McNabb's amazing career built on proving doubters wrong [Limbaugh]

USA Today ^ | 1/14/04 | Ian O'Connor

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Recruiters would come to Frank Lenti's door on the South Side of Chicago, men who did not necessarily subscribe to RUSH LIMBAUGH'S articles of faith, and they would tell the head coach at Mount Carmel High how much they wanted Donovan McNabb to play for their teams.

[Fast 1975]

[Mr. Mojo]

I agree that McNabb is good, but not great. This whole fascination with the success of black QB's should've ended in '87, when the Doug Williams-led Redskins annihilated the Broncos in the Super Bowl. A lot of people seem to forget that, though.

Yep, Carolina played very sloppy ball last week, especially in regard to penalties. They can't repeat that performance and expect to come out on top in Philly. The O-line was put through the ringer this week, I suspect.

[Alberta's Child]

What makes McNabb so overrated is that his "versatility" is actually a weakness in the NFL. If you had told me last week that McNabb would run for more than 100 yards against Green Bay, I would have told you that the Eagles would lose the game. NFL teams don't run wishbone or other option-type offenses, so whenever a quarterback runs for that many yards it's the result of a miserable passing game. In the case of Philadelphia, their biggest problem is that they may very well have the worst receiving corps in the NFL.

Ironically, McNabb's style of play is very similar to that of a former Philadelphia quarterback named Randall Cunningham -- who also never won a championship ring, either.

[stationkeeper]

My rating of McNabb's skills:
1-leadership "A"
2-running ability "A"
3-toughness "A"
4-passing ability "C"

[muleskinner]

Yeah, 21 for 39 vs. Packers...average at best.

[gipper81]

That pass will work one time in, maybe, fifty.

I think you're on the right track here with that statement and your other analysis.

Also, see if you agree with this. That pass was mostly a great catch. A fantastic catch. That ball was well behind Mitchell by several feet. He had to stop, turn, extend and catch a bullet of a pass over the middle. That was an all-world catch. Mitchell saved McNabb and saved the team. Balls like that are dropped all the time. Mitchell's athletic ability and desire for the ball was 80% of the story on that play.

[uncbob]

I disagree that Rush's statement was foolish

1. I disagree with Rush that the press was hyping McNabb because of his color. They hype everything and everyone that they think will catch on Favre's father etc etc and thre are so many black QBs these days that it doesn't matter anymore
2. Rush should not have been castigated like he was for his opinion . You would have thought he wanted to bring back slavery
3. BUT Rush was a victim of his own EGO. He thought he was so big he could get away with a NON PC comment.
As an NFL WANNABE he let his emotions color his common sense

I double guarrantee HE NEVER expected that backlash he got because after all he was the great one who only needed an audience for his logic to be seen and appreciated

[uncbob]

Well if FREDEX Freddy had held onto that McNabb passs on the 4 yard line making it 1ST and goal when the Eagles were only a TD behind then FREDEX's heroics on 4TH and 26 wouldn't have been needed

That was not McNabb's fault and I would like to see McNabb work with the receivers Manning has

[Your Nightmare]

Brad Johnson isn't in any commercials because he's boring. McNabb has personality and that comes across in commercials. That's why he's in more commercials than most other players, race has nothing to do with it. You don't see Steve McNair in many commecials either, do you?

[drjimmy]

McNabb is not that good of a QB. He wasn't very good at Syracuse either. He's very athletic, but he can't think.

What evidence would you propose for McNabb not being very good at Syracuse? Could it be because he was named the Big East offensive player of the decade for the 1990s? That he was the only three-time offensive player of the year in conference history? That he ended his college career ranking first in the Big East in passing yards (8,389), touchdown passes (77), total offensive yards (9,950) and touchdown responsibility (96). That he was the first player in conference history to be named All-Big East First Team four times in his career?

How about the nine SU records he holds, including career touchdown passes, total offensive yards, touchdown responsibility, career passing efficiency (155.1), season (22) touchdown passes, passing yards by a freshman (1,991) and junior (2,488), single-season total offense (2,892) and average total offensive yards per game (221.1)? How about that he led Syracuse to three Big East Championships during his tenure, including berths in the Orange and Fiesta Bowls? How about because for a guy who supposedly can't pass he ranked 6th in the nation with a 158.9 passing efficiency rating as a senior?

I saw Donovan McNabb demolish Michigan when it opened its new stadium in front of a record-setting 111,000 fans. I saw him demolish Miami 66-13 in the last game of his college career by passing for three touchdowns and running for two. And in the single most amazing individual effort I have ever witnessed by a football player, I saw him take SU on a 14-play, 83 yard drive to beat Virginia Tech with a TD pass on the last play of the game.

And by the way, for those who worship the QB rating as the be-all and end-all of a quarterback's quality, and claim that McNabb only beat Green Bay because of his runs and because of Philly's defense, his QB rating in that game was 90.5. Brett Favre's was 82.4.

[uncbob]

McNabb's style of play is very similar to that of a former Philadelphia quarterback named Randall Cunningham -- who also never won a championship ring, either.

McNabb has a lot more playoff wins than Cunningham did ( a BIG ZERO)

But I loved watching Randall play . He was exciting with that long stride and great arm

[rintense]

That maybe be, but Vick is far more talented. Unfortuantely, Vick's style makes him injury prone, which means his NFL career may be short. McNabb's attention is just the analyst's covering their own butts so they don't have to admit they're wrong.

[Hatteras]

I hopped into the Way-Back Machine and found a couple of articles, one from pre-Rush comments and one shortly after. The second gives some offensive statistics (flipping my cigar and raising my eyebrows up and down) Offensive? Offensive does quite begin to describe this offense... ahem, anyhow:

Posted on Mon, Sep. 15, 2003

McNabb in daze; Reid in denial
By Bill Lyon
Inquirer Columnist

First rule of the box office: If you can't win, at least entertain. The Eagles, wounded, wretched and woebegone, can't do either. They can't, in fact, get out of their own way.

It's bad enough that they aren't competitive, but worse, they're boring. You should be asking for refunds. You can sit down when they're playing and know you'll be there for the duration because they sure won't be doing anything to make you stand up. Nor do they give you any reason to think that things will be improving any time soon. Sunrise seems years away.

The good ship USS Reid is foundering in heavy seas and taking on water fast, and Cap'n Andy needs all hands on deck to bail. He is facing the greatest crisis since he took the job. He will find very little sympathy for his plight. When you play like this, you have only each other for comfort.

His quarterback, the cornerstone of the franchise, is in full, dazed retreat. Donovan McNabb was supposed to blossom this season; instead he has withered. The crowd has called for his benching.

Frankly, desperate as that sounds, it didn't strike you as such a bad idea.

"There's nothing wrong with Donovan," Reid insisted.

Well, clearly there is something wrong with him, and to suggest otherwise is an insult to everyone, an act of abject denial. His passes lack conviction as well as accuracy. He turns the ball over far too often. He is effective only when he runs, and he is reluctant to do that. His play is that of a man who finds himself riding a tiger and wanting desperately to get off but not sure how to dismount.

Only two weeks in, and this season has deteriorated from seeking the Super Bowl to simple survival.

With yesterday's dismal loss to New England, the Birds have begun their campaign 0 and 2. Worse, that's 0 and 2 at home. Twice now, in a span of six days, they have fouled their handsome new nest. With one game left in the season's first month, at Buffalo against a team that has scored 69 points its first two games, the Eagles are looking at the dreary and very real possibility of being ohhh-for-September.

They will have two weeks to marinate in the bile of this one, what with the bye week now at hand. Originally, this seemed like wretched timing, getting the pit stop with the season barely begun.

But Reid will need every minute of it now. If the team's confidence isn't completely shot, it is certainly shaken. Before, whenever the Birds had lost, Reid kept them believing and rebounding - since the first month of the 2000 season, never has a regular-season loss been followed by another loss.

Until now.

They will, he said, get this turned around. He neglected to say how.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Birds have acceptable excuses. In a word: Injuries. They are sorely depleted, especially in the secondary, and the Patriots cruelly and methodically exploited that vulnerability, throwing 44 passes, three for touchdowns.

The Birds' young cornerback, Lito Sheppard, forced to fill in for Bobby Taylor, was mercilessly and repeatedly picked on by the Patriots. In the NFL, the carnivores go after the young and the helpless.

The Eagles' offense has no such alibi. It is healthy and whole. But Reid's play-calling continues to infuriate and frustrate.

Even more damaging and alarming is the obvious regression of McNabb.

This season, he has seemed to decline. As badly as he played in the season opener, he was even worse yesterday. It may be of some consolation that he even made it through the game. With only 2 minutes, 40 seconds to play, McNabb was blindsided by linebacker Matt Chatham, a 250-pound helmet-tipped missile who proceeded to pile-drive the quarterback into the turf, shoulder first.

McNabb didn't move for long and anxious seconds. Your first thought was separated shoulder or broken collarbone. Neither, luckily for the Birds.

The question begged for an answer: With the Eagles down by 21 points with less than three minutes to play, why was McNabb still in the game?

"Well, we did get him out of there," Reid said.

Yes, but with all of 59 whole seconds to play. By then, McNabb had thrown 28 incompletions, had been sacked seven times, had suffered two lost fumbles and two interceptions, and looked thoroughly befuddled.

And yet the coach insisted that nothing was wrong with the quarterback.

Until that is acknowledged, and addressed, the Birds won't be pulling out of this death dive.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact columnist Bill Lyon at 215-854-5508 or blyon@phillynews.com.

And from shortly after:

Rush Limbaugh Was Right
Donovan McNabb isn't a great quarterback, and the media do overrate him because he is black.
By Allen Barra
Slate
Posted Thursday, Oct. 2, 2003, at 3:33 PM PT

In his notorious ESPN comments last Sunday night, Rush Limbaugh said he never thought the Philadelphia Eagles' Donovan McNabb was "that good of a quarterback."

If Limbaugh were a more astute analyst, he would have been even harsher and said, "Donovan McNabb is barely a mediocre quarterback." But other than that, Limbaugh pretty much spoke the truth. Limbaugh lost his job for saying in public what many football fans and analysts have been saying privately for the past couple of seasons.

Let's review: McNabb, he said, is "overrated ... what we have here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback can do well—black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well."

In his notorious ESPN comments last Sunday night, Rush Limbaugh said he never thought the Philadelphia Eagles' Donovan McNabb was "that good of a quarterback."

If Limbaugh were a more astute analyst, he would have been even harsher and said, "Donovan McNabb is barely a mediocre quarterback." But other than that, Limbaugh pretty much spoke the truth. Limbaugh lost his job for saying in public what many football fans and analysts have been saying privately for the past couple of seasons.

Let's review: McNabb, he said, is "overrated ... what we have here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback can do well—black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well."

"There's a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."

Let's take the football stuff first. For the past four seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles have had one of the best defenses in the National Football League and have failed to make it to the Super Bowl primarily because of an ineffective offense—an offense run by Donovan McNabb. McNabb was a great college quarterback, in my estimation one of the best of the '90s while at Syracuse. (For the record, I helped persuade ESPN Magazine, then called ESPN Total Sports, to put him on the cover of the 1998 college-football preview issue.) He is one of the most talented athletes in the NFL, but that talent has not translated into greatness as a pro quarterback.

McNabb has started for the Eagles since the 2000 season. In that time, the Eagles offense has never ranked higher than 10th in the league in yards gained. In fact, their 10th-place rank in 2002 was easily their best; in their two previous seasons, they were 17th in a 32-team league. They rank 31st so far in 2003.

In contrast, the Eagles defense in those four seasons has never ranked lower than 10th in yards allowed. In 2001, they were seventh; in 2002 they were fourth; this year they're fifth. It shouldn't take a football Einstein to see that the Eagles' strength over the past few seasons has been on defense, and Limbaugh is no football Einstein, which is probably why he spotted it.

The news that the Eagles defense has "carried" them over this period should be neither surprising nor controversial to anyone with access to simple NFL statistics—or for that matter, with access to a television. Yet, McNabb has received an overwhelming share of media attention and thus the credit. Now why is this?

Let's look at a quarterback with similar numbers who also plays for a team with a great defense. I don't know anyone who would call Brad Johnson one of the best quarterbacks in pro football—which is how McNabb is often referred to. In fact, I don't know anyone who would call Brad Johnson, on the evidence of his 10-year NFL career, much more than mediocre. Yet, Johnson's NFL career passer rating, as of last Sunday, is 7.3 points higher than McNabb's (84.8 to 77.5), he has completed his passes at a higher rate (61.8 percent to 56.4 percent), and has averaged significantly more yards per pass (6.84 to 5.91). McNabb excels in just one area, running, where he has gained 2,040 yards and scored 14 touchdowns to Johnson's 467 and seven. But McNabb has also been sacked more frequently than Johnson—more than once, on average, per game, which negates much of the rushing advantage.

In other words, in just about every way, Brad Johnson has been a more effective quarterback than McNabb and over a longer period.

And even if you say the stats don't matter and that a quarterback's job is to win games, Johnson comes out ahead. Johnson has something McNabb doesn't, a Super Bowl ring, which he went on to win after his Bucs trounced McNabb's Eagles in last year's NFC championship game by a score of 27-10. The Bucs and Eagles were regarded by everyone as having the two best defenses in the NFL last year. When they played in the championship game, the difference was that the Bucs defense completely bottled up McNabb while the Eagles defense couldn't stop Johnson.

In terms of performance, many NFL quarterbacks should be ranked ahead of McNabb. But McNabb has represented something special to all of us since he started his first game in the NFL, and we all know what that is.

Limbaugh is being excoriated for making race an issue in the NFL. This is hypocrisy. I don't know of a football writer who didn't regard the dearth of black NFL quarterbacks as one of the most important issues in the late '80s and early '90s. (The topic really caught fire after 1988, when Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins became the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl.)

So far, no black quarterback has been able to dominate a league in which the majority of the players are black. To pretend that many of us didn't want McNabb to be the best quarterback in the NFL because he's black is absurd. To say that we shouldn't root for a quarterback to win because he's black is every bit as nonsensical as to say that we shouldn't have rooted for Jackie Robinson to succeed because he was black. (Please, I don't need to be reminded that McNabb's situation is not so difficult or important as Robinson's—I'm talking about a principle.)

Consequently, it is equally absurd to say that the sports media haven't overrated Donovan McNabb because he's black. I'm sorry to have to say it; he is the quarterback for a team I root for. Instead of calling him overrated, I wish I could be admiring his Super Bowl rings. But the truth is that I and a great many other sportswriters have chosen for the past few years to see McNabb as a better player than he has been because we want him to be.

Rush Limbaugh didn't say Donovan McNabb was a bad quarterback because he is black. He said that the media have overrated McNabb because he is black, and Limbaugh is right. He didn't say anything that he shouldn't have said, and in fact he said things that other commentators should have been saying for some time now. I should have said them myself. I mean, if they didn't hire Rush Limbaugh to say things like this, what did they hire him for? To talk about the prevent defense?

[Alberta's Child]

Well, Cunningham has won at least one playoff game (in 1998, I think) -- though not for the Eagles. LOL.

[drjimmy]

That was not McNabb's fault and I would like to see McNabb work with the receivers Manning has.
Those who had the opportunity to see McNabb play in college got to witness just that, as he and Marvin Harrison hooked up in McNabb's freshman year in 1995 when Harrison set the SU record for season receiving yards.

[uncbob]

That's why I said for the EAGLEs

Buddy Ryan ruined Cunningham

If he would have had a decent offensive coach he would be in the Hall of Fame

What a great wasted talent

[Alberta's Child]

If he would have had a decent offensive coach he would be in the Hall of Fame.

I don't think so. He had marvelous physical skills, but always looked terribly uncomfortable as a pocket passer. I seem to remember reading a great article about him back in the prime of his career. The author dissected his passing stats and only counted the pass plays in which he threw from the pocket, and he was one of the worst-rated QBs in the league.

I think McNabb has much more of a "quarterback mindset" than Cunningham ever did.

[DHerion]

McNabb also got voted into the Pro Bowl because of the Rush controversy. 16 TD passes - 11 Int - 79.6 ratings is incredibly average. Aaron Brooks had a much better season 24 Td - 8 Int - 88.8 rating or Hasselbeck - 25 TD - 16 Int - 88.8 rating. Aaron Brooks has been one of the most underrated players over the last 3 years.

[uncbob]

I know these guys on TV like to descibe great plays and that One McNabb made to Pinkston in the end zone was great but Eddie Labaron and Fran Tarkington and Roger Staubach and Bradshaw madde a hell of a lot of evasive tackle passes in their careers