McNabb: I've Played Great
Donovan McNabb, asked to assess his season, replied: "I've played great."
McNabb: I've Played Great
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
Every now and then, somebody says something in a NovaCare news conference that brings you up short.
So it was Wednesday, when a questioner mentioned to Donovan McNabb that he was closing in on his own franchise record for passing yards in a season. The reporter asked how McNabb would assess his year, for the 8-6-1 Eagles.
"I think I've played great," McNabb said. "I don't look at the stats aspect of it, but if you do, then it is better than it has been in years. Offensively, we've been able to do some good things, and some things, obviously, we would love to change. I don't regret any of the things that I've done this year. I'd love to do better in this game coming up ... Certain things are just an inch away, not getting a first down here, or whatever it may be. Obviously, if we were able to get that done, we wouldn't be sitting in this spot right now."
The quarterback of a team that just lost a game that probably doomed its season, by a score of 10-3, just can't say that he feels he has played great. Even if the rest of the answer implied that McNabb does see some things he could have done better, it was a silly thing to say. Nobody will remember the rest of the quote. As McNabb has done so many times, he needlessly handed his critics an ax with which to bludgeon him.
Knowing McNabb, what we were seeing was that hard shell of defensiveness that has built up over 10 seasons of withering scrutiny. He has to know he has been up-and-down this season, better than his harshest critics give him credit for being, but far less than "great." At a critical point in the season, those Cincinnati and Baltimore games, he played the worst seven quarters of his life, turning the ball over seven times, before being benched. In several previous games, he seesawed between being unstoppable and completely ineffective. He was not good enough at Washington, even factoring in the terrible drops. He has to know all that, even if he thinks playcalling was a factor, even if he doesn't agree that he should have been benched.
McNabb probably feels that he can't betray any weakness, show any vulnerability, before a media corps he feels treats him unfairly. He learned that stubborn, willful refusal to engage on a human level at the feet of the master, Andy Reid.
But it is such a disastrous strategy. People -- even reporters -- respond to honesty. If McNabb had said: "Overall, I've been healthier and more productive than I've been in years, but I haven't been as consistent as I would have wanted. The offense hasn't quite gotten it done in some crucial spots, and even if that isn't entirely my fault, it reflects on me, as the quarterback. So it has been a mixed season. I'm proud of a lot of the things I've been able to do, but I wish I could have done more, so we would be in a better spot."
Say that, everyone nods in agreement. Say "I think I've played great," and people sharpen the knives.
Of course, there's an awful lot at work here behind the scenes. McNabb reiterated Wednesday that he does not want to go anywhere. He wants to fend off the transition to Kevin Kolb. He wants, he made plain Wednesday, a new contract, though he has time left on his current deal.. McNabb didn't say so, but that desire is not because he doesn't make enough money, it's because the signing bonus amortization on his old deal is just about up, which makes him easy to get rid of. A new contract, with a new signing bonus, would ensure he won't be traded or released.
All indications right now are that the Eagles plan to come back with McNabb in 2009.(Asked if he feels he's seen enough of Kolb this season, Reid Wednesday gave a lukewarm, "I've seen what I've seen, yeah.") But as we've noted before, McNabb is part of that equation. If he really insists on a new deal, on a commitment, he could write his ticket elsewhere, in a sort of passive-aggressive way, while proclaiming that he really wants to stay. That would be disappointing. Just as this season has been.
Meanwhile, Reid said Wednesday that DE Victor Abiamiri's Lis franc sprain will keep him out of Sunday's finale against Dallas, and should the Birds make the playoffs, Abiamiri won't be available for about a month. LG Todd Herremans (ankle), RT Jon Runyan (knee) and TE L.J. Smith (shoulder) sat out the afternoon practice, as did RB Brian Westbrook, as is usually the case when practice is held indoors.
Reid said whether the Eagles are eliminated before the kickoff Sunday or not, he will play everyone and approach the game the same as if his team was alive.
And Happy Holidays, by the way, from your Eagletarian.
Extra Eagletarian points if you can identify this, the best of all televised Christmas specials:
Is it Christmas eve or April Fool's day? He does look at game film, right?— deanwermer
Comment removed.- McNabb HAS had a good season. He didn't express his dissappointment in the lack of success of his team. I give him a pass. But one thing does deserve a HMMMMMM moment... He had a charity bowling event for kids from Camden, North and West Philly. HMMMMMMMM. There are more kids from outside those areas that buy that #5 jersey, aren't there? Just wonderin'— nsidious
- Comment removed.
- McNabb had some outstanding games, most notably the victories over the Cardinals, Giants and Browns. But he had those clunkers against the Bengals and Ravens, too. With him, inconsistency is the one thing that's consistent.— rhawnhurster
- Enough already, The season for this team is history. No way will the Eagles make the playoffs. Start planning for the future. Kevin Kolb is not the "one" and I am not sure what will happen to this team.— Donnie
- I am sure that Mcnabb did not play great this season. Adequate at best, but with this record 8-6-1, no one on this team has played great.— Donnie
- he has done a great job, so often with limited tools, injured backs, three wide receivers , all starters from last year hurt. other guys stepped up, but it is also a rhythm change. Good job Donovan!— billgfc
- Comment removed.
- The next questions should have been, "Well if you played great this year than why has the Offense been soooo baaaad?" "Did you have a great game last week?" "What is a great year to you? Number of wins? Personal accomplishments?" When are we going to get some reporters with backbone to ask the right follow-up questions when McNabb and Reid make these ridiculous statements?
- Well, there you go....leadership.....delusional...but leadership nonetheless.....joined at the hip to a passaholic.....let's get rid of the train wreck Iggles and start over......there is no hope here in anything except for earning mediocrity....mediocrity we can have any time....champions come along once in a great while ...ok, really great while in this city......— pog
- When Donovan leaves next year, I dread how the offense is going to look. Seems like everyone is more than ready for the Kevin Kolb era to begin. Maybe we'll get the second coming of Bobby Hoying. And its Blackadder's Christmas Carol. Like Mr. Baldrick, I fear a strange and terrible visitation of the ghost of Eagles past.— Left_Turn
- The team is getting old and getting overpaid. I think we've had our fun with the Phillies. We Philidelphian's work hard pay lots of city taxes so we deserve a winner once every 28 years.— Poesraven8
- To me, it's self-defeating, but McNabb's just saying that to push back against the criticism. Fire Reid. Keep McNabb for another year. Find a coach who wants to run an offense with McNabb, Westbrook and D-Jack as your talent guys. Run the ball 50%. Smoke a pipe. Enjoy life. Watch the Phils.— jamesiri
- Stop worrying. Not everyone thinks like these bozos on here. In fact, it's very hard to find someone who is against McNabb out of the many friends and co-workers I know. These people are groupies of disapointment, and half of them would change their names and become pro-McNabb if he won a superbowl. Considering the Eagles haven't done that great this year, the stats would lead you to believe everyone on this team isn't very good...Which isn't true...You guys are just too funny.— MFPhils
