What they're saying: McNabb debate; Vick's future
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What they're saying: McNabb debate; Vick's future
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
I had the opportunity to spend Wednesday morning with the fine folks at Freire Charter School as part of their Career Day.
My goal when speaking to each of the four groups was to avoid having more than three students fall asleep on me. So I started with an informal poll:
Raise your hand if you want Donovan McNabb gone.
Raise your hand if you want the Eagles to keep McNabb.
The results: 30 of 39 students want him gone (77 percent).
Among the reasons they provided: He's "corny." He makes bad decisions. He's always injured. He can't win the big games. He's washed up. He's been here for too long.
The point of this? Everyone has an opinion about McNabb and whether he should be the Eagles' starting quarterback next season.
Here's a roundup of links on that topic, and some others:
Mike Lombardi of the National Football Post advises fans not to blame McNabb:
The fans will blame McNabb because that’s the easiest thing to do, but the core issue, especially against the Cowboys, is that their defensive line can’t match up to the Cowboys. Unless Trent Cole can make a play coming off the edge, the Eagles lose every matchup in the front seven. Mike Patterson, the Eagles defensive tackle, is a nice player, a good player, but he’s not a pass rusher, and his lack of size is a problem when facing Leonard Davis, the Cowboys’ massive right guard. No other player can consistently dominate for the Birds, while the Cowboys have several players who dominate against the Eagles offensive line. The reason for the loss to the ‘Boys lies in both lines, not McNabb. The Cowboys can dominate the line of scrimmage, and their ability to pressure McNabb takes the Eagles offense out of the game. The Eagles are NOT a West Coast offense, they are a down-the-field passing team, and this requires pass protection. It requires time for the quarterback, something McNabb was not given in the games against the ‘Boys.
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News wonders whether the 49ers might call the Eagles about acquiring McNabb:
If you’re the 49ers, would you call up the Eagles in March and check to see if you can pry loose Donovan McNabb for a 2010 second-round pick? No way I’d give up either of their No. 1s, but for a No. 2… Worth a thought, if Philly’s interested. The Eagles have Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick, both free agents in a year (if they keep Vick). McNabb’s contract is also up after a year, so he’d need a large extension to go with any trade, which lessens his trade value dramatically.
ESPN.com's John Clayton says don't be so quick to write off McNabb playing in Philly next season:
He's not done yet. There are lot of people who want to run McNabb out of town. That would be a mistake. If Brett Favre retires, there will be a trade market for McNabb if the Vikings make the right offer. Favre is an interesting comparison. I don't think Kolb is as talented as Aaron Rodgers, but you saw what happened to the Packers once Favre left. They fell to 6-10, even though Rodgers threw for more than 4,000 yards.
Matt Bowen of the National Football Post thinks Buffalo could be a good fit for Michael Vick:
I can’t see any way that the Eagles bring Vick back and pay him the money he is owed next season to continue to act as a gadget player in the Philly version of the spread option. He is too good of a player for that and too good of a quarterback to be wasted lining up in the wildcat. Vick needs a team that is going to allow him to become the starting quarterback, and the Bills do have some talent at the skill positions when we talk about WR Lee Evans and RBs Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. Yes, the offensive line is a patchwork job, but with free agency and the draft, Buffalo can address those needs.
Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says Vick could bring a buzz back to the Rams:
Rams GM Billy Devaney was part of the Atlanta organization during Vick's career there and visited Vick in prison. Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur are former assistants to Eagles coach Andy Reid and they trust his judgment. If Reid recommends Vick, Spagnuolo will listen.
Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press mentions the Vikings in the McNabb conversation if Brett Favre retires:
It appears Philadelphia might consider trading QB Donovan McNabb, 33, whom Vikings coach Brad Childress had as Eagles offensive coordinator under pal/head coach Andy Reid. But it would seem highly unlikely that the Eagles would allow McNabb to go to another NFC team.
If Vick and or McNabb leaves they will have great careers wherever they go. I wish them both well in life as players and as human beings. They will both be fine. Mr. Vick understands what he needs to do and will do it. People dont want to give him any credit for the changes he has made in his life and that is fine. God and those that want to see it do. Mr. Vick and his finacee were a blessing to the community they lived in and will be wherever he goes.— Blessed8251- even though it will not be posted by anyone's comments, player for player the Cowboys have better talent. So before you throw 5 off the bus, remember that it takes a team to win, and a team to lose. I personally would prefer that Donovan stays and the coaching staff gets a kick in the tookus that a balanced offense will win.— mortgage_wizard
- It is amazing how the writers in Philadelphia want players gone. Taking polls of school kids taking any kind of poll of fans. Mr. Lurie did not get to where he is by listening to want-to-be coaches and fans making decisions about who goes and stays. What a bunch of losers these sports writers are.— Blessed8251
I resent "fans will blame McNabb because its the easy thing to do" ... don't insult a Philly sports fan's intel, Mike. Don't need your advice anyway. I vote for Freire Charter's #1 reason, "he's corny." LOL.— gho_matt- after all is said and done, I think Donovan is staying put. I agree 100% with Mike Lombardi's evaluation that the Eagles have been losing to Dallas because they are losing the batttles on the line of scrimmage and not because of McNabb. The only way I'd consider moving McNabb is for a top 10 first rounder paired with a 3rd rounder. I say build the defense into a bigger, stronger, harder hitting team and see where it takes us. And trade Vick for a 2nd rounder to Buffalo, Cleveland or St. Louis.— bradco
- I've felt for a while that though I like him, if Andy can catch a #1 pick from somebody drafting in the second half of teams, or a #2 from somebody in the first half....GO FOR IT! We saw enough of Kolb to form a decent opinion of him: ZERO "escapability", but accurate with a good variety of passes. He WILL however throw more picks than Mc5, so get used to that. I'm also unimpressed with his decision making,ie: like Donovan, he hangs on to the ball too long before throwing it away! He does NOT have Mc5's "quicks", and will get caught with the ball too often. But if the O-Line gets it's stuff together next year, and Andy runs the ball enough (mmmph, snicker!) I think Kolb could possibly get us to the playoffs. And IF the defense can be fixed to the point where it would be slightly above NFL average, we might contend for the Division crown. Oh yeah, almost forgot: Vick should fetch a #2 pick from a higher drafting-type team. And we gotta go find AJ Feeley and get him back here as our #2 QB!— TBear
- If Kurt Warner decides to retire, I wouldn't be surprised if Arizona makes an offer to acquire McNabb from the Eagles.— TripleOption
- Arizona has Leinhart. I don't see them giving up on him so soon.— P Even
Comment removed.- "We gotta go find AJ Feeley..." Uh, yeah right.— p-diddy
- Reid and McNabb have been together 11 years and have won a lot of games but no Super Bowl. If you're OK with being a contender every year but no SB win then keep them both. If your goal is to win a SB then one probably needs to go. The definition of 'insanity' clearly applies to the Eagles.— butchcat
- What is TBear refering to on McNabb's quicke. It cann't be his throws because he holds on to the ball waiting for the BIG pass and then gets sacked.— tulsaphil
- It seems that now is the time to trade him. He could get injured and then the team and Donnie are both done. So while apparently healthy, trade him for a low No. 1 or two picks in the 2nd. But, the team needs much more to now compete than one 33 yr. old QB. If Kolb stays, the money for Vick as No. 2 will not be that much. And if someone wants to give the Birds a low No. 1 or a high No. 2, Vick goes too. There might be a Tebow when the Birds draft in the 3rd since so many teams seem to dis him. I would not.— KGKoons
- I hope (and expect) the Eagles to bring McNabb back. The offense has gotten far on smoke-and-mirrors season after season, but it's always had gaps -- gaps that the very best defenses have been able to exploit. McNabb is good in the way all good quarterbacks are good: if you give him time in the pocket, he will eventually find his receivers and make plays. But, if the offense line can't be consistent, and, relatedly, if we still can't field a vaguely credible running game, then the better defenses will tend to get the better of the offense.— chaunceygardiner
- Great piece Sheil. You must have spent hours putting it all together. You have that "cut and paste" function down pat. Let's face it..McNabb's not going anywhere next year. Deep down, you know this. Please try writting something with a little bit of substance. You're getting a little too tabloid.— misplacedeaglefan
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