ET TU HUGH? (Did you have an extra large knife or was it a machete)?

[bobbyinlondon]

Subject: "Et tu, Hugh?? Got an extra large knife?"


http://www.philly.com/mld/sports/eagles

Posted on Thu, Feb. 02, 2006

Douglas questions McNabb's leadership skills. 
By Marc Narducci Inquirer Staff Writer
                                                                 
Former Eagles defensive end Hugh Douglas is employed as the team's ambassador, but his comments yesterday on WIP-AM (610) were far from diplomatic.

Speaking on the station's morning show, Douglas spread the blame for the team's disappointing 6-10 season, but he specifically questioned the leadership of quarterback Donovan McNabb.

"The thing that Donovan needs - it's been proven, especially this year - he needs other people to lead," Douglas said. "He's not a leader. He doesn't want to lead. He is the leader on the field as a quarterback; he isn't a team leader. He needs a good supporting cast."
Contacted last night, the 34-year-old Douglas modified the statement about McNabb, but only slightly.

"In order to be a leader, you have to be in people's face; if that is what you think, he isn't that guy," Douglas said. "Donovan will lead on the football field, and if you need him to give a Vince Lombardi speech, he won't."

Douglas said that he and McNabb talked yesterday after the radio show and that the Eagles quarterback was fine with what Douglas said when he explained the context.

McNabb was not available for comment.

Douglas was waived by the team in September and hired for his ambassador role. He also talked on the broadcast about the problems the Eagles' perceived lack of leadership caused for coach Andy Reid.
"Big Red thought he had a bunch of leaders," Douglas said. "When he realized , it was too late."

Douglas suggested on the show that some radical changes would be needed to address the leadership issue.

"At some point, is going to have to go in that locker room and make it like Beirut again, to be totally honest," Douglas said. "It's obvious right now that the guys who he thinks are leaders aren't his leaders, and the young guys aren't ready to lead."

Douglas did not back away from that statement last night, saying that he was going to tell the truth, regardless of whether he was a team employee.

"What kind of person would I be to tell fans that everything is fine?" Douglas said. "I don't think what I said was that bad."

Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown disagreed with Douglas' assessment.
"To me, that is disrespecting guys he played with," Brown said last night. "How can you say guys like Brian Dawkins or Jon Runyan aren't leaders? It's a comment that doesn't speak fairly to guys we have in the locker room, and I think that is just radio talk.

"I don't care what Hugh says," Brown said. "Quite frankly, the guys I am playing with I trust, and I trust the leaders we have. I am around them every day, and Hugh isn't around them every day."

Douglas also said he told McNabb he should not have resumed his feud with Terrell Owens in the media over the last two days.

Eagles president Joe Banner was unavailable for comment yesterday. Derek Boyko, the Eagles' director of media services, defended Douglas, but he would not comment directly on Douglas' statements.

"Hugh Douglas goes on the radio a lot and defends our players and team and cleans up a lot of the misnomers that are out there," Boyko said.

Brown and Douglas have at least some common ground. Both feel that the only way to move forward is to let go of this season.

"Donovan is still making too big a deal out of this," Brown said. "We come back, win games and get the job done, then the whole T.O. saga is done."

[henchmanUK]

Good quotes from Sheldon Brown, regarding Hugh and the 2005 season. Sounds like he's[/i] ready to take a leadership role.

[pinoyboy2pt0]

Don shouldn't have brought it back up, even if he was asked about it.  Just get him out of your head and off our team...plus, this probably isn't helping his trade value.  However, Spads said this was 'closure' for Donovan.

Douglas I think will be fired as 'bad-ass-ador', but I like how he tells it like it is.

If leadership is a question, maybe this means we throw (please) some more coin at Runyan.

[Feva]

"In order to be a leader, you have to be in people's face; if that is what you think, he isn't that guy," Douglas said. "Donovan will lead on the football field, and if you need him to give a Vince Lombardi speech, he won't."

That's pure bullshtein right there.  There are so many types of different ways for a person to project themselves as a leader... only one of which is getting in someone's face and screaming their head off.  I think Hugh's been letting the WIPping boys get into his head a little too much.

[Geowhizzer]

So for Douglas, who is still employed by the Eagles, to go on WIP and ripping people currently on the team he is employed with is "telling it like it is."

Yet for McNabb to make comments on TO, who has repeatedly made comments ripping McNabb in the past year, is out of bounds and results in Eagles fans losing respect for him?

I just don't get it.  McNabb can do nothing in this city without being torn to pieces.

I am as sick of hearing about TO as anyone, and I am sick of ESPN once more turing into a freaking soap opera and playing this over and over again.   Once more they go for the tabloid stuff instead of focusing on the Super Bowl.  I wish that RJS was not just words, because then TO would have been napalmed and all this crap wouldn't be happening.

I suppose I'll be playing CDs on my hour drive this morning.  What do you folks think:  Seger, Springsteen or Tull?

[Feva]

"To me, that is disrespecting guys he played with," Brown said last night. "How can you say guys like Brian Dawkins or Jon Runyan aren't leaders? It's a comment that doesn't speak fairly to guys we have in the locker room, and I think that is just radio talk.

"I don't care what Hugh says," Brown said. "Quite frankly, the guys I am playing with I trust, and I trust the leaders we have. I am around them every day, and Hugh isn't around them every day."

Btw... it looks like if there's one person in that locker room that definitely has McNabb's back, it's Sheldon Brown.  farg what Hugh's talking about, it's Sheldon that's "telling it like it is". 

[PhillyGirl]

Sheldon Brown = SHOULD be Pro-Bowler and captain of the team. 

[MadMarchHare]

Without picking a fight (I know I'll get  from PG, but that's unavoidable), why are we discounting what Hugh says so quickly?  It was clear that there was no leadership in the lockerroom this year, both while DMac was there and when he wasn't.  The defense was a mess, and no one seemed to be able to pump them up.  TO said he'd make the Eagles miserable if he didn't get his way;  mission accomplished.  And things never got better even after he was jettisoned.  I love DMac, and want him here his entire career.  Lead by example works in my business pretty well, but I don't have testosterone fueled egomaniacs for co-workers.

In a wolf pack, the biggest, loudest alpha male rules the pack.  The rest eat the scraps.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Eh, whatever.  Hugh has even less right to be running his gums in the media than Donovan does.

[ice grillin you]

fwiw hugh did come on the afternoon show for some damage control...explaining what he said...in fact he was pretty hot at gargano for reporting that he had said mcnabb is not a leader...hugh called in unannounced to set things straight...he clarified it by saying that mcnabb wasnt a vocal leader but that he was a very good leader overall

[PhillyPhreak54]

"In order to be a leader, you have to be in people's face; if that is what you think, he isn't that guy," Douglas said. "Donovan will lead on the football field, and if you need him to give a Vince Lombardi speech, he won't."

This is exactly what I've been saying for quite some time now. Donovan has always said that he leads by example and he's not the guy to get in folks faces.

Be glad this garbage is happening now in February.

And I kinda liked Hugh saying that Andy needs to start getting heavy handed a little bit again. Not "hey Hegamin push this sled 100 yards and then you're cut" or "hey Bill Johnson, you laugh on the flight after a loss you're cut". But a little ego checking.

Props to Sheldon too.

[mikey418]

None of this will matter next September when the Eagles are back to their winning ways...as Sheldon said, when the game starts, all will be forgotten.

[Rome]

Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown disagreed with Douglas' assessment.
"To me, that is disrespecting guys he played with," Brown said last night. "How can you say guys like Brian Dawkins or Jon Runyan aren't leaders? It's a comment that doesn't speak fairly to guys we have in the locker room, and I think that is just radio talk.

"I don't care what Hugh says," Brown said. "Quite frankly, the guys I am playing with I trust, and I trust the leaders we have. I am around them every day, and Hugh isn't around them every day."

Looks like the scrappy puppy just turned into a full-on badass motherfarging junkyard dog.

[SunMo]

everyone on the team should do themselves a favor and shut the farg up.

[rjs246]

everyone on the team should do themselves a favor and shut the farg up.

A farging men