Mikell on McNabb's air guitar in Dallas: "What?"
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Mikell on McNabb's air guitar in Dallas: "What?"
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
Remember when Donovan McNabb walked out of the Cowboys Stadium tunnel prior to last year's playoff game against Dallas strumming an air guitar?
OK, you may have already wiped away any trace of that moment or of anything that followed in the Cowboy's 34-14 massacre of the Eagles.
But it's Cowboys week and it's time to revisit the past and really -- honestly -- we [the media] didn't bring up McNabb's much-criticized mime act before what proved to be his last game in an Eagles uniform.
Quintin Mikell did.
"I’ll tell you this: I didn’t even see the whole guitar thing until this season," the Eagles safety said Wednesday when he was asked if McNabb's performance in that game was the final nail in his coffin. "I was just like, ‘What?’ I didn’t even know about that until this year and I was just like, ‘OK, that makes sense.’ I don’t know. It is what it is. That was last year and we got a new team.”
A reporter joked that McNabb might have been playing a banjo.
“He’s got a little too much soul for the banjo," Mikell said.
McNabb, of course, was traded away three months later. But he wasn't the only Eagles player sent packing from that team. Andy Reid and the Eagles front office made some wholesale changes and jettisoned a number of aging players including running back Brian Westbrook, cornerback Sheldon Brown and McNabb.
“I feel like everything was calculated," Mikell said. "Obviously Coach Reid and the front office has been around this game for a long team and they know the right guys to keep around and the guys to let go to keep everything flowing. So I feel like everybody is in here – and they told us this – everybody’s in here for a reason. This is the elite.”
We'll see how elite this Eagles team -- or at least how different -- it is from the one that lost to the Cowboys in all three meetings last season. Dallas is a much different squad than the one that won the NFC East a year ago and clobbered the Eagles in back-to-back games at the end of the season, 58-14. They opened 1-7 but have won three of their last four.
The Eagles think they'll see a team that's playing much better under interim coach Jason Garrett and a team similar to the one that gave them beat downs in Dallas last season.
"When you're sitting on your butt in the playoffs and you see the team destroy you two times in a row, it's sickening," Mikell said. "So I've definitely had this one circled."
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In injury news, tackle Winston Justice did not practice today with a hyperextended knee and is questionable for Sunday at this point. King Dunlap took his place at right tackle.
"We have full confidence in King, so if he has to be the guy that goes, then I think all the players have full trust in him," Reid said.
Cornerback Asante Samuel (knee) and defensive Juqua Parker (hip) returned to practice. "I think they're ready to go" for Sunday, Reid said.
Reid was also asked if anything came of the Eagles' complaints to the league office about the extra hits they feel quarterback Michael Vick has taken.
“You know what, I’m done with all of that," Reid said. "We’re moving on playing the game and Michael feels the same way. And I probably put him in a bind by saying anything about it. So it’s about going and playing now. We’re not worried about any of that stuff.”
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Vick leads All-Pro balloting with 729,838 votes. He is ahead of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (691,146 votes), Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (623,074 votes), Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (591,598 votes) and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (547,340 votes) to round out the top five. Voting at nlf.com concludes on Dec. 20.
yea...Mcnabb is a Redskin...dunno if this stupid paper has gotten the memo yet since you can't let him freakin go— pucky88- yeah sucky88! you tell that stupid paper who's boss!! gosh darn stupid paper. wait, can a paper be stupid? aren't we on the internet right now? where am i?
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I never got the big deal with the air guitar thing.— phillydude - The Eagles should be looking for Mr. Mikell's replacement soon. Nice guy, suspect safety.— bobcitydoc
- Quintin - if you are the "elite" this season is destined to end up the 11 before it! Please not mention he air guitar again - is there nothing else in sports in the city to write about!!!!????— jakster
The air guitar was nothing compared to what he did seconds later: banging on that glass partition at a cheering Eagles fan. If the Eagles win, McNabb showed great leadership, keeping everyone loose. But they lost and he gets derided and blamed for something that had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the Dallas offense line or their schemes, including all those freakin' BUBBLE SCREENS, that smoked the Eagles. It's much easier/idiotic to talk about air guitar and blame McNabb, thus . . . you'll never see Sheil write a post like this, fellas.— Leegles- who caresguitar? How about Mike leading the ballots for All Pro? That's a story. Go MVP Mike!— Kolb
- This article is straight pandering to the chuckleheads on this site who are fixated on the air guitar thing. Absolutely pathetic, bottom-feeding, speaking to the lowest common denominator of fans out there. You "journalists" can do better than that, can't you?— FKD215
- These aren't journalists, remember?
- Mikell shouldn't say the elite, otherwise his blown coverage, non tackling behind would be sent packing. total liability in coverage. Once samuel is too slow to be a CB, i can see him taking over as the captain of the secondary as a FS— xlGmanlx
- Wait a second...the Tonner is getting the impression that playing air guitar isn't viewed as a cool thing to do. Well let the Tonner tell you something...the broads down at Cookies go nuts when the Tonner does his "Stairway to Heaven" air guitar solo. NUTS the Tonner says. It's like shooting fish in a barrel for the Tonner after that. Maybe McNabb just wasn't doing it right. You can't do air guitar half way just like you can't do Karate halfway like Mr. Miyagi (the original, not Jackie Chan) said. Wow, that was a lot of writing, the Tonner's going to go have himself a Genny Cream Ale to help him relax.
Wait'll Apocalypse or Aristotle or Brainf*rt, whatever he calls himself, catches wind of this article. Ya HAD to stir the pot, right Jeff?- McBOZO----Philadelphia's greatest guitarist EVER !!!! Maybe Justice's knee would have felt better today if he wasn't suck a##ing as the eagle's rep next to the players union mouthpiece on the news last night.— jwatson
- Where's DooDooFresh when ya need him????— chief_jaysons
- Im with Phillydude...I just took it as the guy was showing he's loose during a big game...trying to loosen up his young teammates...then again, what do I know? Kevin Kolb is still the future!
