We’ve come a long long way together. Through the hard times and the good. I have to celebrate you baby. I have to praise you like I should. -Fatboy Slim
Public Service Announcement: Ok, here we go! It’s hard to believe that through Donovan McNabb’s tenure as quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, he is still not considered one of the greats of the game. His eleven years in football have been punctuated by episode after episode that have somehow taken some of the sheen off his brilliance. You had Rush Limbaugh’s comments that McNabb was overrated as a quarterback because he’s black. You had the great debate about whether or not he threw up during the final drive of Super Bowl XXXIX. You had ridicule for not knowing NFL teams could tie. You had TO. You had the benching. Yes sports fans, you had all of that, but what you really have, is one of the greatest quarterbacks of this generation.
Michael Irvin once said, “Raider fans like to paint their faces and pretend to be crazy. Eagles fans really are crazy.” The Playmaker is right. Philly fans themselves have disrespected Donovan since the moment he was drafted, booing him unmercifully on draft day. Philadelphia fans were upset, you may recall, because they wanted the Eagles to draft Ricky Williams. How wrong they were.
With McNabb at the helm, the Eagles are 86-48-1. Without him they are 16-18. Big deal you say? Who cares you say? I say, that .650 winning percentage is the third highest winning percentage by any quarterback who’s enetered the NFL in the last 20 years. The third highest winning percentage behind the guys you think it’s behind. Third behind the greatest quarterback who ever lived, Tom Brady. And third behind the guy with the laser rocket arm, Peyton Manning. No shame in that game.
You may say QB wins are like pitcher’s wins in baseball. You may say they’re a product of a good team. For those of you like that there, those of you who would have the unmitigated gall to keep Chris Carpenter off the Cy Young ballot, I offer you this: There are only four quarterbacks in NFL history to have thrown at least 100 touchdowns and have at least twice as many touchdown passes than interceptions. Just four. Just Donavan; just the greatest quarterback who ever lived, Tom Brady; just the guy with the laser rocket arm, Peyton Manning; and just Mike Ditka’s favorite cakeeater, Steve Young. That’s it. That’s the list.
McNabb ain’t slowing down either. He’s aging like fine wine. Just last week he tied his own Eagles record with 35 completions against the Chargers. He’s become the protypical quarterback critics have said he could never be. He has not had a run for more than 20 yards over the last two seasons. That, after having 29 runs of 20 or more yards in his first 9 NFL seasons. He’s smart. He knows now his arm has to carry these Eagles as his legs once could. And if everything goes the right way this season, his arm just may carry these Eagles all the way to Disney World.
Public Spectacle:
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Peace out homies. Six two and Even!
Need More? Donovan McNabb, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles
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