Theismann says McNabb wasn't appreciated in Philly
Get Joe Theismann talking about Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb, and he doesn't hold back. Theismann said McNabb, traded to the Redskins in April after playing 11 seasons with the Eagles, was never appreciated in Philly.
Get Joe Theismann talking about Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb, and he doesn't hold back.
Theismann said McNabb, traded to the Redskins in April after playing 11 seasons with the Eagles, was never appreciated in Philly.
"From the day Donovan McNabb was drafted by the Eagles, he's been booed," said Theismann, who will work NFL Network games this season with Bob Papa and Matt Millen. "No one liked that pick in the beginning . . . It seems to me that everything Donovan did just wasn't good enough for people to appreciate the football player he was. Everybody agrees of what type a man he was - and is - but from a football standpoint everybody always expected just a little bit more."
Theismann said it's too soon to judge Kolb, who took over as the Eagles starter.
"I think Kevin has the makeup to really play the position," said Theismann, whose 12-year career with the Redskins included a victory in Super Bowl XVII. "But it's going to take time to learn how to play quarterback as a starter. Is he physically going to be able to withstand the pounding of 16 straight weeks and maybe more? Donovan made a lot of plays being flushed out of the pocket. Is Kevin going to be able to throw the ball like Donovan does out of the pocket? There are a lot of questions.
"Certainly the Eagles organization was a lot closer to their quarterback situation than I was. I believed that Donovan was going to get traded this year. The status of his contract . . . his age . . . Kevin came in last year and played two games and threw for over 300 yards in both of them. So, there are a lot of reasons why the football team said, 'OK, it's time for us to make a decision.' The most shocking part of it was Donovan being traded to the Washington Redskins.''
Theismann said Redskins fans will show McNabb the love he never received in Philly. Eagles fans who want to debate the point can chat with Theismann in person at a pharmacy in the Greater Northeast on Friday. The ex-quarterback is urging Birds fans, and everyone else in the Delaware Valley, to take advantage of free ultrasound screenings for abdominal aortic aneurysms, AAA for short. It's a cause Theismann supports because it hits close to home.
"My dad had open-heart surgery a number of years ago and it showed up on one of his checkups. They've been monitoring it ever since. That's how I became involved.
"The ultrasound is free and painless. Ninety percent of the people who have [AAA] go undetected and if it bursts, you die. If it can be detected and repaired the percentages sway in your favor tremendously."
Who should get the screening?
"All those people who used to boo me," Theismann said with a laugh. "I'd love to see people around for a long time rooting for their Eagles."
AAA screening
Free ultrasound screenings for abdominal aortic aneurysms will be held Friday at the Kmart Pharmacy at 8800 Frankford Ave. from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The risk for AAA increases for people 60-and-over, those who have a history of smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or a family history of the disease. The screening takes approximately 10 minutes. To register call 866-371-3592.