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.
This is the most common excuse for losing. Also, it is the most used pre-excuse for losing. I can't count the times I've heard before the game that a player had the flu, but would play anyways.
BULL$#!@T, if you are well enough to play then you are not sick enough to use it as an excuse for throwing three picks and costing your team the Super Bowl.
Holtz
JeffersonRepublic.com
I don't think it was because he was black, no. Being a rabid fan and watching him play, I could see his potential. Yes,of course there were negatives, there still are, but look how he has developed. He did play poorly in the Super Bowl, but the regular season he was damn good, and deserved the praise. I don't think it was hype,and I think playing the race card was a mistake.
You got that right. Even worse than Mike Martz for the Rams when the Pats won their first one. What were they THINKING? If I didn't know better, I'd think they were trying to throw the game.
Nah, three interceptions by the invincible, superman-black-quarterback and a fumble by Smith sealed the deal.
But I am somewhat disappointed. I predicted four interceptions. :-)
And McNabb bought into it. And Andy Reid bought into it.
They've been talking about this all day around here (Philly talk radio). Toward the end of the game McNabb was sucking wind and doing a little heaving. Freddie brought the play in from Reid and when McNabb couldn't speak, Freddie told the huddle what the play was.
McNabb was perfectly fine after the game. Draw your own conclusions.
Apparently, some of the players were a tad surprised at the lack of a hurry-up offense at the end of the game. Tens of thousands of Eagle fans were screaming at their TVs, "HURRY UP!!!", but McNabb and the Eagles looked like they were lollygagging their way up to the line.
And then, with a couple of plays left in the game and a bomb needed, McNabb, from the end zone, throws a five-yarder to Westbrook. Tic... tic... tic... went the clock. Un-frigging-believable.
A lot of people around here are casually wondering if McNabb has what it takes to take the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship.
Wasn't McNair at QB for the Titans when the Rams beat 'em?
3 touchdowns and 357 yards in the SuperBowl?!? WTF, guys! That's a great game and just shows that the Eagles are a very good team and the Patriots are an even better team.
Sick or not, he performed at a championship level.
Didn't Rohan Davey just win the All-NFL MVP award or whatever they call it over there? He looks pretty good to me and, BTW, seems to have the same temperament as Brady.....never gets flustered.
Once the choice was made to leave the icon in -- the media and the organization had made McNabb iconic for racial reasons -- time management was no longer an option. McNabb was too sick to concern with it.
TO played with a broken leg, and got over 100 yards. If you can't handle the pressure, get out. No excuses. Beginning of the end for McNabb?
What a pantload. This is just an excuse for Philly's loss, pure and simple.
Ah yes, the Jake Blues Defense!
Average would mean there are 15 QB better than McNabb in the NFL. Go ahead and list them.
The MSM of Sports wanted to spin him as a great quarterback. That doesnt happen in the NFL. You have to produce at some point.
I assume by "produce" you mean win a Super Bowl. That's just nuts. Dilfer won a Super Bowl; Marino didn't. Your going to tell me Marino wasn't a great QB??
McNabb isn't a great QB yet, but he is much better than average. He's got a lot of playoff wins for a QB still under 30.
Yes he perform "at the level" -- but he failed to make the winning choice -- to pull himself out. If TO could do it -- play past the pain -- McNabb could do it too.
We might note that it is not Donovan McNabb telling this story.
I agree, I don't think McNabb is one of the best QB's, but he's definitely not one of the worst. He is young and he seems to be getting better every year. N.E. made Manning look pretty bad and quite a few others. There's really not much not to like about McNabb, he seems pretty quiet and humble. ESPN and all the rest of the media blew the Rush comments way out of proportion. McNabb didn't ask to be thrust into that whole black quarterback controversy, he got dragged in.
Sounds like the excuse machine is up and running.
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