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.

[DCPatriot]

Don't group me into any discussion that brings race as a factor in what happened.

I don't give a damn what color the guy is.

The backup quarterback is a professional too.

He could have sparked and led one of the most thrilling comebacks in SuperBowl history.....but Noooooooo.

[Moby Grape]

A PRO TEAM should be able to work the clock...Philly made NO effort....one sportswritter the next day asked if the coaching staff had EVER had the team work on clock management.

[Moby Grape]

I could not disagree more. So you say they did not rush, were methodical....well, why did McNabb throw an interception then on that last drive?

When they did throw, it was into the middle..DUMB...every jackass that has played even pee-wee football knows that you work the sidelines....Philly had their defensive backs playing way back. They could have chewed up yardage, going out of bounds to stop the clock, working into field goal range to attempt to take the game into overtime....they did eveything wrong....bad passes into the middle, with the last pass to the opposing team...not the stuff of smart PRO football....and the sad thing is, the Eagles ARE the better team (IMO).

[danamco]

Weak.
He will never win a Super Bowl.


A "new" Jim Kelly???

[danamco]

Then again, some probably think Manning stinks too because he never won anything.

Well, he beat one of all timer great Dan Marino's many NFL records of t/d's

[danamco]

Agreed, and YesNo, I am an (not) Eagles fan, but Rush is a rube, racist agitator and there appears to be a rich vein for him here.


Please explain in plain words how Rush became a racist in this debacle???

[danamco]

I'm not saying he is awful, Dan Marino was the best quarterback I've ever seen but he couldn't win the big game. Personally I'd take him during the regular season and than put a good backup in during the Super Bowl. Three years in a row he has thrown it away for the team.


A QB ALONE can not win Super Bowls! Don Shula And Jimmy Johnson found that out with Dan Marino!! One of his many NFL records was captured by Manning this season, but the record stood for 12-14 years before broken!!!

[Chad Fairbanks]

Jeez - Some Dynasty! Those Pats were just lucky! First they played in the AFC Championship Game against a QB with a bad thumb (if the glove don't fit...) and "broken toes" --- now it turns out that Donovan had the pukes!

Blah blah blah... whatever. Hater.

[John Lenin]

No, but a QB can lose it alone by throwing interceptions at critical points in the game.

[Chad Fairbanks]

I don't see what the big deal is, in that I don't see McNabb out there saying this - All I see is otehr people making excuses for McNabb, and I have this feeling that McNabb doesn't want people making excuses for him...

Every time the Pats win, there is always some excuse siezed upon by the media to explain why the Pats win wasn't really deserved, and quite frankly it sickens me.

The Pats won because they prepared better, and played better - period.

[rbmillerjr]

Reid and Mcnabb didn't even attempt to run him out of the pocket

"There were players out there waiting for him. The times he ran, it ended up not working"

I'm sure no NFL defense has ever tried to spy McNabb. The Iggles took away one of their own strengths - a strength that Belichick though important enough to gameplan against. In turn, the Iggles gave Belichick 50% of his priorities on defense.

[tx_eggman]

Pats won. Move on. 3 out of 4 years Pats won and 3 out of 4 years I have had to listen to excuses!

May be a repeat but ... from Leno last night:

What is the difference between the Grammy's and the Super Bowl?

The Eagles have won a Grammy.

[TheForceOfOne]

Sick of losing! Buh ha ha ha!

[End Times Sentinel]

when he spun out of one tackle and ran smack into a blitzing linebacker. No way he could have shook that hit off.

 I think you're right.  That's when he was rubbing his jaw on the way back to the huddle.  I can't imagine playing with a concusion.  Then again I can't imagine playing on a broken ankle, or playing the Super Bowl with Koy Detmer my QB.  That's probably why I sit in the stands.

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

[MTD]

You are right, I was wrong, and I apologize deeply.

Rush was the greatest sportscaster ever. Everything he does and says is wonderful, and he is never ever wrong about anything. I forgot-- never question Rush.

[Libertarian4Bush]

why did McNabb throw an interception then on that last drive?

ummm... maybe because they had 48 seconds to go 96 yards? you probably couldn't even RUN that distance in that time.

[Libertarian4Bush]

the majority of eagle-bashers here are total hypocrites. they claim that the pats have the best defense in the history of humanity, lay in tom brady's jock like it's the holy hammock of canton, ohio, THEN turn around and say that McNabb (who has accomplished less than only ONE other QB in the past 4 years) is a benficiary of his defense. unreal.

your motives betray you.

[piperpilot]

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?

That's what heard as well. Bellichick does not allow the Patriots to party like that. Another example of why the Eagles were out-coached by New England.

[lepton]

I'm sure no NFL defense has ever tried to spy McNabb.

That's not a "spy". It's containment. The Pats were able to do it as part of their defense, rather than compromising their defense to spy.

[piperpilot]

Every time the Pats win, there is always some excuse siezed upon by the media to explain why the Pats win wasn't really deserved, and quite frankly it sickens me.

The Pats won because they prepared better, and played better - period.

Well said. Much of this monday, tuesday and wednesday morning quarterbacking is just a typical example of the MSM trying to downplay every success that a New England sports team has.