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.
I just got off the phone with Fletcher. He tells me McNabb wants his contract renegotiated for an additional five (5) years. He wants to retire thn and take Michael Varkann's spot on DNL. He wants Tony Luke's to name a cheese steak after him (one so big that you get tired eating it). He wants the Walt Whitman Bridge be re-named the Wilma McNabb Bridge and he wants the Linc re-named to McNabbyville.— rockinrob- worst article i ever read... MCNABB needs additional weapons no other way to put it. why as a fan would you want MCNABB to have to do everything himself... i question if your a real eagles fan or you just make money writting these stupid articles. I think your the one who needs to leave town and leave now. your a worthless reporter and only add to the problems that the eagles have.— dfal2510
la zero you seem to know an awful lot about what the Pats plan on doing for somebody who has his nose pretty far up Mcnabb's...AJ you are quickly becoming the #1 whiner on this blog..get over it cause 10 years and it didn't work..— wokmaster- McNabb has always been about McNabb. Always will be too. He wants cash and lots of it. The chances of him reaching the Super Bowel as a result of a trade are not high, but he will never return as an Eagle. Time for both parties to cut and run. Lets trade him for a #1 pick and take three of the this year.— dutchman
I'm SOOOOOO tired of this perpetual whiner! I'll buy his frikkin bus pass! Get him AND his shoetop tosses outta here! If ONE YOYO responds to me saying Kolb isn't ready I'm gonna PUKE! At this point I'd rather any of us in this forum than McBlabb! He's far better at throwing teammates under buses than he is hitting them in stride on slant patterns!- If this is the end, then I hope the Birds management has the testicular fortitude to not trade him within conference. Just tell him that your signing T.J., drafting a back with one of those two first round picks and try to trade for Gonzales or something. No Kevin Kolb on my watch— albertpa
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- Bill1966, You think Curtis would have caught that 4 and 10 pass had it actually hit his feet instead of his hands?— mongoS
- Bill1966, The guy wants upgrades in order to better position the team to win..Lets see you want him to continue to stay in his place and not demand anything and live with an always slowed injury prone RB , below average WRs and crybaby fans like yourself.— mongoS
- vegasscott, who has t.o won with? T.O is the ultimate puppet. He sells Mcnabb out after getting to his first and only Superbowl. He goes to Dallas and cries over the QB flavor of the month in Romo. Romo over the past 3 yrs has been the biggest choke of a QB in the entire league. Romo sells T.O out for buddy Witten which of course is why Dallas sucked down the stretch yet posters on here quote T.O on Mcnabb. What a JOKE! Now in all the rumor nonsense about T.O maybe getting cut you don’t see choke artist Romo coming to T.O's defense! It has been stated T.O committed black on black crime in Philly and now is getting a dose of reality in Dallas. T.O's worst move was leaving Philly and I have little doubt he knows that. T.O would have been Mcnabb's guy for yrs and would not have sold him out for the first big stiff at TE that had above average hands.— mongoS
- Do you know what McDoppy needs to help him run the offense? A course that he could complete teaching him how to run the two minute drill or a course that he could complete that would teach him to hit his receivers in stride. There are few receivers out there who can catch a ball with their feet or catch a TD when McDoppy has wasted the clock again and time has expired. The Eagles need a new QB.— chucksf
- GOOD LUCK MCSTUPID. Remember this. Nobody complained about receivers when Garcia went 6-2 or Feeley went 5-1. T.O. Never won us a playoff game. We do need another weapopn. A QUARTERBACK. McNabb brought us back against Arizona. Did the defense get us in the whole? Ask Pittsburg (#1 defense) if Arizona can score quickly. Ask the Eagles receivers if they were open in the first half (clue: the answer is YES....ALOT)and McNabb missed them. HE STINKS. GET OUTTA TOWN DONNIE !!!!— Kruntz
- Kruntz, of course you didnt complain with Garcia or Freeney. Hey they fit the profile of what the haters want in a QB. But not the NFL. LOL. I still want to know who is the QB in Tampa that ran GArcia out of town..— mongoS
- chucksf until someone can prove I didn't see kevin curtis drop that 4th and 10 pass the only lesson Mcnabb needs is how he should have spoke up sooner. even now it is rumor. just come out and say my Wrs suck! keeping it in is bad for his health.— mongoS
