Another target for a PG attack

[BigEd76]

MSNBC

McNabb, Eagles should part ways ASAP
QB's inability to win big game, win over fans means he needs a fresh start
COMMENTARY
By JT the Brick
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 11:00 p.m. ET Nov. 16, 2005


Philadelphia fans have already started to panic and many of them are finished backing Donovan McNabb as the starting quarterback of the Eagles.

He has lost several big games throughout his career, including the Super Bowl and several NFC championship games, but the Monday night loss to Dallas might be the one that takes him the longest to live down. The stage was set for the Eagles to put all of the Terrell Owens talk behind them and climb back into the playoff race, but the house of cards came crashing to the ground with under five minutes to play as Philadelphia blew a 13-point lead an ended up losing to their hated rival 21-20.

McNabb has thrown 66 interceptions in the regular season throughout his seven-year professional career, but none was more dramatic than Monday night's telegraphed laser beam that put the Cowboys in a tie for first place in the NFC East with the NY Giants. That is the type of mistake you make when you playing on the road in a meaningless preseason matchup, not in a must-win game in front of your home fans that could make or break the entire season.

That pick ranks only behind the one that McNabb threw to Ronde Barber of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 19, 2003 at Veterans Stadium that resulted in a 92-yard touchdown with 3:12 left in the NFC championship game. The Eagles ended up losing to the Bucs 27-10 and missed a chance at winning Super Bowl XXXVII. Speaking of the Super Bowl, McNabb also blew Philadelphia's chance at winning its first football championship since 1960 by throwing three interceptions against New England last year.

Could it be that Donovan McNabb just might not be able to win the big game? That is nothing to be ashamed of, just ask Charles Barkley, Ernie Banks or even Peyton Manning what it feels like to chase a championship ring and come up short every time. My questions is, might McNabb be better off playing for a different team with a fan base that might embrace him and encourage him to push on after coming up short so many times in his already painful career?
   
I had a blast talking to football fans around the country who want Donovan to bolt Philadelphia and end up in their city. Even though McNabb signed a $115-million contract in 2002 through the year 2010, fans in other NFL markets want McNabb to reconsider his future in Philly. A Tampa Bay Buccaneer fan tried to convince me that McNabb could run Jon Gruden's west coast offense along with Joey Galloway, Michael Clayton and Cadillac Williams. Detroit Lions fans, who are sick and tired of losing, would love to see McNabb in the Honolulu Blue throwing passes to Mike Williams, Roy Williams and Charles Rodgers. A die-hard Detroit fan proposed a blockbuster trade to the Motor City that would only help secure the job status of general manager Matt Millen and head coach Steve Mariucci. Think of McNabb playing in Baltimore for Brian Billick as he opens up his playbook for his new quarterback who could count on Ray Lewis and the rest of that defense to deliver for him in big games.

If I were McNabb, I would do anything in my power to get out of Philadelphia and play for a fan base that appreciates me more. McNabb has played the entire 2005 schedule with a serious sports hernia injury and has had to deal with all of the media distractions that come with being associated with Owens.  That should be enough to get a free pass from his hometown fans, but they continue to pile on.

Philadelphia is a great sports town because they hold their professional athletes accountable for their actions on and off the field, but they are the worst group of sports fans when it comes to kicking their own while they are down. The Eagles are all but done this season and I am sure McNabb will continue to work his tail off to recover from his injuries so that he can lead his team back to the playoffs and maybe even the Super Bowl next season.

I feel sorry for McNabb because we should all be able to see the writing on the wall. The fans who booed Santa Claus and Mike Schmidt are the same ones who cheered while Michael Irvin laid motionless on the ground at Veterans Stadium back in 1999. The only way McNabb can win over the die-hard fans of Philadelphia is by winning a Super Bowl and his best chances for doing that might be in his rear view mirror.

[MDS]

boring.

[BigEd76]

There..I bolded it so you can grasp the concept... 

[hbionic]

farg JT the farging Brick. He's a cork sucker. His stupid farging Raider loving opinions...farg him, farg his family and farg dallas.

JT the Brick...farg him. There's only one real brick...that's Vick the brick Jacobs. "Good eeeevning spooooorts fans".

farg JT.

[JTrotter Fan]

I bet IGY agrees with this article. 

[General_Failure]

I bet IGY printed it out and rubbed it all over himself.

[MDS]

There..I bolded it so you can grasp the concept... 

like even thats gonna get me to read

[LBIggle]

so basically when your sports team fail miserably your suppossed to be happy, and cheer after you just blew x amount of dollars on a game.  they still get paid though. right.. happy happy happy.

thats like cheering on your kids after they bomb out on their report card.  good job son, heres money for something that i dont need to know about cuz im happy happy happy.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I heard him talking about this subject while on my way to work tonight. I only listen to him off and on but I did hear him say that he used to be a Giants fan and switched to being a Raiders fan. He also said that going to a Raiders game is the best experience in pro sports and that no other venue in the US is better than the Raiders on gameday sitting with the BlackHole convicts. So he lost credibility with me there...

But I do agree that a lot of fans do not embrace McNabb and that many people take him for granted.

It bothers the hell out of me how badly the guy is treated by some in this city. Sure he deserves criticism and deserves to get booed once in awhile (Monday night especially) but I'm tired of hearing how he has no heart and tired of hearing radio and TV people saying that he is garbage.

I guess the haters forgot what the pre-McNabb days were like.

[ice grillin you]

I bet IGY agrees with this article.

partly

i think reid should go first

i like mcnabb...but...and this is the truth...i said to my seatmates right after the game monday that he is essentially done in this town....no one will ever forget this game and his every mistake from here on out will be magnified ten fold in the city

the dallas game is just another in a long line of big games that ended with a mcnabb pick...yeah we can all give a reason/excuse as to why he does it but the fact is that is his legacy right now and i dont think he is the kind of guy that can overcome what he is going to face in terms of pressure from the fanbase that he will now face

[Geowhizzer]

Bring back Kotite and Hoying!

[Rome]

Ahaha.  Thanks for posting that drivel.  I needed a good laugh.

[QB Eagles]

I don't think McNabb is done in this town at all. He's still the franchise.

He's a great QB. He also chokes a lot in big-game situations. Those are just the facts. It might be that he never leads the Eagles to a ring, but I'd rather have a QB capable of doing great things who is prone to the choke than a zesty QB who never even gets the Eagles to a big game where they are capable of choking. The retards on WIP don't speak for the city.

[Fan_Since_64]

But I do agree that a lot of fans do not embrace McNabb and that many people take him for granted.

It bothers the hell out of me how badly the guy is treated by some in this city. Sure he deserves criticism and deserves to get booed once in awhile (Monday night especially) but I'm tired of hearing how he has no heart and tired of hearing radio and TV people saying that he is garbage.

I guess the haters forgot what the pre-McNabb days were like.

I have to agree. I also believe that it is absurd to suggest that McNabb is done in Philadelphia. If he comes back next season healthy and has a big year - and the Eagles soar as a result - who will dwell on a bad play here or there? Even the greatest quarterbacks have had rough performances in big games, and no one wins all the time. You have to look at the overall career - the complete package. But I guess a lot of people can't step back and do that - they look at the last game, or the last play, and lose all sense of proportion.

I've watched the Eagles for over 40 years now. Donovan McNabb is the best quarterback they've had during that period (Norm Van Brocklin and Sonny Jurgensen were before my time - and Donovan has had more quality seasons for the Eagles than Sonny had). Randall Cunningham was exciting to watch, for sure, but he wasn't as complete a QB, and certainly wasn't the leader that Donovan McNabb is. Ron Jaworski? Yep, I liked him because he wasn't as physically blessed as a McNabb or Cunningham but got the most out of what he had. Not in Donovan's league. Roman Gabriel? He was on the downside by the time he arrived in Philadelphia, and had only one quality season for a team that went 5-8-1. Norm Snead? King Hill? Pete Liske? Um, I don't think so.

This has been a tough season. It isn't over yet, and regardless, the Eagles will be back and so will Donovan McNabb. Let's not allow the hysteria-mongers to get us down!

[ice grillin you]

i dont think hes literally done as in they should or will trade him...cause thats obviously not going to happen...im just saying every pass he throws from here on out will be under the philly fan magnifying glass...and only certain players can handle that...mcnabb is clearly not one...when things are going great hes mr happy go lucky almost to an annoying level...but the second there is even an inkling of trouble or a tough situation mcnabb folds like an accordian...and from here on out the fans are going to make it tough on him like never before...im not saying hes going to get booed every single play or not cheered when he does well...but plays that used to get no response will now get a grumble...and plays where the crowd used to grumble will now be boos...boos will now be venom...and mcnabb cant handle stuff like that...for god sakes hes still brings up the draft

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