Posted on 02/08/2005 11:49:37 AM PST by 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.
The killer play in that first Bill Super Bowl was Mark Ingram's run after the catch that picked up a first down on the Giants opening possession of the second half. He made just about every Bill defender miss him on that play.
You're right about that last Bill Super Bowl. The Bill defense played great that game but their offense just kept giving the ball back to Dallas in the second half.
I'm hearing rumors that the Eagles were partying all week and that that's the reason Pinkston and some others were cramping up. It might also explain McNabb's stomach. Anybody have any insights?
Answer the question...is Trent Dilfer a better quarterback than Dan Marino?
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.
"Typical"? And what does McNabb have to do with Woods? What are you guys saying? That those of us who think he may have had a concussion are making excuses for him because he's black? Why would we be doing that? You really think your fellow Freepers are all racial apologists?
There is absolutely no excuse for McNabb's performance during most of that game. He threw plenty of crummy passes long before taking the shot that may have given him a concussion.
What a concussion might explain is why he looked so bizarrely lethargic late in the fourth quarter. I've seen plenty of quarterbacks have crummy games, including McNabb. I've never seen any game, much less the Super Bowl, where a team that is down by 3 points with less than a minute left moves that slowly. Never. McNabb could be the worst QB in the world, and he would have moved more quickly than that. His behavior is explained perfectly, though, if he had sustained a concussion earlier in the game. He was confused, very nauseous, and the guys in the huddle were hoping his head would clear.
But rather than accept the explanation that best fits the fact, it becomes some sort of a racial conspiracy. Sheesh.
Blah, blah , blah. Marino: 0 Super Bowls
He is is better in the big games, yes.
So if Dan Marino started Super Bowl 35 for Baltimore instead of Dilfer the Giants would have won?
You really think your fellow Freepers are all racial apologists?
No, but I can think of one who jumps to wild conclusions without a hint of evidence.
I feel like I'm talking to an infant. Enough with the hypotheticals. You win or you lose. Case closed.
Doug Williams: 1 Super Bowl Jeff Hostetler: 1 Super Bowl
Trent Dilfer: 1 Super Bowl
Brad Johnson: 1 Super Bowl
That's a bunch of Hall-of-Fame caliber quarterbacks there, isn't it?
No kidding. And Brady had a 103 temp against Pittsburgh. So what? If you are sick and decide to play and lose, you have no one to blame but yourself.
ping
And so the excuses begin. Maybe he is just over rated by a cp media? Oh wait, that's already been discussed hasn't it.
No argument here. If Reid or the team doc knew something was wrong and didn't yank him, that's a problem. If his teammates knew he was disoriented and didn't tell the coaches, that's a problem too. And McNabb himself should have said something as well.
I'd cut a bit of slack for the teammates, who may have believed that even a loopy McNabb was better than a clear headed Detmer, or McNabb himself for trying to live up to a warrior mentality. But the coaches should have noticed something.
The only excuse for that is that they were out of timeouts by that last possession, so the coaches had no way to check him out. 'Course, they were the ones who used up their timeouts earlier. And, he was starting to look funky on that prior drive, and they should have noticed it then.
Anyway, even if he did have a concussion, its his team's fault and his for him getting nailed that badly. When OSU beat Miami for the National Title, they knocked out McGahee with a knee injury, and knocked the QB loopy for awhile too. Those aren't excuses for Miami -- that's a damn good job by an aggressive OSU defense. Same with the Pats.
The concussion, if he had one, isn't an excuse. It's an explanation.
I feel the same way about you. By your logic Jim McMahon was more repsonsible for the '85 Bears winning the Super Bowl than Mike Singletary was!
Wow! I just noticed your tagline. Big Country is my all-time favorite musical group.
Don't forget Mark Rypien.
I'm done with this thread, Marino was a great quaterback but he couldnt'win the big games when he had to. Oh well, such is life.
You may be correct that Mcnabb had a concussion near the end of the game.
But it doesn't erase a career history of "not winning the big one" in all of those NFC championship games. His failure to run an effective 2 minute offense with 4 minutes left and down 2 scores shows lack of leadership or the inability to know what it takes to win.
However, even if you are correct regrding the 4th quarter concussion theory it doesnt explain the early poor decision-making. If it is true he should have taken himself out of the game.
you decided long before the game that you didn't like him, and the proof is in your posts. much like bush and the democrats, there's nothing he could do that would appease you.
no one has suggested that this is why the eagles lost the game. have any of you even TRIED to reconcile your pregame and postgame statements? how on earth does the FR-anointed best team since lombardi play a team with what FR calls below-average players at every position (except the white guys), the latter makes several mistakes, and the darlings only win by three? I guess it was that media lying to you again.
if BRETT FAVRE (swoon) threw 3 TDs and 3 INTs while puking, it would be a heroic, gutsy effort by a gunslinger. but not for mcnabb. not to mention all the good christians rooting for someone's career to end.
you people make ME want to dry heave.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.