Talk about a guy that needs some love. Donovan McNabb has been the headline of the sports world the last two days as word leaked out that the Philadelphia Eagles were accepting offers for the Pro Bowl quarterback, as well as his sidekicks Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick. And thankless Eagles fans are eager to cheer for his departure.
McNabb's Days Are Numbered in Philly
Philadelphia is a disappointing sports town that just doesn’t seem to understand how to field a winner. The Eagles are the saddest of the group, having not produced a champion since 1960. While the team puts up wins, they haven’t delivered in the clutch. And to put this all on one guy’s shoulders in McNabb is classic Philly style.
After being profusely booed on NFL Draft Day in 1999, you knew that McNabb’s days in Philly were going to be rocky. But he rose to the challenge and delivered more wins in franchise history than any other quarterback before him. As it reads today, he is ranked 20th in wins and 7th in winning percentage for his career among all NFL quarterback.
Not too shabby for a bum that is perceived as the root to the team’s problems. Those wins and stats assure him a place in Canton upon his retirement.
Placing blame in Philly is a national pastime and it is amazing how Andy Reid consistently never gets the light shone on him except for when one of his kids run afoul with the law and gets sent to jail. It’s been Reid’s football philosophy, not McNabb’s performance that have led to the big game let downs. Andy Reid doesn’t believe in the running game and this is the true reason for the losses. The Eagles are easy to game plan for because they throw the ball every down and never leave the defense guessing.
Now the countdown is on.
The Eagles want a draft pick within the Top 42 spots of the draft in return for this future Hall of Famer quarterback that is no longer deserving of leading the team he brought to prominence. McNabb has made it known that he doesn’t want to play for the Raiders or Bills, but his desires will take a backseat because he is not going to a winner unless Brett Favre retires, which is unlikely.
For McNabb, he should want to take on the challenge of resurrecting a struggling squad, just as he did in Philly. It shouldn’t be about going to a team that gives him a chance at a Super Bowl. That ship sails as soon as he leaves the Eagles, as the Eagles are his bench chance at Super Bowl glory if they show a willingness to place talent around him. His goal should be to remind the Philly fans of what they once had as Kevin Kolb leads them into the abyss while he turns around an NFL doormat all by himself.
The New York Giants will be taking on the Washington Redskins tonight and is a must win if they want any chance of playing playoff football in January. If they were to lose tonight, they would need to win their last two games, need a lot of help, pull out some tiebreakers to get in. The Giants hope this is one of three straight victories they need to end the season to give them the best chance for the playoffs. The Giants would face Carolina next week and finish up in Minnesota. They have their work cut out for them to say the least.
The Giants and Tom Coughlin are in a must win tonight in Washington if they want to see the playoffs.
The Giants are currently 7-6 after starting off 5-0. They never thought they would be in a must win situation after week 13. There was a lot of talk about the GMEN being invincible after that start and now they find themselves fighting their playoff lives. It is a long season in the NFL ,and there are so many factors that can turn a promising season into a failure in a drop of a dime.
Last week the Giants dropped a shootout to their division rival Philadelphia Eagles 45-38. The Giants out gained the Eagles, but it was the big plays by the Eagles on offense and special teams that did the Giants in. One bright spot for the Giants was the play of their quarterback Eli Manning. Manning was 27-38 with 391 yards and three touchdowns. Maybe Eli can bring that momentum into Washington and make the Giants winners tonight.
To add to the Giants worries, the Redskins are playing good football right now and are coming off a impressive 34-13 victory in Oakland last week. Their playoff chances have been over for awhile, but they have been still playing with pride and passion. The Skins would love to win their last three games. This would not only give them momentum for next season but might save the job of their head coach Jim Zorn. Zorn needs these last three victories to give him a shot to be around next season. This game should be a old fashion knockout between to rivals in the NFC East on a Monday night in the Nation’s Capital.
The Oakland Raiders announced that former first overall pick, JaMarcus Russell, will not resume starting quarterback duties this Sunday despite his replacement, Bruce Gradkowski, being ruled out with injuries to both knees. Oakland head coach Tom Cable announced that Charlie Frye will get the nod when the Raiders head to Denver this weekend.
Frye, a former starter with Cleveland, earns his first chance at NFL redemption after his unspectacular play for Cleveland Browns during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Frye eventually lost his starting job to Derek Anderson and was sent packing unceremoniously. Frye has thrown just 16 passes over the last 3 seasons while serving as a third string quarterback.
To add insult to Russell’s demotion, the Raiders signed another former washout QB, J.P. Losman. A former first round pick for Buffalo, Losman returns to the NFL after a stint in the upstart United Football League. Losman led his team, the Las Vegas Locomotives, to the inaugural championship title.
Russell’s selection as the first player taken in the 2007 shows that NFL scouts and executives still have much to learn about drafting quarterbacks. Despite numerous concerns about Russell’s mental makeup and lack of intangibles, NFL teams put those concerns aside in favor of his raw throwing power. Russell’s stock blew through the roof leading up to the draft after throwing the ball 65 yards from his knees.
Perhaps it would have been helpful to see how well Russell could deliver a pass with a defensive lineman in his face and a cornerback covering his receiver. Since earning the NFL starting job, Russell’s play has been pathetic. For his career, he has thrown 17 touchdown to 22 interceptions while losing 14 fumbles. That’s over a 2:1 turnover to TD pass ratio. His performance hit rock bottom in 2009, throwing 10 interceptions and losing 5 fumbles while only throwing 2 touchdowns.
Russell’s numbers rate up there with some of the biggest NFL draft busts in history at QB. His joins a list of memorable names such as Ryan Leaf, Todd Marinovich, Akili Smith, Tim Couch and Joey Harrington. Each of the guys, including Russell, has one common link associated with their failures in the NFL.
Intangibles.
Successful NFL quarterbacks must have the right mental makeup and work ethic to play the position. The QB must be able to overcome adversity and be the leader of the team. He must be that guy in the huddle, that when the chips are on the line, can come through and deliver. And his teammates must believe he can do it every time.
While I am not saying every QB that gets drafted must have John Elway ice blood in his veins, but he must be gauged as a leader. Intangibles must take precedent over skill. Before drafting Russell, the Oakland Raiders knew this was a huge question mark. If the Raiders had been smarter, they should have let Russell stew and sit out a season during his rookie holdout, as his immaturity and lack of common sense was on display before he ever donned the silver and black jersey.
Here’s to JaMarcus for earning the distinction of becoming a Trivial Pursuit question twenty years from now.
The defending Super Bowl champions are mirrored in a five game losing streak that has the team in a funk and dealing with reality of missing the playoffs. At the beginning of this season, this
Mike Tomlin has seen better days in Steel Town
would have been the last thing the Steelers would have dreamed of. This five game skid has the players and their coach Mike Tomlin in more than a miserable mood. Everyone is in a state of shock in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers stand at 6-7 and and their five game losing streak has been by a total of 22 points. Three of those games; Kansas City, Baltimore and Oakland have come by only three points. The loss by Oakland in the final minutes when they gave up a touchdown drive was followed up with a listless effort in Cleveland on a Thursday night resulting in a 13-6 loss. You cannot lose games to the likes of those teams in this league and expect to play in the post season. The Steelers are 1-7 in games decided by seven point or less. It seems that lack of execution and a failure to close the game has lead this team to the predictement they are currently in. This is in large contrast to last season when there executed with greatness in the fourth quarter including last years Super Bowl triumph over the Arizona Cardinals.
Pittsburgh’s remaining schedule does not do them any favors. They have Green Bay, Baltimore and finish off in Miami. It looks like they will end their season in the warmth of Miami, FAR from the plan they add for this season. Their will be a new Super Bowl champion this year in the National Football League.
