooley’s way early and often because the Eagles biggest defensive weakness is covering that position. Of all the weapons that Washington has, he is the one I fear and believe will put up good numbers this week.

At wide receiver the Redskins have a bunch of guys who might not make The Eagles’ roster, much less start. Santana Moss is their leading pass catcher, having hauled in 48 passes for 604 yards and 2 TDs. It’s my basic assumption that Asante Samuel, fresh off his excellent game against the Colts, will mainly be the corner back blanketing Moss. Past Moss, the Redskins have rookie Anthony Armstrong, who is their big play guy. This kid has some very solid hands and has made some truly spectacular catches. The Eagles secondary can not allow McNabb to find him deep because if McNabb can do that and get into a rhythm it could be a very long day. The Eagles secondary took a hit against the Colts when they lost rookie free safety Nate Allen for at least this week’s match-up. In his place, rookie Kurt Coleman played very well from what I saw. I do expect the Redskins to target him early and often to test him and see what he’s made of.

And of course there’s Donovan. No need for last names, you know who I’m talking about. Super 5. Donnie. The greatest thing since sliced bread if you ask Deion Sanders. That is a lie. McNabb was great. McNabb is now mediocre. I don’t buy that garbage about him not having enough time to learn the system. I don’t buy that he was hurt or out of shape when he was benched. I simply buy the fact that he’s no longer that good a quarterback and has never been what one could consider clutch, but enough of that. Let’s look at how the Eagles will match up against him. He still does have strengths, there’s no question about it. If he can get hot, he can light the defense up. He can still throw a deep ball with decent accuracy. However, take that away from him and he becomes a very easy player to defeat. The Eagles can take away the long ball and I expect them to do just that.

Flipping over the to the Eagles’ offense, the line is still a question mark. More precisely, the right side of the line is the one in question. When Max Jean-Gilles went down last weekend, the Eagles offensive line took a big hit. Who’d have ever thought we’d be saying that? It appears that Nick Cole will be starting. Last week, the Eagles’ offensive line played fairly well in pass protection, but they were very weak in run blocking. The Redskins have a very strong pass rush that’s garnered 18 sacks this season. They’ve also been smacking the quarterback around a lot. The Eagles’ offensive line, despite Vick’s mobility, is giving up a ton of sacks (24) and quarterback hits (44). The Colts brought pressure last week and I expect the Redskins to do the same.

Behind the line stands the man who started last weekend’s match-up off with a bang. A 62-yard bang to be precise. LeSean McCoy continues to improve every single week, and last week was no exception. However, as I mentioned before: Once Max Jean-Gilles went down, McCoy starting having problems finding running room. He will be facing the 18th ranked rushing defense in the league against the Redskins (112.4 YPG). However, that number is slightly misleading, because teams are not running the ball too much on the Redskins. The most popular and effective way to beat them is though the air. You can find running room in their 3-4 defense, although defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is starting to play like a man who is actually earning his outrageous amount of money lately. McCoy likely won’t see too much statistical success this weekend rushing the ball. However, he has proven to be very successful in the screen game, and I’d expect the Eagles to utilize that as the Redskins have issues covering it.

Brent Celek is still our leading tight end, though the numbers sure don’t seem to indicate as such. He has a measly 21 catches for 229 yards and 2 TDs. Fantasy owners across the country are angry (I do include myself in that) but he isn’t as poor as the numbers suggest. The fact is that Celek played a huge role in beating the Colts last weekend. He is being utilized more as a chip blocker than a pass catcher and that’s due to our poor offensive line. So yes, he isn’t getting the numbers we’d all love to see but he is till helping this team. The Redskins defense does a solid job of covering the tight end, and given Celek’s limited role as a pass catcher, I see no reason to believe he’ll be putting up the numbers. However, he will be used as a blocker and could prove essential to the outcome of the game.

You know, it’s nice having DeSean Jackson back in the lineup. It’s nice having a guy who can catch up to just about any pass, no matter how far down the field it is. Guys like that are precious commodities, and Jackson showed just why against the Colts. The Redskins pass defense is terrible. It’s even worse than ours and that takes some serious (lack of) talent. The Eagles receiving core is at full strength and they are primed to dominate this game. Jackson is easily Vick’s favorite target, so I’d expect the Redskins to roll a lot of coverage his way. There will always be a safety shadowing him over top. That will free up Jeremy Maclin, who is having a huge season. The Eagles receiving core is simply too deep and too talented for the Redskins to contain them. This is a dream match-up.

Getting them the ball will again be Michael Vick, whose bandwagon I am completely on. Yes, I am buying into Vick now. I’m not ready to sign him long term just yet but I’m getting close.
Vick went down with an injury the last time we played the Redskins and it instantly affected the outcome of the game. Assuming he stays healthy this week (yes, I knocked on wood), I believe he’ll be able to dominate this Washington defense. He threw when he needed (accurately at that) and ran when he needed to against the Colts. He’ll likely be running about the same against the Redskins and that is fine by me. The more he runs the more the defense will cheat up on him and the more open our receivers will get. Again, this is a match-up I absolutely love. The Redskins defense has intercepted 9 passes this season, with 4 coming in one game. Overall, they are not a ball hawking team, and this season Vick has yet to throw a pick. The care he is showing with the ball is not something we saw in Atlanta. I expect that trend to continue this Monday night.

On special teams, I have to give the edge to Washington. They have an electric return man in Brandon Banks, who took one to the house in his last game against Detroit. Their punting and kicking units are solid. The Eagles do have the edge in the field goal kicking game, as Akers seems to have found his rhythm and is again looking to be automatic. The Eagles’ coverage units have steadily improved over the season and they will need to do likewise on Monday. In the previous match-up they let the Redskins get some big returns that set McNabb and the offense up in good field position early. At the end of the day, the edge goes to Washington here.

Andy Reid and Mike Shanahan now have something in common. They both benched Donovan McNabb. Oddly enough, I disagreed with the move both times. Well, I more disagreed with how Reid did when he benched McNabb in 2008. When Shanahan benched McNabb two weeks ago, I just flat out disagreed with it. Andy Reid, while he does drive me insane at times, historically is a very good coach when it comes to facing a team a second time in the season. The fact is that he rarely gets swept by divisional rivals and it’s around this time that he generally starts to put together a very strong game plan. I’ve never bought Mike Shanahan. I didn’t think he coached a good game in our last meeting, we just beat ourselves. I have little doubt in my mind that Reid is going to cook up something for this game and the outcome will be good for us Eagles fans.

HOW I SEE IT:
We’re taking this game. We have all the momentum going into the game after beating the Colts in thrilling fashion. That game was the kind of game that you can build upon. Meanwhile, the Redskins are starting to go into free fall mode. McNabb will not rebound from this benching like he did from the last one for the simple fact that he is not surrounded by a good team this time around. The Eagles team was embarrassed in the previous matchup and they will remember that. It will be close for a little while but by the end of the day I see the Eagles winning big in Washington.

Michael Vick and the Eagles are playing at a high level right now and are coming off a very big win. Sometimes, a big, emotional win like that can lead to a let down the following week. However, the Redskins have a lot of drama surrounding their team right now, and you have to like the match-up on paper.

Today we ask the fans a series of questions based around the upcoming match-up. Leave your answers in the comments section!

1. Do you believe the Eagles should extend Vick? If so, at what point should they do it?

2. What are your thoughts on the current McNabb-Shanahan relationship?

3. What concerns you most about the Redskins coming into the Monday night match-up?

4. What player could be an x-factor for the Eagles on Sunday?

5. What will the final score be?

This week, I was able to speak with Ryan again. We talked about the McNabb-Shanahan situation and what it may mean moving forward. We also did a bit of reflecting upon the last meeting as well as looking forward to this meeting. To finish off the interview, Ryan gives us a player to watch for the Redskins and predicts the final outcome.

BirdsFan: The big talk about the Redskins right now is Mike Shanahan’s decision on benching Donovan McNabb against the Lions. Give us your opinion on the matter. Do you agree with Shanahan’s decision?

RiggosRag: I did not agree. I always believe that you stay with the guy who brought you to the dance. I understand that this was a desperation move, and done with the best interests of the team in mind. Was it well thought out? Probably not and the Skins will have to deal with this.

BF: Moving forward, how do you see the McNabb-Shanahan relationship progressing? If the team had to pick one to stay and one to go, who would be hitting the road?

RR: Well I think it will smooth over inside Redskins park. Both Shanahan and McNabb are true professionals and will make it work. However, I do not think I can say McNabb’s stay here will be as long as Shanny’s.

BF: The Redskins were able to take the first game this year against the Eagles. Since then, where have the Redskins improved? Where have they declined?

RR: The Redskins have improved on defense. They have made adjustments. However they have regressed in offense. The will need more production out of their offensive line to have a chance against Philly’s stout D.

BF: Looking at the NFL as a whole, what are your thoughts on the issue of player protection and the rash of fines going around? Do you think it’s starting to take away from the game?

RR: Yes and no. First the no. I think the health of the players is always tops. That said, the QB call on Trent Cole on Manning was garbage. Calls like that make the NFL look rigged.

BF: Barring an injury, the Redskins will see Michael Vick for the entire game on Monday, something they didn’t get to experience in the first meeting. What do you expect the Redskins to do in order to try and shut down Vick?

RR: Give him room. The plays were the Skins were effective on defense were when Vick was comfortable in the pocket. That continued with Kolb entered the game as Maclin and Jackson were both shut down. Where Vick almost killed the Skins is when he got loose. However, he ended up Jacked Up!

BF: On Sunday, where will the Redskins have an advantage on offense? On defense?

RR: The running game. The run game set everything up last game and the Skins need to be faithful to it. On defense the Skins need to stay at home and be ready to make adjustments. The Eagles are all about being unexpected. Anyone can break out. If the Skins are on to it, I think they can hang in there. Just like last game.

BF: Where will the Eagles have an advantage on offense? On defense?

RR: On offense? Where to start? Vick? LeSean McCoy? Jackson and Maclin? The Eagles have great offensive personnel, given they have the right match-ups. Last time that favored Washington, but this time around I expect adjsutments from Andy Reid. Brent Celek, I feel, may be a big key factor in this game. On defense, the Eagles will pressure the offensive line. The Lions exposed us for a garbage line and I fear the Eagles are ready to have their shot.

BF: What player could be a potential x-factor for the Redskins on Sunday?

RR: Clinton Portis, if he plays. McNabb needs him in the backfield — to protect him.

BF: Give me a score prediction.

RR: 33-10 Eagles. The Redskins took a step back last game, Eagles have taken many steps up. Plus I picked the Eagles last time and I really liked the outcome.