Posted on 02/07/2005 8:48:24 AM PST by gopwinsin04
It looked like Donovan McNabb saved his jitters for the Super Bowl. McNabb spent the week telling jokes, being loose and insisting that he felt no pressure leading the Philidelphia Eagles versus the New England Patriots.
But the five time pro bowl QB had a shaky performance in the most important game of his career Sunday, a 24-21 loss to the Patriots. McNabb turned the ball over three times, including crucial interceptions in the first and fourth quarters.
McNabb misfired on several passes early, held the ball too long in other instance and made several poor decisions. One of the best scramblers in the National Football League, McNabb had zero yards rushing on just one carry.
McNabb rebounded from his rough start with a strong second quarter, finally leading the Eagles into the end zone after sqandering several scoring opportunities. But he made a critical error midway through the 4th quarter right after the Pats took at 24-14 lead.
After he connected with Terell Owens on a 36 yard pass, McNabb badly underthrew his reciever Smith on the next play and was intercepted by linebacker Tedy Bruschi.
McNabb had the best season of his six year career, leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl for the first time in 24 years after three consecutive losses in the NFC title game. But McNabb couldn't deliver the Eagles first championship since 1960.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
yeah, no kidding! 1130 points!
3 INTs plus another that was negated by a cheap penalty. 21 incomplete passes for a 58% completion rate (Brady's was 70+ with 2 TDs, no INTs). Throwing to a covered target when he had someone wide open. Running a "no-huddle" offense that huddled before every play. A fumble that was overturned on review .... of course he's gonna get yardage when he throws the ball 50 times, but that doesn't mean he played well.
Wow, some people still don't get it ..... Brady completes long passes, short passes, screens, gets rid of the ball before the pressure gets there, makes great decisions. What more do you want from a QB?
On the other hand you have Peyton Manning who ends every year shaking his head and pointing fingers at his teammates after his annual choke routine.
Then you are just a blind apologist. What kind of joke of a QB doesn't control his own offense? What kind of joke -- even if he's running a "no-huddle" offense with a huddle every play -- can't get his people to at least hurry to the line??? That's leadership, and it was nowhere to be found on the Eagles' side of the ball. You must have seen Tom Brady, Bret Favre, frickin' high school QBs do it, run up there and hurry things up.
Every team has their unsavory fans. But don't paint all the Eagles fans with a broad brush. Many are decent folks who are good sports, give credit where credit is due when another team bests us, and just want to see great athletes perform at the top of their game. If the Eagles come out on the losing end of the stick, that's the breaks. When they win, we'll celebrate tastefully.
It gets tiring after a while when we're all tarred and feathered as a bunch of repobate thugs. That just ain't the case at all.
The kind of game plan that whenever the Iggles run they get dropped for losses!! There must have been at least four plays the Iggles running play lost yardage. Danged Pat's were in the Iggles backfield more than they were, reading their mail. Pat's totally took the Iggles running game away, forcing McNabb to beat them with his arm which he couldn't.
I thoroughly enjoyed the game. 'Bout time we had a competitive Super Bowl. Their clock managment was attrocious and I would lay that solely on Reid. Yet, Not-yet-ready-for-prime-time McNabb will have to shoulder a good part of the loss...three int's and a host of bad, bad throws - sheessh.
Even given all that, the Iggles could still have won that game and they know it. That's got to hurt worse than anything.
Rush Limbaugh is good too, but maybe he is over-rated. :-)
They tried running, but the running didn't go anywhere. No point running three times for 2 yards on each attempt.
The game plan included running, but the blocking for the run was not successful.
And then once you are down two scores late in the game, you generally need to throw to hurry the game up.
The 50 throws were the result of the two long drives stalled by interceptions. Essentially, they were a waste of about 15 throws. Take that away, and it was a normal 60% throw game plan for the Eagles.
He's starting to sound like Kerry.
No he was reflecting on the effect of the errors in judgement that he made in the game. There is nothing untruthful about what he said.
The Eagles threw more completed passes over 40 yards this year (20 in 14 regular season games till they rested the starters, 3 in the playoffs) than any other team in the NFL. There were a number of incomplete long passes only because the cornerback interfered with the receiver, or an occasional and inexplicable miss by the receiver.
Obviously you don't watch Eagles games.
Yeah, that McNabb must suck, eh? (/sarcasm)
I know what you're saying, but I think the Pats would have stepped up their game had that been the case. I honestly believe the Patriots are just better...not by the margin I thought they were going in, but better.
You could be right (and I'm sure you are)... I was trying to be gracious :)
It's a good thing McNabb is a humble guy.
A 4 and out and three 3 and outs aren't "drives". They are called defensive stops.
McNabb has rarely show that sort of talent.
McNabb has rarely put his team into that sort of position to begin with. He does have the second highest win percentage among active QB's, after Brady. If you are usually leading at the end of the game, you don't have to run drives to come back very often.
I'd rather usually be ahead than constantly trying to catch up at the end.
And you were. Which is good. Nothing worse than a bad winner...except an in-your-face-we're-coming-for-you-next-year loser. : )
Can you explain then how the Eagles have won more games than any other team in the period since 2000, and are tied with the Patriots for the most wins since 2001? Blind luck?
"...Peyton Manning who ends every year ...pointing fingers at his teammates after his annual choke routine."
Not true.
mcnabb didn't even have to bring his "A" game; philly could have won if he had shown up above a "D" or so.
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