Agent: No Response Needed
Donovan McNabb's agent, Fletcher Smith, got back to the Daily News this morning about yesterday's ESPN.com report. Smith said he couldn't be bothered to respond to every tidbit that emerges.
Agent: No Response Needed
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
Your Eagletarian finally got a text from Fletcher Smith, agent for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, whom we've 
been trying to reach since word broke late Monday afternoon about Michael Smith's ESPN.com report, saying McNabb and Smith have met with team management, and McNabb will not deign to sign a contract extension with the Eagles until he passes judgement on their offseason acquisitions. If McNabb deems those acquisitions worthy, he won't ask to be traded.
Never mind that Fletcher Smith point-blank denied such a meeting had taken place, two days after it happened, or that McNabb soft-peddled the whole "weapons" angle in extensive interviews at the Super Bowl a little more than three weeks ago.
Anyhow, if you know anything about how the newspaper/radio/TV biz works, you know that Fletcher Smith's BlackBerry was buzzing with calls and e-mails from every news outlet in the Delaware Valley yesterday evening. No response. But this morning we had a text message from the agent, which read: "I can't respond to every report by ESPN or any other news outlet for that matter. Moreover, I am not commenting on any Donovan-related issues at this time."
We messaged back with the thought that if someone (especially someone with a national media platform) was reporting something that directly contradicted what we'd been telling people for days, we'd want to get that cleared up.
No response there, yet.
Reading the comments appended to my column on the matter this morning, fans seem as divided as ever on whether McNabb is a victim or a villain in the Eagles' struggles to win a Super Bowl.
Previously, I've always leaned more toward the victim camp, feeling management could have given him much more to work with, and that his shortcomings have been overblown by critics. I've also acknowledged I'm uncomfortable with how easily Donovan reaches for those excuses, how seldom he seems truly, specifically critical of his own poor play.
I came into the offseason thinking McNabb had some leverage from his play down the stretch and in the playoffs, that he could probably extract some sort of half-hearted apology for the Nov. 23 benching, and enough dollars in a restructuring of his contract to ensure he'll be firmly in place as the No. 1 guy in 2009, at least.
But enough leverage to tell the Eagles he'll let them know when they've proved themselves worthy of his continued allegiance? Enough leverage to go public, tweaking management with details of a meeting that both sides apparently agreed would remain a secret?
In the words of an esteemed Saturday morning philospher of my youth, "Ruh-roh!"
Again, as I said in the column, these come off as the actions of a man who wants a ticket out of town, but doesn't have the sand to stand up and say so, point-blank. And that's really, really disappointing.
Even if you take what Michael Smith wrote at face value -- that McNabb still wants to play here, and is only considering asking to be traded -- if I'm the Eagles, I want no part of a quarterback with one foot out the door. I think McNabb's lack of excitement about the weapons around him played a role in last season's struggles, before the benching and the strong finish. Yes, they can force him to continue to play for them for two more years, but they're going to win a Super Bowl that way? Don't think so.
I can understand McNabb being frustrated about weapons, but again, free agency doesn't offer that much this year. I expect the Eagles will somehow add a wideout, draft a significant running back, draft an offensive tackle high, and somehow come up with a blocking complement to Brent Celek at tight end, at least. Is that enough for McNabb? Do they have to convince Arizona to trade Anquan Boldin, using the draft picks that could have solidified their o-line? And again, are the Eagles just going to wait around to get the thumbs up from Donovan on their offseason before they know how their starting QB situation shakes out?
Maybe stranger things have happened, but not many. I'll be surprised if we don't start hearing the McNabb to Chicago-Minnesota-Kansas City-wherever rumors again pretty soon. This does not look much like a conventional contract negotiation to me.
so many geniuses on this site---funny thing ask them who their QB is next year if not DMac--then it really gets funny. "Well we'll sign Cassell next year" or "give Kolb a chance working with the #1 offense" "Garcia" it just goes on and on--its called diarrhea of the mouth.I mean some of the stupidity that these people write on this board. Lonewolf how old are you? I never saw a bigger bunch of schmucks than some of the regulars on this board. NO CLUE about football.- this is all silly idle speculation mgt needs to focus on free agent stuff the next two weeks— billgfc
- this is all silly idle speculation mgt needs to focus on free agent stuff the next two weeks— billgfc
- Mcnabb should be worth a lot on the market. He's one of the few starting QB's who know's some of the ovetime rules. Maybe we could trade him for a Center who knows to snap the ball towards his ***.— thenutz72
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Hey mongoS, yes maybe Curtis should have caught that pass while he was being dragged down by the CB, but McDoppy should have made better passes the first 3 downs of that last series. That is the point, even when his receivers are open he either waits too long to release the ball or he throws it at their feet. OK, he hit Curtis on that one, and maybe someone else might have caught it while being tripped, MAYBE. I guess you think that one good pass out of four is a good percentage. That is not even a good major leage baseball batting average. Stop, and really look at who you are defending, and why you are defending him. What did he ever give you? Certainly not a championship. He has been extremely well compensated for a good career but he is over the hill and cannot put the Eagles over the top. You are defending the indefensible. My only guess it that he must have some dirty photos of you!— chucksf
- Comment removed.
- chucksf!!!!!!!! MAYBE??? This is the NFC champioship!!! You say MAYBE Curtis should have caught a pass that hit him in his hands? Take your own advice and look at who or what you are defending. as for the 3 passes before did you actually see it. Let me explain. 1st down WR slipped. 2nd down Mr Jackson let a pass go through his hands deep in Cardinal territory. Yes he had to to get up to get it but my goodness it went through his hands. One pass behind the wr on 3rd down which the guy would have been tackled short. 4th down was another wr drop. so 4 downs with 3 wr failures. Now what's the batting average of those wrs?— mongoS
- chucksf-how about a chance to win EVERY Sunday--does anyone realize this is a team sport and that one player is not solely responsible for a win or a loss? take a look at those Championship game losses-Does anyone remember the Jurevicious 80 yd catch & run or just the Ronde Barber pick? How about Carolina? Does anyone remeber ALL of the dropped passes in tha game & how Simoneau got bowled over by Desean Foster for TD? Or how DMac got cheap shotted and was& PLAYED hurt in that game (soft Lonely wife?- you probable cry when your milk spills) You haters want to blame everything on this guy. could it be you guys have another agenda against this man?
- Momma's boy. It's never his fault. I understand Donovan wanting more weapons. The Eagles have shafted him over the years on that front, with the exceptions of T.O. (one year) and BWest. But, c'mon,#5, as many times as it hasn't been your fault, there've been a lot of times where it has. If you could just say once, that one's on me, we'd respect you a whole lot more.— patrick125
- patrick, yep i know all who you speak for would respect mcnabb if he came out and said it is his fault curtis did not catch a pass that hit him in the hands. it is his fault the eagles ignored him last offseason when it was implied he wanted to upgrade the weapons. the same weapons that went on to drop passes all through out 2008 in crucial situations— mongoS
