NFC Championship Game: Carolina Panthers 14 vs. Philadelphia Eagles 3 (Final)

1/18/04 | me

[baseballfanjm]

It's game time!

[baseballfanjm]

Simply breathing is incredibly painful when your ribs hurt. anybody thinking he wussed out is just dumb.

I have to agree here. When he was pulled, he couldn't even get off his seat without help, and even then it was still clearly painful for him.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I don't mean to be hard on the Eagles fans. There are some good ones here. There were just a couple I find it hard to work up any sympathy for today. : )

I'm especially glad I don't have to listen to their particular brand of smack all the way to the Super Bowl. Life is good. LOL

[Catspaw]

Maybe we can ping a Packers fan to bring you some cheese to go with that whine.

You pinged?

You mean like the way the Eagles were repeatedly stepping on Favre's broken thumb during the playoff game? You mean like that?

Or the way the columnists from the Philly papers attacked Brett and his father and the rest of the Favre family (except, I must note, Favre's mother) three weeks after Favre's father died? You mean like that?

Naw, those Eagles fans are warm & cuddly. And, although I felt sorry for McNabb playing with popped rib cartilage, me having cracked a few ribs a while back, and I like Andy Reid because he's a former Packers assistant coach, except for a very few, Eagles fans can shove their whining.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

"I still say that NOT ONE SCRAMBLER IN HISTORY HAS WON THE SUPERBOWL"

Not just Staubach. Lets not forget:

Terry Bradshaw 2257 Rushing Yards, 32 Rushing TD's (No. 16 all time rushing QB, McNabb is No. 17)
John Elway 3407 Rushing Yards, 33 Rushing TD's (No. 6 all time rushing QB - McNair is No. 7)
Steve Young 4239 Rushing Yards, 43 Rushing TD's (No. 2 all time rushing QB - only Cunningham has more rushing yards)

Perhaps you'd like to quibble over the definition of a scrambling QB? Is it only allowed to include the McNabb's, Vicks, Cunningham's, Culpepper's, and McNair's of the world?

Obviously someone like Dan Marino would not qualify - career of 87 yards rushing, 9 rushing TD's, nor Joe Namath, career of 140 yards rushing, 7 rushing TD's. In fact, please tell me why Marino never won a superbowl if all it takes is not being a rushing QB - isn't he the all time passing yards leader?

Maybe you could give us a "yards per game" average above which a QB cannot breach if he doesn't want to be a scrambling QB. Vick is at 48.25 (all time leader), McNabb is 32.02 yards per game (No. 6 all time), Steve Young 25.08 (No. 12 all time), Roger Staubach 17.28 (No. 26 all time). Obviously a Scrambling QB doesn't rush for big yards in every game, and obviously as they get older, they tend to run less, so the numbers of active players like McNabb, McNair, Culpepper, etc. are skewed. Bradshaw, for example, rushed for over 200 yards 6 of his first 7 seasons, but never breached that mark afterwards.


Check it out:
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/qbindex.htm

Other rushing QB's like Kordell Stewart have been to the game but lost.

Still others, like Charlie Trippi (No. 4 all time Rushing QB) lived before the Super Bowl, but won NFL championships when that was the big game.

Your theory is a total dud when run against actual Stats.

[rintense]

I agree with your assessments about the true scramblers. Is it easier, though, to turn a scrambler into a passer, or a passer into a scrambler?

[discostu]

One thing that's getting lost in this discussion of if it's McNabb's fault or his receivers I'd like to bring to the forefront:
6 different Eagles touched or almost touched Foster on his TD run, they started the hits about 3 yards behind the line of scrimage, but they couldn't bring him down before he got to the end zone. That series of horrendous tackling allowed the game to become a 2 score game instead of a 1 score game and effectively ended the game.

[sully777]

"You mean like the way the Eagles were repeatedly stepping on Favre's broken thumb during the playoff game? You mean like that? "

And Favre had to throw the ball, GREAT QB that he is. I did not notice Favre sobbing on the sidelines, DRINKING HIS HERBAL TEA (ROTFL at the appropriateness of the Budweiser commercial).

STM, McNair played in pain. I always liked McNair better that McRib; he's a team player.

Oh well, McRib can do no wrong in the minds of some. Truth is Philly is not in Superbowl for third year in row and all the "experts" say it's everyone but McRib.

[Lando Lincoln]

I agree.....if we wanted to "name names", I think we'd have similar lists. Wonder what they are thinking today...certainly whatever it is, it will have their brand of bitterness.

Lando

[Lando Lincoln]

"Eagle fans would boo a blind kid at an Easter egg hunt."

Bob Ueker

[Hermann the Cherusker]

You don't know what you are talking about.

"Drew Bledsoe scrambled"

Bledsoe was never a scrambler.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/BledDr00.htm

"Marino when he was young"

Marino was never a scrambler. He gave up as much running backwards as he gained going forwards. Scramblers have fairly good positive net yards at the end of the season.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/MariDa00.htm

"Steve Young was *young* when he was a scrambler"

In '98, Young scrambled for 454 yards, his second highest season ever. His highest was in '92 for 537 yards. He was 31 then, and had been in the NFL 8 years.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/YounSt00.htm

You need a definable standard of who is and is not a scrambling QB, like yards per game or per season or something. How about 200 yards rushing or more per season? That puts Farve right on the cusp of being a scrambler.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/FavrBr00.htm

"But the true scramblers like Cunningham, Vick, McNabb, Tarkenton, McNair NEVER WIN THE RING."

Charlie Trippi won the "ring" such as it was, in 1947.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/TripCh00.htm

"which they can't because they are avg. at best"

You'll need to define this too. What makes a QB great or average? Passing yards (per season or game or throw)? Passing TD's? Total TD's? Wins? Duante Culpepper averages 7.5 yards per throw, McNair 7.1, Cunningham 7.0. Is that average? Then so is Aiken at 7.0, Marino at 7.3, and Montana at 7.5.

You really need definable standards, instead of going by your fallible feelings.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

I'm a Packers fan too. I can provide my own cheese.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

When did the Eagles step on Farve's thumb? Just curious.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

My mistake about the weight. I was obviously getting numbers I'd heard mixed up.

Your ever so courteous correction is most appreciated.

[sully777]

What a crock of Philly-fan from-unda cheese!

Staubach was not known as a true scrambler like Tarkenton and McRib! Bradshaw's wins during the Steeler's dynasty was more traditional passing with a proper backfield (though I must admit that Swann and Stalworth had to fly in the air for some of those bad passes). Elway (the aforementioned scrambler that lost 4-5 SB) WON when he had a traditional running game and he became a true QB. Same with Young and Namath.

All the others that you mention, including the younger Marino did not win SB EVER! And don't even talk about Kordell Stewart and how PC played into his overstay at Pittsburgh. It wasn't a far stretch when Dennis Miller opined on Sean Hannidy's Radio Show that Cowen must have found and destroyed the 8x10 glossies.

The answer to McRib's quandary is become an older Elway and Bradshaw before he blows out his knees and ankles. And I mean become like these leaders in an all-around way. McNabb must become a QB to make it to the big dance and win.

[sully777]

Oh, sorry. You never watched Bledsoe play. He scrambled at times and was generally effective when he ran because he's a big guy. But his main stay was traditional QBing. Saw a number of scrambles from Bledsoe and he could really dish out the hits as well as take them.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Actualyl, I watched Bledsoe many times in new England, including twice in person. Never saw him as a scrambler, and the numbers bear it out.

What is "traditional QBing"? Throws and hand-offs only?

Will you provide any numeric definition?

[Hermann the Cherusker]

Provide numeric definitions, and I might talk to you, rude as you are.

[Catspaw]

The first time the Eagles stepped on Favre's thumb? In the first quarter.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

I missed it. Don't approve of it either.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I'd be willing to bet that any one of the Favre-haters here would wet their pants in glee if he left the Pack for their team.

It's all jealousy, imo.