The NFL draft is still 10 days away and I feel like a kid in the back seat of a car during a long family drive, "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" But even though the draft is at the front of most football fans minds, there still are some interesting happenings going on around the NFL. By far the biggest news over the last week was the trade of Donovan McNabb. Don't worry, I don't really want to go that much into it. After all, what could I possibly add that hasn't been said ad nauseam by all the talking heads out there. But I do find it curious that they would trade him to a division rival. I know they feel Washington made the best offer, and they respect everything McNabb's done for the franchise so they want to make sure he goes somewhere he's happy, but to trade him to a team they'll have to play two times a year doesn't make a lot of sense. Unless they really are confident that McNabb's time in the NFL really is close to the end and aren't all that afraid to face him. It could also have something to do with the fact that the Redskins were so far behind the Eagles to begin with, they realize it's going to take a lot more than a small improvement at the QB position to overtake them.
So now that the Eagles have an oppening at the QB position, who will they fill it with? Over the weekend rumors have been flying around that the new 3rd QB in Philly will be their old QB, Jeff Garcia. He may be 40 years old but he's certainly qualified enough to hold the clip board. But why does Garcia still want to play? I can't imagine he's that hard up for money. Maybe he's doing it just because his wife loves to see him in uniform. Honestly, if that were my wife I'd become a sewer cleaner if that's what it took. And to think Terrell Owens actually accused Garcia of being gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. One thing's for sure, he's unlikely to leave her for a 23 year old intern like Tiki Barber just did to his wife....
That's right, all around good guy Tiki Barber is leaving his 8 month pregnant wife and their 2 kids for a 23 year old blond bombshell. I guess Tiger Woods isn't the only philandering athlete with a squeaky clean image to cheat on their wife. No word on if Ginny Barber had any golf clubs with her when she heard the news. But this news proves not only that Tiki is a cheat, but that he's a hypocrite as well. When his dad finally divorced his mom in 2004 he had this to say, "I don't give a (bleep) that the relationship didn't work. Not only did he abandon her, I felt like he abandoned us for a lot of our lives. I have a hard time forgiving that." Hopefully for him, his kids are more forgiving. And yes, I'm picking on Barber. He's famous, has lots of money, and lots of women. Making fun of him makes me feel better about my own shortcommings. You got a problem with that?
In the not so squeeky clean image athlete news, Santonio Holmes has been traded to the NY Jets for a 5th round draft pick. Holmes, the 2009 Super Bowl MVP, had 79 receptions for 1,248 yards and 5 TD's last season with the Steelers. Now you might be wondering, why would the Steelers trade a 26 year old former first round pick who's coming off a 1000+ yard season for only a 5th round pick? For one, he's recently been accused of hitting a woman in the face with a bar glass down in Florida. He was also arrested in 2008 for possession of marijuana, and in 2006 he was involved in a domestic dispute. But what probably really did him in was when he recently twittered, "Wake n bake", implying he was going to smoke some marijuana. Reports are that he'll be suspended for 4 games for violating the leagues substance abuse policy. Honestly, I could care less if people want to smoke weed, but can you at least have enough common sense not to post about it on your twitter account, especially if you're famous. No doubt, the recent signing of Arnez Battle must have made Holmes expendable. Maybe this also is a message to Roethlisberger.
As for the Jets, the acquisition of Holmes continous their recent policy of trying to trade for every troubled player on the market. In October, the Jets traded for Braylon Edwards two days after he was accused of punching a friend of LeBron James, because who wouldn't want to be able to say they punched a friend of King James. And last month, the Jets traded for Antonio Cromartie even though he was dealing with some paternity issues. Turns out, he's managed to father 7 children by 6 different women in 5 different states. The Jets even advanced him 500K to help with his legal bills. Maybe someone should introduce him to the miracle of birth control. For a team that prided itself on its great locker room chemistry, they sure seem to be taking a lot of chances. I have a feeling we're going to look back on these deals at the end of the season and say, "That's why they won it all.", or "That's why they completely self destructed."
Now the question is, what does the Holmes trade mean for Brandon Marshall? It was already looking more and more likely that the Broncos weren't going to get a first round pick for Marshall. But does this now mean they'll have a hard time getting even a second round pick? Last season Marshall caught 101 passes for 1,120 yards and 10 TD's. Those numbers are remarkably similar to Holmes. And while Marshall doesn't have all the off field baggage that Holmes has, he's still a disgruntled player. I know I'm no GM but how about trading Jason Hill and a 3rd round pick for Marshall. What was considered a laughable deal a few months ago, might be enough to get it done today.