McNabb on the Hall of Fame
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
McNabb on the Hall of Fame
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
Andy Reid started it, the columnists and sports talkers continued it and, well, I'm going to keep it going: Is Donovan McNabb a Hall of Fame quarterback right now? I asked the Eagles quarterback -- who turned 33 today -- that very question at his news conference. The question was prefaced with the statement that the topic was a hot one on local airwaves, Web sites and newspapers.
"Really?" McNabb said with mock astonishment.
So where do you stand, Don, on the question?
"I'm a football player just playing football," McNabb said. "If that was to happen, that's great. If not, I think everything that I've been able to accomplish and took to accomplish in the next few years, that's something you can't take away from me. You can't take away the body of work of any individual who's playing in any sport. Everybody focuses so much on numbers. They can take whatever opinion they want from it. But I know one guy who should be in the Hall of Fame who's not and that's Harold Carmichael. So there's a lot more to making the Hall of Fame then just one person saying he should be a Hall of Famer."
McNabb was then asked if a quarterback has to win a Super Bowl to be Hall of Fame worthy.
"I don't think with any player you need to win a Super Bowl or world championship to make the Hall of Fame," said McNabb, who will pass Ron Jaworski as the Eagles' all-time leader in games played for a quarterback with his 144th this Sunday. "Again it goes back to your body of work and how effective you were for your team and how much of a threat you were playing against other teams. How teams game planned to stop you. How teams feared the talents that you presented to them. I think there's a lot that goes into. Dan Marino and a bunch of other players -- I think Fran Tarkenton didn't win a Super Bowl. But they're still Hall of Famers."
Here are McNabb's career numbers, by the way: 31,249 career passing yards, 59.0 completion percentage, 208 touchdown passes, 95 interceptions, 86.4 passer rating, 3,187 rushing yards, 27 rushing touchdowns.
The Eagles are 87-48-1 when he starts. He's reached four NFC championship games and is 1-4 in those contests. He's 0-1 in the Super Bowl.
Dissect away ...
In other news, cornerback Asante Samuel and linebacker Akeem Jordan did not practice today. Reid said that wide receiver Kevin Curtis (knee) and running back Brian Westbrook (concussion) were out for Sunday's game against the Redskins. Reid said that Westbrook has begun exercising this week.
Needs 40,000 yards passing or a Super Bowl...Period....1-4 in NFC Championship games doesn't get it.... at least Jim Kelly [Bills], won Four Championship games, may have lost 4 SUPER BOWLS, but D-MAC hasn't even gotten there.....aaaarrrrhhhgg...RAMS, TAMPA BAY, CAROLINA, ARIZONA...are you...I'm sorry I'll stop...HAPPY THANKSGING.............— PhillyPhilly- Eaglegreen...unfortunately for Donovan, poor Donovan, 100 million plus Donovan, 2nd pick over all Donovan, true it's not all his fault but unfortunate I think not— PhillyPhilly
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- eaglephanatic(the real fraud)i guess you have what it takes let mcnabb breath ,he is a HOF qb,just by how he deal with so called fans and how they put him down, class act.yall will miss him when he is gone.he toke us places know other eagles qb has BY HIS SELF.eaglephanatic your a closet dallas fan come on out and let mac live.— nesbest
nesbest, I am as much of a closet Dallas fan as you are a a closet English scholar. I have probably watched more Eagles games live than you have seen in total. Keep trying to convince the world that it is flat.- palmyra21, that was a funny comment on Lemur.— Nothing but the truth
- Right now mc5 is Ken Anderson, (not in). He has a long way to go to be Boomer (isn't in). I don't agree with it but the HOF is a superbowl club. Same reason Carmichael isn't in but John Stalworth is. There is going to be a bunch of QBs coming up Brady, P Manning, Bledsoe, Warner, Favre, Testeverde, Brunell, Kerry Collins. McNabb needs a superbowl ring or another 9000 yards passing and 50 touchdowns.— pking222
- Of course he'll make it - when the criteria for selection is your performance in the first three quarters of a game.— Shimmy
- If you look at McNabb's stats you'll see he is slightly above good, nowhere near great (which should be the HOF yardstick). While he was in the league Brady, Favre and Manning have been the elite QBs. McNabb, Brees and Warner have similar numbers, on sheer yardage Collins would be in before McNabb (no one would advocate that). 5 has been 19th in completion % and 15th in yardage over the last 7 years, hardly impressive. This mythical TD/int ratio is skewed to favor McNabb since the Birds pass in obvious red zone running situations. The most damaging thing is the feeling that he doesn't want the ball at the end of the game. Of the QBs mentioned above, McNabb is the last one anyone would want in their huddle with 1:20 left and the game on the line. He'll need at least 1 SB to even have a chance.— Joe Funk
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- I think he answered the question well, as he usually does. Presidents of the US aren't scrutinized as much on every syllable. I've weighed in already, but I love how everyone talks about the 1-4 in NFC Championship Games. Sure that's true, but did McNabb and the Eagles get there on coin flips? Were there other factors that went into the 4 losses, and even the one win? My main stat for a QB is winning %, and that's really --although he has very good individual stats, what any QB -and McNabb for this discussion - should mostly be judged upon. His lifetime stats --yards, tds, etc. --should be in the HOF mix if he plays 2-3 more years. McNabb is 9-6 in playoff games; you see they actually had to win a playoff game or two to get to the NFC Championship Game - a pretty good record. Regular Season: 87-48-1 for a .643 winning %. He is currently 24th in all-time wins, and let's say he plays only 2 more years after this year, stays healthy and wins 20 more games. His 107 wins would tie him w/ Bradshaw for 8th (really, 9th as Brady should be at a higher win total by then.) Look at win %: Of all the QB's with more all-time wins, here is the list of QB's with a higher win %: Elways's tied at .643; Peyton - .683; Unitas -.645; Montana .713; Bradshaw - .677; Stabler .661; Young - Brady - .777. That's it, folks. So yes, he's clearly on a HOF pace, and when retired, even if he does not get a SB ring, is, to me, at the same level or higher than Tarkenton, Fouts, Kelly and Moon --all in the HOF w/out a ring. I wouldn't put him quite at the Marino level, even though Donovan had more ways to beat you; Marino was a legendary pure passer. I doubt I'll get an intelligent retort to this from the bashers; I never have.— MG44
He should be in the crybaby hall of fame.— Morty Seinfeld- MG44 - the factors for win/loss argument cuts both ways. If you invoke outside factors to explain his lack of NFCCG wins you have to admit other factors contributed to his 9-6 record. It is a wash. Individually, his numbers are pedestrian, the cumulative numbers are a reflection of AR's stubborn refusal to allow a competition for the QB position.— Joe Funk
