Thoughts on DMac, Phillies
Good to see Donovan McNabb donating to Virtua's new Voorhees, N.J., facility, getting his family's name on the neonatal unit, where the fourth McNabb offspring is scheduled to be delivered in December.
Thoughts on DMac, Phillies
Les Bowen, Daily News Staff Writer
Good to see Donovan McNabb donating to Virtua's new Voorhees, N.J., facility, getting his family's name on the neonatal unit, where the fourth McNabb offspring is scheduled to be delivered in December.
(Does Virtua have one of those frequent buyer cards that you get the cashier to stamp? If so, the big donation might not have been necessary -- the McNabbs should be getting a "free kid" pretty soon.)
But seriously, folks, I think this is a big step for McNabb, in his 11th Eagles season. His real, lasting ties to the region
have always been a matter for debate, despite McNabb's frequent protestations that he wants to play his whole career here. Just recently, when the Eagles inducted Randall Cunningham into their roll of honor, somebody in the press box joked that if they wanted to do that with McNabb someday, they'd have to wait for a game scheduled in Arizona. The implication was that Donovan won't be going the Ron Jaworski route and sticking around after he retires.
I've often thought McNabb could have eliminated at least some of the vitriol and venom from some corners of the fan base by forging closer ties here, being more visible. His decision to pick up the ball on Brian Dawkins' project, giving his home game tickets this season to a deserving city high school player through the Daily News, was a positive step, if belated, and flying the family flag at Virtua is another strong move. Before you know it, DMac will be hosting overnight shifts on WIP.
"You always want to leave your mark," McNabb told ESPN 950's Brian Seltzer Tuesday. McNabb spoke of a legacy for his children and their children.
McNabb and the Eagles deserve the grief they've gotten for their Sunday loss at Oakland. Personally, I see it mostly as an Andy Reid production -- poor play selection, inability to adjust, poor use of Brian Westbrook -- but as the quarterback, McNabb had chances to rally the troops and did not.
Talking to Seltzer, McNabb reiterated that he was embarrassed, as he said after the game.
"When you get embarrassed, you do what you have to do to change that," he said.
Comparisons with the postseason Phillies are unfair, though. Game 5 of an NFL season does not equate to the NLCS. I seem to remember long stretches early in the Phils' season when they looked really ordinary. I recall Charlie Manuel musing aloud that there are two types of defending champions, the kind who show the world how good they really are, and the kind who prove by their subsequent play that they just got hot at the right time. Right then, Charlie concluded, the Phils looked like a team that just got hot at the right time. That's not quite the equivalent of losing to Oakland, but that protracted late-season stretch where they couldn't quite manage to clinch the division was similar.
Bottom line, the Phils won the World Series last year and the Eagles still haven't won a Super Bowl, so of course, the organizational nod goes to the Phils. Trophy trumps everything. They are superior, for that reason. But it's a mistake to try to make the comparisons a lot more detailed than that. McNabb isn't like Jimmy Rollins because Rollins came through Monday night? Was he maybe more like Rollins in the first three months of the baseball season, when Jimmy was hitting about .200, apparently because he was just too stubborn to shorten his swing? If Monday's hero had been, say, Miguel Cairo, would McNabb be compared unfavorably to Miguel Cairo?
We'll see what the Philles do the rest of this postseason, then a few months later, we'll see if the Eagles have a postseason, and what they do with it. Then maybe we can compare again. Right now, it's apples and oranges.
Though I think if Matt Stairs gets much bigger, the Birds might want to sign him for o-line depth.
McNabb has a tendency to choke in big games, but Andy Reid is the man responsible for the failures of this team that too often rises (or stoops) to a level just below their opponent.— metapede
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- Are there really fans who don't like the Eagles, but do like the Phillies? Have you lost all perspective? Why so angry? Sports should be fun to follow. People act like McNabb beat up their kids instead of merely failing to beat Brady/Belichick. People say Andy/Don can't win it, but there's a lot of luck involved in addition to being good. Is Coughlin/Manning really better than Reid/McNabb? No, but they got a samuel INT miss and the Tyree catch; Eagles are not that bad.— Scholes
- That 4th and 26 play was pretty sweet by Nabber. I think that was in a big game..— Bex
- Simply put: If superbowls are the only thing that matters, don't watch the regular season. Don't comment on any of the games. Just turn on the TV at the end of the year to see who's playing in the super bowl. If it's not 'your team' turn it off. Super Bowls aren't the only thing that matters as a fan. Sure as a player it matters to wear a ring but God Damnit we don't wear the rings. I want to have as much fun as a fan as possible. That's week to week wins, NOT SUPERBOWLS, and McNabb sure as hell gives me a lot of those.— Bex
- This should be McNabb's last season. Time to start the Kolb Era— NitnyLion
- 10/21/2009'. THE EAGLES HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM. TOO MANY-QUARTERBACKS.'N'-NOT KNOWING-WHO-TO-START. MCNABB-KOKLB-OR-THE-CONVICK. MY; QUESTION. DIDN'T-THE-EAGLES-LEARN-THEIR LESSON-AFTER-PICKING-UP.'N'-SIGNING-THEIR-FIRST-CANCER-SORE.[TO].[TERRELL; OWENS]. NOW INSTEAD OF A CANCER-THEY; HAVE A-"CONVICTED"-"FELON"-"MURDER". WHY-DID-THE-EAGLES HAVE TO SINK-"SO"-LOW-AS-TO-PICKUP-'N'-SIGN-A-"CONVICTED"-"FELON"-MURDER". ONE-THIG-WITH.[TO].terrell; owens]. at-least-he; wasn't-a-convick- [just-a-ashole].— TGP63
- there's no way mcnabb is worse than Drew "interception" Bledsoe. We'll never know the truth until one or the other goes, if both go, we'll still never know. Seomtimes I hope Reid leaves just because I'm tired of his style of playing even if it is mostly successful. That said, last year's steelers were better than any of cowher's team because their current coach is willing to go with what works, and for them it's big Ben. Cowher is the anti-Reid, running even when it makes no sense. At the very least, fire Marty Morningwood— dreinterests
- It's great for Philly that the Phillies are doing well again, but considering that watching a baseball game is as much fun as having teeth pulled I could care less. Baseball is just something to read about till football season starts then who cares. Being a huge football fan though I just really don't care if McNabb leaves, cause he reminds me of another guy who gets way too much coverage for constantly losing big games, Farve. It's time to move on and bring a QB in that will win the only title that matters and that is the Super Bowl!!!!— golson@florida
- How many men have started at QB in the NFL? A thousand? Two thousand? McNabb surely has weaknesses, but he's about to become only the 20th man to throw for 200 touchdowns and 30,000 yards. His interception rate is 2nd best all time, and his TD-to INT rate is third all time. He's also one of only 6 men to pass for 25,000 yards and run for 3,000. If you think he's average, you really need to look up the word "average." I admit to McNabb's weaknesses (although I think if Andy Reid had coached Joe Montana and hardly given the ball to Roger Craig, Joe would have not had the same career by a longshot), but Donovan's detractors define him SOLELY by his weaknesses. That's just dishonest: With that approach, I can declare that Los Angeles has bad weather by citing a dozen rainy days.— PhilaLogic
- What does past statistics have to do with McNabb faikure to lead the Eagles into the END ZONE???— tulsaphil
- Les is right. Comparisons of McNabb to Jimmy Rollins are unfair. Comparisons to another baseball player -- Bill Buckner in the 1986 World Series -- are entirely fair, however.— iceman
- In the last 96 hours we have witnessed the Phillies advancing to their second World Series and as many year, and an Eagles loss to a team run by a man who still uses an overhead projector at press conferences. Never has it been more clear: The Phillies are everything the Eagles are not. They are clutch. They break the hearts of other team’s fans vs the hearts of their own. They realize they have to play both small ball and long ball. They don't act like every time someone boo's around them, let alone at them, that it is a personal affront to both them and their family, they encourage it especially when they are playing poorly. They come up large in big spots; they don't vomit. They know the rules of extra innings and probably know NFL games can end in ties and there are limits to timeouts in a half. The Phillies schooled J.P. Richardi while aquiring Cliff Lee. The Eagles were stunned by the news of losing Brian Dawkins to Denver and told the fans Kevin Curits and Todd Pinkston were a number one wide receivers. Charlie Manuel outwitted a legend with four rings, the winningest manager in postseason baseball history, for the second straight year. Andy Reid got out coached by a guy who was the afterthought choice of the most dysfunctional team in the NFL, and who is being investigated for felony assault against an assistant. They embrace the fans, they don't tolerate them. Lastly, they win and let everyone call them Champions; they don't lose and try to convince everyone that they are the "Gold Standard".— McStug
