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Some might applaud the Philadelphia Eagles for respecting Donovan McNabb's wishes and trading him to the Redskins instead of other interested (and more playoff-challenged) teams.
My guess is that many in the Philly area are not choosing to react that way.
Yesterday's monster NFC East trade that sent the Eagles' longtime starting QB to one of their most hated rivals registers as one of the more surprising deals in recent memory. Outside of the trade that sent Drew Bledsoe from the Patriots to the Bills eight years ago, I find a hard time thinking of an intra-division deal anywhere near the magnitude of this one.
McNabb will now head a few hours down I-95 to join a team that has desperately been searching for a franchise quarterback for the last handful of years.
He'll do so with a chip the size of Albert Haynesworth on his shoulder. Should be an interesting couple games when the Eagles and Skins square off this season.
Moving back to the purple and black, ESPN featured the Ravens had their annual "On the Clock" segment a couple days ago, and their NFL crew discussed where GM Ozzie Newsome might look with the 25th overall pick in the draft.
Not surprisingly, draft guru Mel Kiper suggests that the Ravens might look to either the tight end or cornerback position with their first-round pick, and tosses out Rutgers CB Devin McCourtey and Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham as possibilities.
In case you're at the office and can't watch the video above, here are Kiper's comments on the Ravens' options in the first round:
"You could still add another receiver...but I think tight end as well is an area of need, but don't forget defense," Kiper says. "Devin McCourty is a cornerback out of Rutgers. Solid kid, great character, and also a heck of a gunner on special teams. If you want to go defense at that point, that would be the guy to look at. If you want to go to tight end, Jermaine Gresham, out of Oklahoma, coming back after a year of inactivity with a knee injury.
"I think they could go tight end, wide receiver as well down the line a bit, but certainly cornerback and a pass rusher on the list as need areas for the Ravens."
Kiper was then asked how Gresham is health-wise after missing the 2009 season following knee surgery.
"So far, so good," Kiper said. "One thing about Gresham, he can catch the football. Route running needs to be worked on at the pro level, and certainly blocking isn't going to be a strength with Jermaine Gresham. Strictly a one-dimensional pass-catching tight end, and certainly for Baltimore, that would be a nice fit for Joe Flacco."
I know there are a bunch of people out there hoping that Boise State corner Kyle Wilson is still around when the Ravens are on the clock at 25, but by all indications, he's moved into more of a mid first-round guy.
If a cornerback ends up coming to Baltimore in the first round, it seems like McCourty will most likely be the guy.
