Reports: McNabb Sick During Crucial Part Of Super Bowl

AP ^ | February 8, 2005

[West Coast Conservative]

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was so ill in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl that a teammate had to call a play in the huddle, center Hank Fraley said.

"He fought to the end," Fraley told Comcast SportsNet on Monday. "He gave it his all. He was almost puking in the huddle. One play had to be called by (wideout) Freddie Mitchell because Donovan was mumbling because he was almost puking."

Offensive lineman Jon Runyan also echoed Fraley's comments in the same interview aired on two local radio stations on Tuesday after the Comcast report.

McNabb was shaky in Philadelphia's 24-21 loss to the England Patriots on Sunday, throwing for 357 yards and three touchdowns, was also getting picked off three times.

McNabb misfired on several passes early, held the ball too long in other instances and made several poor decisions. One of the best scramblers in the NFL, McNabb had zero yards rushing on just one carry and was sacked four times.

An Eagles spokesman did not immediately return a phone call Tuesday.

[mainepatsfan]

It seems like a lot of people forgot that Roethlisberger was still only a rookie. I though he played very well in the second half against the Pats but the Steeler defense just couldn't make a big stop when they needed to.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Absolutely. I'd take Kelly in his prime over McNabb this year.

[mainepatsfan]

So in Super Bowl 8 if you switched quarterbacks you think a Griese led Viking team would have beaten a Tarkenton led Dolphin team that day?

[F16Fighter]

"McNabb, himself, hasn't made excuses. Let's be fair here."

Fine, but then what's this thread about?Others making excuses for McNabb?

Saw him on the post game, he looked fine.

"As a Browns Fan, all we have seen at QB since Bernie is a bunch of Playboy Playmate daters (Couch and Garcia)."

The question is: Do we believe T.O. about Garcia? (yeah, maybe I'm a bit jealous ;-)

[rdcorso]

That's what he gets for eating that Campbell's Chunky Soup that his mom recommends on TV.I wonder if it was as chunky on the way out as it was going in.If that wasn't the cause maybe he was just choking in the huddle like he choked on more than a few plays throughout the game.

[John Lenin]

Look up Kellys records, he threw for 5,219 yards and 44 touchdowns in one season.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I LOVE Roethlisberger, and thought the criticism of him was ignorant, but he did claim he had broken toes.

He was misquoted. What he said was that a broken foot injury he had back at Miami of Ohio was re-aggravated.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I was being tongue-in-cheek about that (the Belichick Trophy), but with some people saying he's now the greatest coach in NFL history, I'm sure someone will bring it up sooner or later.

Yes, after we win next February.

[capydick]

Who remembers second place in the Super Bowl?

Second place is the first loser!

[mainepatsfan]

That will tie Belichick with Lombardi for consecutive NFL titles.

[mountaineer]

Typical....offering an excuse for his performance.

We hear the same sort of thing whenever Tiger Woods is playing poorly. Nike puts out the word that his knee, wrist, stomach, head - something - is hurting.

[John Lenin]

It doesn't matter what team you play on if lose confidence in the big games.

[XJarhead]

Sad to say, I think you're right. I wish someone would toss an alternative explanation out there for all that antipathy, though. Why is it such a big deal if the guy's lethargy at the end of the game is due to a concussion?

I'm just a football fan, and a guy who has had a concussion and seen other guys with them. McNabb, at the end of the 4th, looked to me like a guy who had one.

But rather than believe that McNabb's lethargy in the 4th was due to a concussion, we've got a bunch of people who get upset at the idea. They think its more credible to believe that other guys in the huddle would lie about McNabb vomiting, about him being able only to mumble his plays, and about a WR having to call one of those plays.

Pretty sad. They hate the guy so much -- for whatever reason -- that they'd prefer to think that his teammates are liars rather than believe he had a medical problem.

[RayStacy]

I agree 10000000000000000000000%!!!!! Which is why I am so sick and tired of endless discussions of a quarterback's race every time that qb happens to be black. He is a QB!!!!! Not a black qb, or a white qb, or anything else. BTW, you're not implying that Doug not being picked up was because he was black, are you? BTW, Trent D. was cut by BAL the year after winning the SB, and he was white, and mediocre. BTW again -- I'm a DC native and I LOVE the Skins, sorry as they are. Started watching them in 72 when I was 8. An amazing coincidence -- I just got my bill for my club seats in the mail today.

[Libertarian4Bush]

Saw him on the post game, he looked fine.

given the eyewitness account of someone who's known him personally for five years and was in the huddle, versus a collection of jackass armchair quarterback frontrunner-fan racists, I'll think I'll stick with the assessment of the former. but thanks.

[mainepatsfan]

So did your opinion of John Elway change when he finally won the Super Bowl?

[John Lenin]

In boxing, does it matter if you come in second place ? lol

[MississippiMan]

I believe it. I'm no McNabb fan, especially given all his race blather over the past week, but it was quite obvious that something was wrong. He's not a great QB IMO but he's better than what we saw Sunday.

MM

[BlackRazor]

Kelly was a better QB than McNabb by far but he had bad luck.

Bad luck? I'm a Bills fan, but I'll be the first to admit that by-and-large Kelly played like crap in the Super Bowls.

[american spirit]

B.I.L.L.S. - Boy I Love Losing Superbowls