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.
I see that the Eagles coach Andy Reid has given his endorsement for Donovan McNabb to be his starting quarterback next year. As a pro football fan and Eagles fan, I disagree with this decision and think the Eagles should look into another direction for their starting quarterback next season…
Donovan McNabb should not be the Eagles starter next season.
McNabb will be entering his 12th season next year. He is coming off a good regular season but faltered when the Eagles needed him most in his their las two games, two defeats at the hands of divisional rival, Dallas. McNabb was mediocre at best in these two games. In the last regular seson game ,and the NFC East Division on the line, McNabb missed receivers early that changed the complexion of the game. The Eagles were both shutout on the scoreboard and out of that elusive first round bye in the playtoffs. He then followed up that perfotmance with a awful game the next week . He went 19-37 for 230 yards with one touchdown and one interception. These stats are inflated as they came well after Dallas had the game in hand.The Eagles would have faired better with another quarterback.
McNabb has had a habit at not playing at his best when it counts most.He is only 1-4 in NFC Championships games. He lost his only Superbowl performance against the Patriots when he was picked off three times. If he played to his potential, he would have a Superbowl ring on his finger. Eagle fans are sick and tired of seeing him play stiff in the games that count most It is time for a change.
Enter Kevin Kolb. The Eagles took a chance on drafting him in the first round. It is time for him to fly for the Eagles. Kolb started two games this year and passed for over 300 yards in each game. He is the only quarterback ever to accomplish that feat in NFL history. He has the tools and confidence to be the starter, Reid also agrees.He will be in the final season of his contract. If Kolb does not start next year, he will probably fly the Eagle coupe. There are other teams that will call on for his services.I vote for Kevin to be the starter next season.
It didn’t take long for the media to begin stirring up trouble for Donovan McNabb after another beating at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, a 34-14 loss to knock the Eagles out of the playoffs. Stories are streaming that it’s time for the Eagles to cut ties. That McNabb can’t win the big game. That Andy Reid needs to start anew and find someone else better that can run his offensive system.
Reid Deserves All The Blame In Loss
Why does the media dislike Donovan McNabb so much? Do they feel a responsibility to be extra harsh to him to prove Rush Limbaugh incorrect? Was he especially rude or offensive to someone? McNabb cannot even catch a break when the issues with the Eagles are obviously not him.
These Eagles really had no place being in the playoffs. They were the worst team that made it in…that’s the reason why they were the last seed. To clarify this point further, this team is the only team without a win against a playoff team and scored only one win against a winning team, and that comes with an asterisk because Atlanta played without QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner.
Simply put, this team only made it to the playoffs because of Donovan McNabb.
Andy Reid is a nice guy, but he is a failure as a coach and talent evaluator. The only shining spot on this team in 2009 was the quarterback and the passing game. Let’s think about how the season turned out:
The running game was non-existent and the heir apparent to Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, is a bust
The offensive line cannot run block at all and rarely gave time to McNabb to pass
The defensive line rated 12th in sacks, but only got pressure in blitz packages and most of the sacks came from Trent Cole
The linebacking corp is undoubtedly the worst in the NFL. They can’t tackle, they can’t blitz, they can’t pass cover.
The defensive backfield plays opportunistically and delivered very little. They registered just 25 interceptions despite the first game turnover gift wrapping of 5 INTs from Carolina. You take out that one game, they rated middle of the pack in the NFL.
Every area of this team underperformed, especially on defense. The one bright light was the quarterback and receiving corps. McNabb is not responsible for the failures in other areas, that falls on Andy Reid.
Reid has control over all personnel decisions. The GM in Philly is nothing more than a person with a title pushing paper. Reid decided to bring in the offensive line failures. Reid decided to reach on LeSean McCoy. Reid chose not to replace Brian Dawkins. Reid chose not to make a move to fill the loss of MLB Stewart Bradley.
The failures on this team all roll back to Reid.
But the biggest glaring problem is Reid’s offensive strategy. Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhigwheg’s pass happy craziness makes the Eagles too predictable. The opposing defense is never left guessing, its always going to be a pass. So instead of the offense keeping the defense guessing, for the Eagles, it is the other way around.
Eventually, this will catch up to you in a long NFL season. Jim Johnson is no longer around to save Reid’s neck and McNabb performs admirably despite the defense knowing he is coming with a pass and his offensive line never giving him protection.
Lets put away the Hang McNabb catcalls and focus the energy where it belongs. Andy Reid runs this team top to bottom and his inability to realize his offensive strategy will never make it through a 21 week NFL season will keep the Eagles without a Lombardi Trophy on its mantle.
Yesterday’s defeat is just another notch on the belt of failure that is snuggly fit around Andy Reid’s waistline.
The Philadelphia Eagles were rolling to close the season again. Six straight victories and a first round bye was staring them in the face. Andy Reid was awarded a contract extension. Six players named to the Pro Bowl. Good times.
Then a dose of reality set in down in Dallas with a 24-0 trouncing at the hands of the Cowboys. The scoreboard was much kinder than what occurred on the field. The Cowboys rolled up 474 yards against a porous defense. The stats could have been much worse if Dallas had not eased off the gas pedal in the fourth quarter. The Eagles had no answers, either offensively or defensively against a team considered average by most and primed to the #6 seed.
How could the season unravel so quickly? One loss drops you from the #2 seed to the #6 seed? What happened?
The reality is, the Eagles are not a very good team. Heading into the playoffs, the Eagles are the only team among the 12 playoff teams that don’t have a victory against another playoff team. The Eagles were 0-4 against playoff teams and hold only one victory against a team with a winning record, the Atlanta Falcons. And that victory against Atlanta comes with a big asterisk given that Matt Ryan and Michael Turner did not play that day.
So, what it gets down to is that the Eagles have beaten the teams they were supposed to beat and lost to the teams where there was a question mark. This team lacks mettle. Their 11-5 record is the product of a soft schedule that afforded them matchups against the bottom feeders of the NFL. And even with the soft schedule, their defense still rated at the middle of the pack.
The Eagles have two major weaknesses entering the playoff, a lack of a running game and the inability to stop over the middle pass routes.
Opposing defenses have no fear of the running game. Brian Westbrook is no longer an elite player, LeSean McCoy has shown to be a bust and Leonard Weaver is a fullback that just happens to be their best running back at the moment. This has allowed defenses to sit back in pass coverage, blitz with recklessness and challenge Donovan McNabb to beat them.
As for the defense, the Eagles have been unable to plug the leak that opened went Stewart Bradley went down with a knee injury in preseason. The Eagles rotated Joe Mays and Omar Gaither with poor results. They then pulled Jeremiah Trotter off the scrap heap to no avail. Then they traded for Will Witherspoon before the trade deadline. Nothing has fixed the problem. Opposing tight ends put up Pro Bowl worthy stats against this gaping hole and running backs are feasting on pass routes.
This is not the first time the Eagles have slipped into the NFL Playoffs with a less than deserving squad. Andy Reid and company always seem to find a way to pull out a win. But with no quality wins recorded during the regular, it appears the mountain will be much tougher to climb this time around.
Will Andy Reid win that elusive Supebowl in his 3 year contract extension?
I have to weigh in on the Philadelphia Eagles decision to give head coach Andy Reid a three year extension worth a reported $5 to $6 million a season.
Reid has done a good job of winning games (115) in his ten year tenure as head coach. His win percentage is a solid .611, he has the Eagles at 8-4 this year and right in the playoff hunt again. The Eagles have made five NFC Championships under him including last year’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He also inherited a team in 1999 that was 3-13 and was instrumental in drafting their superstar quarterback, Donovan McNabb.
With all this being said, I think the Eagles should have gone in another direction. His resume is impressive, but his failure to win the big game is something Eagles fans have no patience for.
As an Eagles fan for over 30 years, I am frustrated with some of the conservative calls the Eagles make on offense. I do not see the fire to win at all costs and that is a direct reflection of the coach. Eagle fans will also tell you that McNabb does show that will to win and hate to lose that will make you a Superbowl Champion. I just think that a change should be made so the Eagles can go from winners to champions.
They just don’t have the pieces in place in the coaching staff to take their winning to the next level. And it starts and ends with Andy Reid.
So while I am appreciative of all the winning the Eagles have done under Reid, I would like to see a change with a coach that has more fire and passion that Reid. It looks like the Eagles will have three more years of Andy Reid. I only hope that he catches lighting in a bottle.
Eagles fans continue to scratch their heads on whether their team can finally get over that proverbial hump. With an opportunity to jettison a Dallas Cowboys team with a penchant for choking, it was the Eagles that choked once again in another close loss, 20-16 this past Sunday night. It leaves Eagles fans and players to question “Can we win consistently with the game on the line?”
While famous for their collapses in NFC title games, Andy Reid’s Eagles have more problems than just winning when the spotlight is shone on them. Since the beginning of the 2007 season, the Eagles are 4-13-1 in games decided by 7 points or less. In the 2008 season, the Eagles were 1-6-1 and the struggles have continued in 2009 with an 0-2 start in tight games. When will Donovan McNabb rise from the ashes and provide an Elwayian comeback performance rather than looking like his counterpart across the field in Tony Romo?
During the post conference press conference, when shared details of his team’s struggles in close games Andy Reid responded, “That’s a pretty good stat, so there is probably some form of a link. I’m not sure exactly what that link is other than that stat. We have to do better in those situations on both sides of the ball and special teams.” Somebody needs to share with Reid that this is not a good stat to be proud, as it suggests poor coaching and preparation…that is the link. These losses can be the difference in making the playoffs or staying home. Championship teams are defined by their ability to deliver in the fourth quarter.
If the Eagles want to become a serious threat to getting to the Super Bowl, it starts with improved direction at the helm. Blaming Donovan McNabb is just no longer in vogue. Its about predictable coaching that the other side can count on every week. Marty Morninhweg calling the plays ensures that David Akers will to be a top fantasy football scorer each week is not good. The Eagles once again rank in the bottom third for Red Zone efficiency because the play calls are just too predictable when they get in tight.
But more concerning is what we saw on the field Sunday night. Late in the first quarter, with 3 down and 23 yards to go, we saw this poor coaching on full display. With the top deep threat in the NFL leading your receiving corp, DeSean Jackson is on the field, right? You would be wrong. Reid and Morninhweg sent in the “third and long package” and decided they were better off with Reggie Brown on the field for this play rather than the NFL leader in yards per catch. Its this type of poor game planning that loses tight game by not having the right players on the field when it matters.
Outside of the victory against a reeling Giants squad, the Eagles have not displayed much on the field. The defense is in shambles, they can’t stop over the middle passes and they have no running game to speak of. They should be thankful for playing the weakest NFL schedule to date, but the road starts getting tougher the rest of the way.
For all Eagles fans, here’s hoping that Jeffrey Loria withholds that contract extension for his coaches until they prove they can deliver on the field in a close game.
