I had a dream last night that the Eagles actually traded Donovan McNabb to the Redskins!

I really didn't want to write about an NFL trade on Opening Day. But the Philadelphia Eagles forced me to. They forced all of us to pay attention to them at 9:30 p.m. on a Sunday. Leave it to the Eagles to pull this. So here I am, a few hours before the first pitch, gathering my thoughts about this Donovan F. McNabb trade. In my perfect world, Andy would have received the Jose Canseco press conference treatment. Because we all knew he wasn't going to tell us anything we didn't already know. He's not much of a talker. A heavy breather, yes. But he wasn't revealing any secrets. On to my time-wasting analysis, followed by some memories of 5.

It had to happen. It should have happened last year, when they maybe could have gotten more for him. I'm in no way a McNabb hater. I'm more of a middle-of-the-road realist. I supported him over TO. I supported him over AJ Feeley, Jeff Garcia and other ridiculous fan-suggested replacements. But when you're offered a 2nd-round draft pick for a 33-year-old QB whose best days are behind him, you take it. After all, how often has a QB not named Dan Marino or Jim Kelly been on the same team for 10 years without winning a Super Bowl? It just doesn't happen. Don is a good QB, but not an elite one. This trade had to happen.

Oh right, there's that why would you trade him to a division opponent question. Reality check for all Eagles fans waiting their turn to yell and scream on WIP: the Eagles weren't winning anything of relevance next season with or without Don throwing TD's or passes in to the dirt, depending on your view. This trade should be judged in the long-term, not whether or not they lose to the Redskins twice next season. They've achieved everything they could have achieved with Don under center.

I won't attempt to predict Kevin Kolb's future as a starting QB. He sort of resembles what I look like in shoulder pads, which isn't a good thing. I mean I'm handsome and all but I'm a little on the skinny side. But I digress. The Birds invested a high draft pick on Kolb in 2007, and they couldn't make him wait any longer. So that's that.

This is the end of an era for me and many others, and for the Eagles, of course. Don took over as the primary signal caller in 2000, and the Birds instantly became relevant. I was at the Vet for his first playoff game (and win) against Tampa Bay, December 31, 2000. I was there on a Monday night in 2002 when he ran for 100 yards against the Giants. I was there that same season when he broke his leg in the 1st quarter against Arizona, and still threw 4 TD's in a blowout win. But even with all the good, many fans couldn't get over the bad: devastating playoff loses and major injuries that limited Don's running ability.

In a way, Don was his own worst enemy. He took the franchise to new heights. And fans expected a championship. They never got one. That's how most will remember the legend- Donovan F. McNabbulous.

Final note: why does Andy always have to say "National Football League," rather than N-F-L during his pressers? I'm convinced it's because he thinks it takes longer to say, allowing him to talk just a bit less about important things. I'm on to you Andy. The whole world is on to you.