On Wednesday it looked like for sure that McNabb was heading to St. Louis to reunite with Rams coach, Steve Spagnuolo, for the Rams 2nd round pick in 2010 (33rd overall) and FS Oshiomogho Atogwe. On the surface this looks like such a steal for the Eagles and would allow for Kevin Kolb to be the number one guy with Michael Vick as the backup. Sources have said that McNabb is willing to sign an extension with the Rams, which may have some truth to it because of his past relationships with some of the Rams coaches. A report in the Philadelphia Inquirer had said that McNabb is not willing to sign an extension with either the Oakland Raiders or the Buffalo Bills because he wants to play for a contender. Call me crazy but I am pretty sure the Rams have not been a contender since Kurt Warner last threw a pass in St. Louis.

Last night, Profootballtalk.com reported a trade that would bring in CB Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders for McNabb and Asante Samuel. I honestly don’t see this happening because I don’t think McNabb will resign there and this doesn’t appear to be a good deal for the Birds. McNabb has also been recently linked to the Bills, Seahawks, Vikings, Cardinals, Browns and yes even the Redskins.

Today, a report said the Eagles want a top 42 pick in the upcoming draft. Note that the Rams own the 33rd pick, Browns hold the 37th pick, Raiders hold the 39th pick and the Bills have the 41st pick. Time will tell if the Eagles are looking for multiple picks or a player packaged along with draft pick. Rumors will continue to fly until a deal is actually made.

However, let’s not forget that is McNabb who holds all of the power to any type of trade that is going to occur. If the Eagles want much in return, than McNabb must extend his contract. Last year the Eagles chose to give McNabb a raise in pay instead of extending the years on his current contract. One thing McNabb must consider is that this will more than likely be his last major contract in his NFL career. Another is that an NFL lockout is looming and McNabb is not going to want to be without a contract heading into a potential lockout. The Eagles have made it pretty evident that they are moving towards youth over experience with the recent departures of Chris Clemons, Darren Howard, Brian Westbrook, and Reggie Brown. McNabb is currently the longest tenured Eagle on the roster.

Donovan, I appreciate your time and effort because you have truly turned around this organization but this city is thirsty for a Super Bowl and you just don’t seem to be apart of the equation anymore. I am tired of winning the silver medal. I believe we will see a deal done quickly and that the Eagles are evaluating the best possible scenario for both themselves and for McNabb.

If you were the GM of the Eagles, what would you do? And if McNabb is traded, what will be his legacy?

The Eagles are about to hit the toughest part of their schedule so thy can’t have any chips on their shoulders. They need to focus on the Washington Redskins and picking up their first divisional win of the season. Playing in the national spotlight of Monday Night Football, everyone will be expecting the Eagles to bounce back and prove the team that played the Raiders last week isn’t the real Eagles. We all saw the flashes of brilliance earlier this year and know the Birds are truly capable of doing some damage. However, there are still going to be nay-sayers, and this is well deserved. This team team is a giant question mark.

With the upcoming schedule the way that it is, the Eagles need complete focus going into every game from here on out. Against the Raiders, it seemed as though no one had their hand in the game. They were sloppy and made stupid mistakes. If they want to be a playoff contender, the Eagles need to do a total 180 from the team that showed up against Oakland. If this doesn’t happen, we’re in for a long rest of the season and a lot of disappointment.

Positives:
- Brian Westbrook. He had nine catches for 91 yards and six rushes for 50 yards. That’s 15 touches for a total of 141 yards. He looked much better than earlier this season and made plays when he got the ball in his hands. The Eagles finally got the screen game going a bit and he typically thrives on these plays.
- DeSean Jackson. After a quiet week last week, he came back and had six receptions for 94 yards including a beautiful 51 yard grab. You know he wasn’t going to stay quiet for long and it was nice to see him bounce back and make some plays.
- Brent Celek. He continues to contribute to the offense and be a solid tight end. On the day, he hauled in four catches for 75 yards. He’s a hell of a player and I love the way he plays.
- First half defense. I think the defense played pretty well in the first half. They were getting a lot of pressure on the quarterback and making him force balls.

Negatives:
- Donovan McNabb. He had such an impressive performance last week but came out against Oakland and looked horrid. It seemed like he wasn’t prepared and made a lot of mistakes that a player of his status shouldn’t make. When he called for that timeout when the Eagles didn’t have any I was absolutely stunned. His head didn’t seem like it was in the game and he can’t play like this again if the team is going to have a chance to make a run.
- Tight end coverage. I feel like I have to talk about this every week. The Eagles got lit up by a tight end yet again this week. Zach Miller had six catches for 139 yards including an 89 yard touchdown reception. I don’t know what the Eagles have to do to get better at this, but something has to be done.
- Jeremiah Trotter. I love the guy, but I still don’t agree with this signing. He has yet to do anything for this team but weigh them down. At the end of the game when the Eagles needed a stop on a third and 10, they hit a running back on a short pass and Trotter showed us all that he can’t run. The Raiders picked up the first down and sealed the deal. He simply isn’t making plays.
- The run game. Westbrook and LeSean McCoy combined for 11 total rushes. The Eagles ran the ball a total of 14 times, but McNabb was asked to throw the ball 46 times. I just don’t get why the Eagles refuse to run the ball. The running backs had 63 yards on those 11 rushes so it wasn’t like they weren’t getting yards; however, the play calling still is heavily loaded with passing plays.
- Offensive line. They looked terrible. McNabb wasn’t getting a whole lot of time to throw the ball and it seemed like they were on their heals all game. King Dunlap was getting worked after he was asked to fill in and the Raiders took advantage. McNabb got sacked six times and this isn’t something you want when your quarterback is still dealing with ribs that aren’t healthy.
- David Akers. He missed two field goals today and if you add those six points on to the scoreboard, the Eagles win. I think he’s past his prime, but I still thought he was a solid kicker. He can’t afford to miss field goals like he did today.
- Third down conversions. The Eagles were only 2-16 on third down conversions. That’s an absolutely terrible ratio. When you can’t convert on third downs and move the ball down the field, you’re not going to win. I think part of this has to do with the lack of the run game. If you can effectively run the ball, you have shorter third downs and can pick up those short third downs by running the ball.
- Wide receiver production. If you take away DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin was the only other wide receiver to have a reception, and he only had one. The Eagles do well when they are able to spread the ball out and get a lot of people the ball. This didn’t happen on Sunday.
- Losing to the Raiders. This is just downright embarrassing. The Eagles are the laughing stock of the NFL in my opinion right now. We all saw what the Giants did to the Raiders and then we can’t even score a touchdown against them? The Giants got lit up by the Saints today and the Eagles had a golden opportunity to make up some ground but simply failed to do so.

Before this game, I had a lot of confidence in the Eagles and their abilities. However, after today’s performance I don’t know what to think anymore. The offense was out of sync, the defense gave up big plays, and overall the team just played sloppy.

Today’s game was one of the most frustrating things I’ve ever watched and even when they had a chance to win at the end, they really didn’t deserve it. When you look at some of the other teams around the NFC and compare them to the Eagles, there’s no way they can hang.

We will be posting a more in-depth look at the game tomorrow with more breakdowns/rants.

Philadelphia Eagles
Pos. Player Injury Status
G/T Todd Herremans Foot OUT (O)
CB Dimitri Patterson Quadricep/Hand OUT (O)
CB Sheldon Brown Abdomen Full Participation (P)
WR Kevin Curtis Knee Full Participation (Q)
CB Ellis Hobbs Wrist Full Participation (P)
QB Donovan McNabb Rib/Left Shoulder Full Participation (P)
LB Akeem Jordan Neck Full Participation (P)
DE Chris Clemons Ankle Full Participation (P)
DE Darren Howard Toe No Participation (P)

Oakland Raiders
Pos. Player Injury Status
LB Ricky Brown Ankle OUT (O)
OT Cornell Green Calf OUT (O)
RB Darren McFadden Knee OUT (O)
WR Nick Miller Shin OUT (O)
RB Luke Lawton Ankle No Participation (D)
DE Greg Ellis Knee No Participation (Q)
OG Robert Gallery Fibula No Participation (O)
WR Chaz Schilens Foot Limited Participation (Q)
LB Jon Alston Concussion Full Participation (P)
CB Nnamdi Asomugha Wrist Full Participation (P)
LB Kirk Morrison Knee Full Participation (P)

“I do not like knocking teams. But right now, they’re struggling. We’re playing that game the other day and, honestly, it felt like a scrimmage, like a practice. It felt like we were going against our offense (in a controlled setting) as far as the tempo.”

This is a pretty bold statement but one the Giants can make after completely destroying the Raiders on Sunday. They’re a terrible team and everyone knows it. The Giants, on the other hand, have a matchup this weekend with the Saints in a battle to be the front runner in the NFC. If the Eagles want to be able to hang, they have to come out and destroy Oakland on Sunday just like the Giants did.

The Eagles are going to be looked down upon until they beat a legitimate team, and that matchup doesn’t come for two more weeks. Until then, they have to roll over these poor teams than prove they are a Super Bowl contender when they meet the Giants.