Written by Jonathan Dove | 06 April 2010

Even an average football fan has heard the news that Donovan McNabb has been traded to the Washington Redskins.  This blockbuster deal will have major effects on the two teams involved but also on the rest of the NFL.  This move has a major effect on the Bears and the NFC North; each team will play the Eagles and Redskins at least once this season.  Chicago and Detroit play both teams at home and Green Bay and Minnesota play both teams on the road.  Below we are going to look at the history McNabb and Kolb have with the NFC North and my opinion how this affects our division.

Donovan McNabb has owned the NFC North, he is 16- 3 in his career against NFC North teams.  That record includes going 4-0 in the playoffs.  McNabb has a 5-2 record against the Bears and one of those wins coming in the playoffs.  He has torched the NFC North for 5,271 yards (277 ypg) and 34 touchdowns and only 9 interceptions.  Those numbers include a game against Green Bay in 2009 where McNabb threw for 464 yards and 5 touchdowns.  The Chicago Bears fared better than the rest of the NFC North against McNabb allowing 1,647 yards (235 ypg) and 9 touchdowns and intercepted him 5 out of the 9 he threw against the NFC North.

Kevin Kolb the new Philadelphia Eagles starter is a virtual unknown.  Kolb was selected in the 2nd round (36th overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft.  Kolb played his college career at the University of Houston where he put up impressive numbers.  He has only played in a handful of NFL games compiling 885 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.  Kolb has not thrown a pass against any of the NFC North teams.

This trade is one of the biggest in recent memory and we would be sorry to overlook the impact it will have on the NFC North.  As stated above each of the teams in the NFC North will face the Eagles and Redskins.  This trade completely changes the makeup of both teams and will have an impact on the playoff picture.

With this trade the Washington Redskins have to be considered among the many teams fighting for a playoff spot this season.  McNabb brings a stable and dangerous force to this Washington offense.  He will make everyone around him better and will help develop young receivers such as Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.  He will enhance the threat of tight ends Chris Cooley and Fred Davis and he will help open up running lanes for Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker.  The Redskins already have a good defense and having McNabb will benefit them too.  More consistent offensive play means longer drives and less time on the field for the defense.  

Let’s also not forget the leadership and excitement McNabb will bring to this entire team.  Players like Albert Haynesworth will get the extra motivation needed to be dominating again.  While the addition of McNabb will help a lot the Redskins still need to address their offensive line.

I predict that they will use the #4 overall pick in this year’s draft to select Russell Okung (OT- Okla. St.) and he will slide right in the left tackle position.  Overall the Redskins will be a better team making for tougher matchups for the NFC North.  They will also be one of the teams fighting for the wildcard spot or push another NFC East team into wildcard contention.

For the Eagles this is an end of an era, McNabb has been the face of the franchise for many years.  The Eagles brass are betting the future of the franchise on Kolb.  In my opinion this is a risky proposition and they may regret letting McNabb go.  The question is…. Are the Eagles worse with Kolb as the starter?  This is a tough question to answer but in my opinion they are, at least for the short term.  Kolb is going to need game experience to grow and quarterback development is a bumpy process.  I am going to use an example of Matt Schaub.  Schaub spent 3 seasons as Michael Vick’s back up in Atlanta and in those three seasons he had comparable playing time and numbers as Kolb to date (1,033 yard, six TDs, six INTs).  In Schaub’s first season with Houston he went four and seven as a starter with 2,241 yards, nine touchdowns, and nine interceptions.  Now I am aware that those Texans and these Eagles are different teams but it’s a close comparison and shows that growing pains exist with quarterback development.  Kolb taking over doesn’t eliminate the Eagles from playoff contention but probably puts them in the Wildcard hunt rather than the divisional hunt.

Where the Bears stand in their division is a totally different discussion but this trade makes their game against the Eagles more winnable and the game against the Redskins tougher.  But the bigger impact will be the playoff picture because this adds two more teams into the wildcard hunt, where I expect the Bears to be.

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