I always assumed that one day, Donovan McNabb would end up playing for his hometown Chicago Bears. He's always seemed like the kind of guy to punch the hometown card near the end of his career. Things have a funny way of working out and instead, it looks like Donovan will head to Chicago's rival, the Minnesota Vikings, via a trade from the Washington Redskins.
Reports have been surfacing that the Washington Redskins are nearing a trade that would send QB Donovan McNabb to the Minnesota Vikings. Reportedly, the two sides have agreed on compensation -- sixth round pick in 2012 and a sixth round pick in 2013 -- with the only hang-up coming from McNabb's contract.
If so, it will confirm what we've all suspected. That Minnesota is where great NFL quarterbacks go before being put out to stud. Or in Favre's case, while they look for studding opportunities...
The Vikings drafted Christian Ponder in the recent NFL Draft, so they're likely looking at McNabb as a stop-gap and mentor for their future QB.
If it is McNabb's final season, he'll have a helluva way to end it all. In Week 16, the Vikings head to Washington to take on the Redskins in a perfect FU opportunity and then they wrap up the season at home against Donny's hometown Bears.
McNabb's impending arrival has Louis Villaume, a lifelong Minnesotan, recalling the time Donovan led the Syracuse Orange into town all the way back in 1996.
I remember when Donovan McNabb visited in September, 1996, with the Syracuse Orangemen. They were nationally ranked, and faced my Golden Gophers who had just eked out a three point win versus Ball State in the Metrodome a week earlier. It did not look promising. McNabb was young, fast, and impossible to contain. I sat with my 6 year-old son among the older alumni and expected the worst. Sure enough, McNabb impressed early and the Gophers trailed. Unfortunately, a ticket had been given to a Syracuse fan to sit among the Minnesota faithful. Every play that McNabb made, every score, this guy would scream how it was "over" for the pathetic Gophers. He laughed at our team. He knew how good McNabb was.
Since this was September and Paul Pasqualoni was the coach, the Orange would go on to lose that game. I suppose we should probably blame ol' Screamy McTaunts for that as well.
Finally, there's something about Syracuse athletes that go to Minnesota. They usually don't fare so well and/or Minnesotans don't seem to take to them. Hopefully Donny is able to go out on a high and break the curse.