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:
Oh, by the way, you can't have it both ways. You can't call McNabb on his stats and say he is bad because of them, and then say Andy's stats don't matter...what a joke :)— MFPhils- As Westbrook goes, so go the Eagles. I hope McNabb doesn't get a tie for Christmas because he won't understand it.— dasher
- I think that the Eagles management need to keep McNabb but add two different threats to go with Westbrook. A second running back threat and TE-Tony Gonzalez would please me to no avail. Kolb is at least two years away from playing.— phillyfunk
Comment removed.- was he being sarcastic?— lawrence2465
- And that's why he has never been loved in Philly. He represents the height of arrogance. Yo, McNabb, your team sucked and you are the so called leader, but everything's cool because it's someone else's fault, right?— rds260
- And that's why he has never been loved in Philly. He represents the height of arrogance. Yo, McNabb, your team sucked and you are the so called leader, but everything's cool because it's someone else's fault, right?— rds260
- And that's why he has never been loved in Philly. He represents the height of arrogance. Yo, McNabb, your team sucked and you are the so called leader, but everything's cool because it's someone else's fault, right?— rds260
- When's the last time McNabb has brought his team from behind to win a game? That was really great time management on his part on that last drive on Sunday...the first three plays ate up a minute and a half. If he's so great why doesn't he use his running more especially when they're in a prevent? If he think he's played great then it's time he moved on....as well as Reid.— greenflyer
- When was the last time McNabb brought his team from behind to win a game? Uhm, the last game he played. Threw a perfect dart to Brown but Brown ran the wrong route. McNabb made the play to tie the game and his teamates screwed up....AGAIN. One thing is clear: You don't need to be very smart to play pro football. Why not use his running ability against the prevent defense? Hmmm, maybe because he might not get out of bounds and they'll burn up too much time? McNabb put them in the position to tie the game and Brown ran the wrong route and, by catching the ball, let the time run out. Brown is dumb.— MikeP
- McNabb is a very good thrower: he can throw the deep pass with the best QB's in the league. But he is a terrible passer. His short and medium range passing is erratic, we all know that. He has a tendency to throw in the dirt. But I could live with that. It's the short and medium range completions which define McNabb: they are never delivered in stride. Receivers are always standing flat-footed when they receive the ball ( usually thrown too hard) from McNabb. He is the worst possible choice for a West-Coast offense. Put McNabb on a team that runs the ball and throws the deep pass and he will thrive. Keep him on this team and we will never win the big games.— armsofgeddon
- Eagles are coming up on 50 years since last championship. That's ok since Donovan has had a "great" year.— BobbyD
- McNabb's numbers are skewed based on the number of throws he has attempted during his lengthy term with the team. However, they'd be even better were he able to hit his receiver in stride or throw accurately into coverage. I swear that one of the reasons that he has thrown so few interceptions is that he's so wild that NO ONE can catch his passes, including the defenders.
- "i've played great," is exactly what's wrong the eagles. Donovan it's not about you, it's about the team. It's an old saying but it still holds true, there is no 'I' in 'TEAM.' No one wants to accept the accountability for failure. It takes a a big man, a true leader to admit when they're wrong or have fallen short, and once again all I am left are thoughts vomitting during a 2-minute drill.— bobcat262
- Mike I - you make an important point. McNabb has turned into a very cautious passer/QB. One is left to wonder whether it's a concern with turnovers or personal stats (leading the league in INT. %). His reluctance to tuck the ball away and run with it - usually which will result in something better than a 3 yard dump-off to Westbrook - is a puzzle. Apparently he's come to believe that "real" QBs sit in the pocket until something happens and if it doesn't, dump the pass off. On the occasions when he's shown flashes of the old tuck and dash form, good things have happened. Alas, for all the stats and history, McNabb is, and always will be, an erratic passer and mediocre QB.
