With the New Orleans Saints headed to the Super Bowl, quarterback Drew Brees will not be available to play in the Pro Bowl. As the first alternate, Donovan McNabb is next in line to be headed down to Miami for the all-star game next Sunday joining Minnesota's Brett Favre and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers (how ironic is that pairing). McNabb said on his Yardbarker blog earlier late last week that he's "excited about playing," but he would "gladly trade places" with Brees.

"I enjoyed the game in Hawaii each time I was fortunate to go," McNabb wrote. "We have a nice representation of Eagles there and I look forward to being with my Philadelphia teammates. I like the camaraderie with many guys from around the league and the many events that the NFL puts on. Personally, I'd like to see how having the game a week before the Super Bowl and in the same city affects the game. I was a fan of the way it used to be."

When the announcement is made official, this will be McNabb's sixth trip to the Pro Bowl. He represented the NFC for five straight years from 2000-04. McNabb will be the eighth Eagle to head to Miami, which is the largest contingent since the 2004 season (10). Also headed to Miami are: wide receiver/returner DeSean Jackson, fullback Leonard Weaver, left tackle Jason Peters, defensive end Trent Cole, cornerback Asante Samuel, kicker David Akers and long snapper Jon Dorenbos.

McNabb completed over 60 percent of his passes this year for 3,553 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 14 games. He finished the year with a 92.9 QB rating.

The title of McNabb's blog entry was "Unfinished Business" and he concluded by writing that while there is talk in Philadelphia about his future he would like to "finish the job" of winning a Super Bowl title.

-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 11:29 p.m., January 24