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The Spectacle Blog
Maybe I'm guilty of "a little social concern," but I've always felt Donovan McNabb got a raw deal in Philadelphia. From being booed by the fans when he was drafted to nearly being consigned to the Oakland Raiders on the way out, Eagles fans underappreciated a quarterback who was successful for them by every metric save one -- Super Bowl victories.
When McNabb would try to be a nice guy, it would invariably come back to bite him in the posterior. McNabb championed wide receiver Terrell Owens only to watch TO turn sharply against him, telling stories of the quarterback throwing up in the huddle during the Super Bowl. McNabb was an advocate of bringing Michael Vick to Philadelphia, further complicating the team's quarterback situation and making his own hold on the starter's job more tenuous. The icing on the cake was when McNabb consoled struggling young quarterback Jay Cutler after an Eagles win over the Chicago Bears -- and some fans criticized him for showing class.
Now McNabb is out, having been traded to the Washington Redskins for some draft picks and maybe a bag of potato chips. McNabb reportedly forced the Eagles to trade him to a division rival rather than exile him to an even more dysfunctional team. But even with all the potential of a Shanahan-McNabb Redskins revival, it is hard not to conclude that McNabb lost his last, best chance for a Super Bowl ring.
Football teams rarely part with franchise quarterbacks unless they are in a downward spiral (think Kurt Warner in St. Louis) or they have clearly been supplanted by their backup (think Drew Bledsoe in New England). Neither situation obtained in McNabb's case. The closest comparison one can find is the decision the Green Bay Packers made in 2008: In Brett Favre, they had a veteran franchise quarterback who could still play at a high level. But they also felt their backup quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, was ready to start. Obviously, a key difference is that Favre did a lot on his own to set that chain of events in motion.
While Green Bay's switch didn't pay immediate dividends -- they went 6-10 their first season under Rodgers after going 13-3 the previous season; an injured Favre managed to take the New York Jets to 9-7 -- after last season, it looks like the right decision for the long term. Things obviously didn't work out too badly for Favre either, after a 12-4 season with the Minnesota Vikings that included two convincing wins over the Packers. However things work out with the new Philadelphia starter Kevin Kolb, McNabb is surely hoping to exact similar revenge against the Eagles this coming season.
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More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2010/04/05/donovan-mcnabb-deal-done-dirt
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Pete| 4.5.10 @ 11:40AM
It is a business. I have contended from the start that the Eagles could never win a title with McNabb. They couldn't do it in his prime and they certainly can't now. They should have traded him several years ago for some real value. No surprise that the two most dysfunctional teams in the league (Raiders and Redskins) were the ones vying hardest for his services. The skins are just wasting more valuable time on McNabb and should have cut their losses years ago on Cambpell. Perhaps the thinking is that McNabb can be a good backup/mentor to whomever they draft at QB this year. That is the only sane strategy.
Dan| 4.5.10 @ 11:45AM
"[A] raw deal?"
Have you lost your mind?
The guy was paid over a hundred million dollars, which made him the highest paid player in the league. Yet he hasn't showed up big in a big game since the playoff game against Chicago over half a decade ago.
Go take a look at his Super Bowl performance against the Patriots. Just count up the number of turnovers McNabb himself accounted for.
The guy has a pronounced penchant for planting the football at the feet of receivers, or, in the alternative, to sailing them over their heads. He's a QB in a West Coast offense, which means CONTROLLED passing. The ball is supposed to be delivered IN STRIDE, and not placed in a position where the receiver has to break stride to make a reception. The West Coast offense places value on RAC yardage, {run after catch}. Yet McNabb's well noted erratic arm stultifies one of the advantages of running a West Coast offense.
McNabb was carried by the Eagle defense for years, YEARS, as Rush Limbaugh well observed. And the NFC East was NEVER as weak as they were during the McNabb tenure. It's almost as if the Eagle's opponents within the NFC East were mailing it in allowing the Eagles to get their chance at football immortality. Note that every other team in the NFC East has won multiple Super Bowls, but not the Eagles.
McNabb has got to be one of the most wildly overhyped players in modern professional sports.
DAC| 4.5.10 @ 12:42PM
McNabb is, was, and always will be an overrated loser. Empirically, this cannot and will not be disproven. The bigger losers are, of course, the SnyderSkins, who have once again wasted valuable draft picks on a washup. Little Danny loves trading players like they're football cards, and always--without exception--ends up on the wrong side of the trade. Another worthless few years for the SnyderSkins awaits those who can still stomach the embarrassment of supporting a once-proud franchise. Iggles fans must be laughing out loud. Hear me now and believe me later...McNabb won't last the full 4 quarters of either game vs his former team, and the Iggles will finish well ahead of the SnyderSkins in the NFC Least standings.
Ken (Old Texican)| 4.5.10 @ 2:57PM
Antle,
Who gives a crap? Is McNabb running for congress? Is he a counter-terrorist who can keep the stadiums safe for a family outing?
Boring, sir.
Fail to the Redskins| 4.5.10 @ 3:07PM
McNabb got a raw deal in Philly? Get real, he was there for more than a decade, and accomplished nothing (beyond making himself fabulously wealthy). The local fans were onto him years ago...and of course, the DC media are the last to get it.
Steve-O| 4.5.10 @ 4:20PM
Philly fans are classless losers. They deserve the beatings that are coming their team's way.
Jeremiah| 4.6.10 @ 1:35AM
A-Holes for sure!
Oldefarte| 4.5.10 @ 4:34PM
McNabb should have been traded years ago, as there has never been another case of a QB allowed to retain his job while showing such poor results. Philadelphia only once under his leadership made it to the the Super Bowl, and, predictably, his fumbles and interceptions in that game provided the Eagles loss. Jeff Garcia's QB leadership and proficiency [in McNabb's injured absence] should have resulted in McNabb being subsequently traded, instead of Garcia [Momma-McNabb's race-tinted remarks regarding the Eagles' treatment of her son, plus the NFL's Rooney Rule affirmative actions insured McNabb's job security]. Rush Limbaugh's ESPN remarks [that the NFL sports writers did practice PC in placing McNabb upon a pedistal, in consideration of his poor performance as an NFL QB] were entirely appropriate and true concerning McNabb, and yet he was fired over same!!!!!!!!!!!
JmsA| 4.5.10 @ 7:15PM
He not only played well, but to my dismay and the detriment of my favorite Dallas Cowboys, but also behaved with class. The Philadelphia Eagles, much to my contentment, will the poorer for it, and the Washington Redskins, much to my displeasure, will return to proficiency and respectability much too soon.
Richard Baker| 4.5.10 @ 9:24PM
As a lifelong Redskins fan, all I can say is "Hail to the Redskins, Hail Victory!"
ghdpick| 4.6.10 @ 8:12AM
pls, from now on,to be healthy.
www.mbtsells.com
www.dunkpick.com
Chris Humpherys| 4.9.10 @ 1:00AM
I generally don't buy player's jerseys but McNabb's Redskins jersey is definitely one I'd sport around town.
http://sportschump.net/2010/04.....ward/3422/