Peter King, Donovan vs. Eli, etc.
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Peter King, Donovan vs. Eli, etc.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Yesterday, we rounded up national opinion on the newly restructured contract between Donovan McNabb and the Eagles.
But one name we had yet to hear from at the time of the post was Sports Illustrated's Peter King.
King chimed in on the McNabb deal as one of the lead items of his Monday Morning Quarterback column today.
The McNabb deal makes sense, there's nothing sinister about it. "Donovan's contract yelled out that it needed to be adjusted,'' said Eagles president Joe Banner. Due $9.2 million this year and $10 million next year before the deal dissolved, McNabb had $5.2 million added to the next two years. That's it. As for the buzz over the past three months that McNabb was demanding a new deal, Banner contends it never happened.
King continues...
Banner said it took six or seven conversations with Smith to get it done. The reason it hadn't been done earlier is because McNabb, from 2002 to 2006, missed 20 games due to injury, and the Eagles just didn't know if he could stay healthy. With McNabb missing two games over the past two years, the time was right to be fair to him.
So there you have it.
An interesting nugget later in his column. King says Tom Brady is next in line for a big deal, and his agent likely took notice of the McNabb news. Per King, McNabb is currently in line to make $10 million more than Brady over the next two seasons.
***
Initially I had planned to lead this morning with a Donovan McNabb vs. Eli Manning debate, but the Inquirer folks beat me to it. In their You Talking to Me? feature, John Gonzalez, Ashley Fox and Bob Ford break down the argument.
So why are we talking about this in the middle of June?
A couple of recently released lists have spurred the conversation.
Last week, ESPN.com's Matt Mosley put together a list of 10 players who he deemed the ultimate building blocks in the NFC East. Manning made the list at No. 1 and McNabb received only an honorable mention. The Eagles on his list were Asante Samuel (No. 4), Jason Peters (No. 5) and Brian Westbrook (No. 10). DeSean Jackson and Trent Cole joined McNabb among the honorable mentions.
Here was Mosley's justification for Manning:
I think Tony Romo is capable of breaking through in the playoffs, but give me the young guy who has already done it. Manning is about to have a huge season. I'm talking MVP-caliber season.
A reader questioned Mosley's selection of Manning over McNabb in a mailbag. The reader was actually a Cowboys fan, but also a Syracuse grad. Here was Mosley's response:
I was putting together the 10 players that would serve as the core of the team for the next three seasons. If you're deciding between Eli Manning and Donovan McNabb, you have to go with the guy who's actually won a ring. McNabb's still an above-average quarterback in the league, but in three years, I think he'll be winding things down. Manning should still be in his peak years.
I'm fine with using Eli's ring as justification for him being ahead of McNabb, but I always counter with this: If Manning were quarterbacking the Eagles during the recent era, do you think he would have made the difference between them winning a Super Bowl and them coming up just short? I say no.
But then again, if McNabb had been quarterbacking the Giants, you can't say for sure he would have led them to a championship.
The other list that has sparked the debate is from FoxSports.com's Peter Schrager, who ranks the top 99 players in the league, based on the following criteria:
1. Which player would I rather have on my team?
2. Which player would make the most impact on my team?
3. Which player will be the best in 2009, specifically?
Schrager ranks Manning No. 17 and McNabb No. 23, calling Donovan the single hardest player to rank:
The single hardest person to place on this list, McNabb could have been slotted anywhere from No. 5 to No. 50, and there would have been people who both supported and detested the placement. With Brian Dawkins now in Denver, he's the official heart-and-soul of the Eagles. There's a ton of expectations in Philly for '09. Lots of prognosticators have them taking a Lombardi back to the City of Brotherly Love next February. It's on you, Donovan.
Schrager has five quarterbacks ahead of both McNabb and Manning: Philip Rivers (No. 16), Drew Brees (No. 7), Ben Roethlisberger (No. 3), Tom Brady (No. 2), Peyton Manning (No. 1).
So have at it. What do you make of the rankings and the Eli/Donovan debate?
By the way, we're still searching for a name for you, the MTC readers. The only suggestion I've received is The Chain Gang, and I'm not sure if that's OK or awful so please chime in on that front also.
Comment removed.
Yeah, no way would I take Manning over McNabb. Sure he has a ring- but that's because of his defense. Even over the next three years, McNabb is still a better QB.— libertyof76- Dilfer has a ring. Who would take him over McNabb?— P Even
- Brad Johnson has a ring. Who would take him over McNabb?— reils
- Jeff Hostetler has a ring. Who would take him over McNabb?— reils
- Comment removed.
- Rivers and Brees havent ever won diddly. Why would they be so high on the list. I think thats where the "ring" qualification falls apart. Because none of them were a better QB than Marino so I dont see how valid having a ring is when you play in a team sport like football.
- During Eli's final drive in the Super Bowl, didn't one of his heroic passes hit Asante Samuel in the hands? And hasn't Mark Ripien also won a Super Bowl? Was John Elway better at 39 than when he was in his prime?— clonewolf
- Lets start being honest. There is always an excuse for this guy. If you are truly as great as everyone say you are, you would will your team to one superbowl win. Look at the way he has played in big games. You can't tell me its because he didn't have the weapons. The Tampa team that won the Superbowl didn't have great weapons. You talk about Brad Johnson and he beat Mcnabb without great weapons. I can go on and on about this. Its become a joke. He has been with the same coach and the same system for ten years. He still is calling time outs when the play clock runs down. Your telling me ten years in the same system and you can't call a play so you won't burn a timeout. And this is in the first 10min of the game. Tell me what player in sports played ten years in a row with the same team and never one the championship and everyone feels he should stay. Marino,Elway,Stocton,Malone,Ted Williams, I ask you? Is Mcnabb on that level. Again lets be honest. Mcnabb is not in that room!!!!!!!— dwaynem
- I think the Eli pass hitting Samuel in the hands is one of the best points. The pass should have been picked, and we would be hearing about nothing but what a choke artist and a loser Eli is. That is a fact. I think McNabb is hard to rank and "5th or 50th" sums it up. He is a top 5 QB that has helped his team contend for virtually every year he has been in the league, 5 pro bowls.— Jim C.
- Comment removed.
- Actually TaintSniffer (your classy login name pretty much says it all), Donovan puked (after getting the stuffing knocked out of him on successive plays by Tedy Bruschi) and then threw a touchdown pass on the very next play to G-Lew.— CV
- They are not excuses, dwayne, they are facts. FACT: McNabb's receiving corps LED THE LEAGUE IN DROPPED PASSES LAST SEASON...yet, they still went, how far? FACT: Eli Manning has had, for three seasons, one of the most producing wide receivers in the game in Plaixco Burress. Meanwhile, McNabb hasn't had a single receiver in the top ten in yards or TD's since Owens (you can blame it on Donovan, but numbers don't lie....and that would be a negative "EXCUSE" wouldn't it?). On top of these little bumps in the road for your "apologist" arguments, you can argue that the Eagles defense led them into the promise land last season but if you look at what the Giants did in the previous year, their numbers are astounding....and Eli does not play defense. Oh, by the way....in the last 8 minutes of the Eagles/Cardinals game....was it Donovan playing middle linebacker blowing coverage on James? Was Donovan creating coverage packages and scemes that allowed Arizona to blow EIGHT MINUTES OF PLAY IN THE FOURTH QUARTER WITH THE SCOREBOARD SHOWING A LEAD BY PHILADELPHIA?! No, didn't think so. Not an apology, just a few facts.— elektrika
- Comment removed.
- Eli Manning is the MOST overrated QB in the League BY FAR! If his last name wasn't Manning he'd be just another average NFL QB. If it wasn't for David Tyree catching a ball on his helmet the Eli would be without a ring. McNabb has gotten as much out of his players around him as anyone could wish for. He is the best QB in Eagle history and if the Eagles had a running back that could pound it for short yardage and 1 other good reciever the Eagles would have a couple rings by now.— styles856
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