The Philadelphia Eagles traded Lito Sheppard to the New York Jets in February of 2009 for a 5th-round pick in last year’s NFL draft and a conditional pick in the 2010 draft. Things have worked out well for Sheppard as the Jets face the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game while the Philadelphia Eagles are spending their winter vacation discussing the future of Donovan McNabb.
Seven seasons in Philadelphia give Sheppard a solid perspective when it comes to the Philly fanbase. That’s why his solution is for the team to trade its franchise quarterback.
From Ashley Fox of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
“I’d tell them to trade [McNabb],” Sheppard said. “I think he’ll be happier, so then he won’t have to be with that cloud over his head about what people feel about him. I mean, a player plays better when he feels appreciated. Until they appreciate him, they won’t get what they want out of him.
“It’s the expectations. It’s either Super Bowl or nothing for them, and it automatically goes from the top to the bottom. . . . They just feel like he is the guy to get them over that hump, and he hasn’t to this point. It’s more frustration [from the fans] than can he get it done?
“I mean, hey, we’ll take him.”
“We’ll take him,” as in “We’d be better off with McNabb than Mark Sanchez?” Not exactly the vote of confidence a rookie QB needs heading into the biggest football game of his life but that will have to wait for another day. Lito’s right in a way. Donovan will never be fully appreciated in Philadelphia until he wins the Super Bowl and every year he doesn’t win it raises the level of unrest in a large number of Eagles fans. It sucks that McNabb’s detractors judge him by every breath he takes and that a hiccup is reason to call for his head.
McNabb faced the Dallas Cowboys on the road in the Wild Card round behind a shaky offensive line without three starters. The result was a scrambling Donovan, an ineffective offense, and calls for a change at quarterback. The Cowboys went on the road in the Divisional Round and got the treatment they gave Philly the week before. Injuries to Dallas’ offensive line, Romo turnovers, and six sacks helped the Vikings roll to a 34-3 win (Was the late TD was Childress’ way of picking up for his boy Andy Reid who got 34 dropped on him by the ‘Boys the previous week?). After the game nobody was saying Dallas needed to turn to Jon Kitna or worse, Michael Vick. Instead people looked at the game realistically and said the Cowboys weren’t as good as the Vikings. Looking at things realistically isn’t a strength of the Eagles fanbase or the media that cover the team when it comes to McNabb. If it was the focus of the offseason would be on the offensive line and the defense, not number 5.
