Simms: McNabb's not the problem
Very interesting interview with Phil Simms on WIP this afternoon.
Simms: McNabb's not the problem
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Very interesting interview with Phil Simms on WIP this afternoon.
I suggest listening to the whole thing, but there are some excerpts I wanted to share here.
Everyone has an opinion on Donovan McNabb and the Eagles' future at quarterback. Simms is no different.
He offered what I thought was a fair assessment of McNabb - praising him for his strengths and criticizing him for his weaknesses.
But when asked specifically about the way the Eagles' season ended and the two losses to the Cowboys, Simms said the Birds had several other problems that are of greater concern than McNabb's play.
"I saw a football team that absolutely could not even get close to protecting their quarterback," Simms said. "... If that was Kevin Kolb, they’d be drafting another one right now because he would be dead."
One quick note from me here: I'm not sure it's fair to lump the two games together in terms of offensive line play. I thought the protection was much better in the Week 17 game than in the wild-card game.
Getting back to Simms, he added that he's a big McNabb supporter. He acknowledged McNabb's problems with accuracy, saying McNabb's "not a naturally-gifted thrower," but argued that he makes up for it with his play-making ability.
"There’s no doubt for a big-time pro quarterback, he misses more throws than any of the big-time quarterbacks, but he overcomes that with his strength," Simms said. "Because they let him throw enough, he ends up making up for it. He usually hits those big plays… there’s a give and take there."
When asked about Kolb, Simms said the Eagles coaches will know if he's capable of carrying the team forward at this point in his career.
"If they really believe he’s ready and he’s the guy, then they’re gonna pull the trigger on something with Donovan McNabb," Simms said. "But, boy, you better be sure because if it doesn’t work..."
I've stumbled upon some other interesting takes, links and rumors on McNabb, which I'll share Wednesday afternoon.
And if you're wondering what my stance is on the whole issue, I'll get to that later in the week too. I'm trying to come up with a unique way to present it.
One crappy QB defending another. And hey Phil, "I saw a football team that absolutely could not even get close to protecting their quarterback,"....Oh yeah? Like on the very first throw of the game where DJack blew by his defender and was standing open in a field, with McChump having PLENTY of time? Like THAT? You know, the throw that kicked up a divot like a nine-iron four feet in front of Jackson? You mean like that?— enabler1
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- phil simms talks to much! who made him vince lombardi? kayate phil!— socalbirdsfan
- phil simms is a t.v. announcer, period. his opinion is respected and fair. if the eagles don't make a change at q.b., m.l.b., free and strong safety they don't stand a chance to win the nfc east let along a championship. their defense was 2nd rate and their q.b. is a proven looser who comes to post game interviews wearing rose colored glasses and expresses rose colored ideas. is this hate? no, just the facts.— JACK V
- I gaurantee that if McNabb's recievers caught half of the balls through out his career, he would be seen in a different light. He is in the same boat as Iverson. For years not enough talent around him and as a man he takes the blame. class act— flyguy3
- Why do i have the impression that EVERYBODY but locals can see the importance of McNabb? I live out of town but i´m as phanatic as it gets... please people, don´t wait till he´s gone to appreciate what you have.— Mexico
- "I saw a football team that absolutely could not even get close to protecting their quarterback," Simms said. "... If that was Kevin Kolb, they’d be drafting another one right now because he would be dead." He's right. Dallas had 2-3 guys constantly in the backfield. Any QB in the NFL is going to look average if you get enough pressure on them...doesn't matter who it is.— JimG
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"If that was Kevin Kolb, they’d be drafting another one right now because he would be dead." My exact words months ago but then again what the heck does Simms know? He only played the position, we have that sage of the gridiron to listen to...B-Bop!— tpizza- What the Birds need is to improve the linebacker position(Stewart will be back next year), start moving towards a bigger O Line, and get another pass rusher on defense. The secondary could be cleaned up too, but I don`t think that is the biggest problem. I don`t see McNabb as somebody we need to focus on right now. He is definitely in the top 10 QBs in the NFL. We can`t say that about our O Line, pass rushing defense, linebackers, or secondary.— FaithInMcNabb
- Swagga, most of the haters on here are not Eagles fans, much like yourself. I live in SD now and I spent time in both Atlanta and Phoenix, and believe me, every fan base has it's fair share of village idiots. Go pound sand and leave these message boards to those of us that want to have intelligent discussions with like minded folks.— The Reddgie
- "Crappy" Phil Simms in Superbowl XXI: 22 of 25 passes, 268 yards, 3 touchdowns. 39-20 victory over HOF'er John Elway.— mawst95
- Whenever I read these reader comments, I am reminded that idiocy is alive and well. I hated Simms when he was on the Giants, but he is a good broadcaster, pretty objective, and he did win a ring and has the best completion percentage in SB history (88%). I think he knows more than you morons.— socalphillyguy
- So funny to see the national view on McNabb after listening to the local faithful.— Jim C.
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