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During a Tuesday press conference following the first NFL game from which he was yanked of his 10-year career, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb declared, “My future’s bright.”
It only remains to be seen where that future unfolds.
We’re not surprised by the fact that he’ll be starting on Thursday night against the Cardinals. Kevin Kolb clearly isn’t ready, so McNabb gives them the best chance to win now.
And since coach Andy Reid’s best chance to remain employed will come if the Eagles win the next five games, finish 10-5-1, and earn a spot in the playoffs, Reid needs to roll with McNabb.
If the Eagles lose Thursday night, McNabb might get one more chance, since the next game involves a trip to New York for a rematch with the Giants. If they lose the next two, then don’t be surprised if Kolb gets the call for the last three games.
Given that several quarterbacks might be available via free agency or trade after the season, it makes sense for the Eagles to see what they have in Kolb before making a decision as to what they’ll do next year.
Regardless of whether McNabb can win enough games down the stretch to put himself into the mix for the Eagles’ starting job in 2009, he seems to be in the right frame of mind. At the outset of the presser, he joked that he learned of the benching from “the janitor.” When leaving the session, McNabb said that the janitor will be out in a bit.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
McNabb has handled the situation admirably, I’ll give him that. I hope things work out for him where ever he ends up. IMO, he is too banged up and the chemistry just isn’t there for the Eagles.
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Rating: 4.5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I wish the best for D-Mac,but now that he doesn’t run I don’t see what he brings to the table as a QB. When he had the defense spying him, it allowed him to overcome his deficiencies in accuracy. Also, it is probably mostly his lack of touch that the birds lead the league in dropped balls. If he proves me wrong, great.
The eagles will have to egt some Kerry Collins/Jeff Garcia type in here next year.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Dirty_Waters I agree with your comments. McNabb has a lot of class. Sad to see this happening.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
Chilly is licking his chops.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
With McNabb gone and..lets be honest..Kolb not being a franchise QB, it appears the Eagles will be QB shopping in the draft. Knowing Andy, he’ll grab Tim Teebow and the next 10 years of crappy Eagles teams will begin.
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Rating: 2 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
It doesn’t matter who’s playing QB for the Eagles when you’re O-Line is playing the way it is and when you lead the league in dropped passes for the second year in a row. Blaming McNabb is a knee-jerk reaction but the reality is, the QB is only as good as the players around him and there are many other holes that need filling before the QB position. With the exception of T.O. for only one year and Westbrook, who is never healthy, McNabb’s had no help. The Eagles haven’t had production from a TE in 5 years and have had WR’s who otherwise wouldn’t be employed in the NFL, or any other organized football league for that matter.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 6 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Yeah, his future is bright…in Minnesota!
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Rating: 3.35 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I don’t think anyone will play good QB here until we a) run the ball and b) get at least ONE credible wide receiver threat. A banged up RB, laughable wideouts and an aging, inaccurate passer = fail.
BTW, Chilly??? Don’t get it…
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Rating: 1 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
i agree. mcnabb’s future is bright. i for one can’t wait to see donovan mcnabb on a team that
1. values every position
2. knows how to call plays
3. runs the offense based on reality
4. has a different game plan based on what team they are playing, not a standard one for every week.
i’ve always wondered how donovan’s career would have played out had he been on a team that knows how to use his talent. much like buddy ryan wasted randall, andy reid has wasted donovan mcnabb.
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I’d have a positive disposition too if I had a lifetime supply of Chunky Soup.
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Rating: 3.5 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
He hasn’t been doing himself any favors lately, but lets also look at the birds objectively…
No running game, no true receiving threat… Most QBs would struggle in this situation.
teams can just play simple D against them and don’t have to game plan for anything special
Westbrook is hurt, and they simply don’t have a play maker (Jackson might be down the road…not now)
He use to be able to flat out win games… now he they will have to build around him if they are going to have a shot
but unless he restructures that 10.5 mil next year he’s as good as gone
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Perhaps he just got the Season 1 DVD of “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”
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Rating: 3 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Cant help but feel sorry for him. Management screwed him for years by not getting another weapon or running game, and Reid is pissing on him too.
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 4 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I am a die hard Eagles and McNabb fan. I don’t feel sorry for him, however. I am tired of hearing the excuse of McNabb does not have any weapons. Regardless of who was out there catching the ball on Sunday, McNabb was not accurate. That is his fault. Running and holding the ball like a loaf of bread and fumbling it is his fault (Not the hit but when the pocket is crumbling, put the ball away). Something is wrong with McNabb either mentally or his physical skills have just gone down the tubes. At the same time, I fullly blame Reid and/or Marty and the play calling. It is horrible. When there is absolutely no threat of a running game it makes the defensive game planning pretty darn easy. In the end it I could have Donovan or Andy next year I would rather see Reid hit the sidewalk.
Yes, I am a disgruntled Fan.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Way to go, McNabb. Stay classy. Sorry that your career was wasted by a coach that devalued all other offensive skill positions.
I’m tired of hearing haters talk about your penchant for puking…we’d all puke if we carried 10 other players on our back for 10 years.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
You feel sorry for McNabb? please.
Let’s not be so quick to judge Kolb. Throwing him into that Raven’s game where the DEF seemed to be getting hungrier with every play was a desperation move and it backfired. Kolb has looked sharp whenever we’ve seen him before. I think he could have even been ready for thursday, however, downshifting back to McNabb allows a little saving face for Reid and lets him shift the eventual permanent benching more into a “lets see what we got”.
Kolb will be the guy in 2009. They may draft a QB next year, but Kolb wins the job easily.
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November 25th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Yo Stradavarius
Chilly = Childress.
AP + Berrian + great line + great D + D-Mac = Super Bowl
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Rating: 4 / 5 with 1 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
The problem is, all kidding aside, he has had problems with stamina
in a COUPLE of games, one of them being the Super Bowl. When that
happened and TO blabbed about it, I gave McNabb the benefit of the doubt.
But I know what I saw THIS YEAR against the Giants w/ 2:00 left; team had to
take a timeout because McNabb was winded/gagging/choking. I’ve never seen
another pro quarterback do this even once in a career.
Frankly, the level of stupidity in general nowadays runs so high I have no idea
how many NFL players would pass a fan-based test of the rules. But professionally
speaking, purely on how well he plays, I’ve lost faith in McNabb. A guy who’s
just good enough to get you beat, to not play at his best in the final minutes,
is a heartbreaker, not a gamer. And I’d take a pass.
PS Why is Chilly so pumped up?
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
strad: chilly is brad childress coach of minnesota
skeffington: did you see the game sunday? even though your points are salient in the lack of production by the team, mcnabb’s shortcomings on sunday were not the result of any of the above, less the first fumble/int. those balls were terrible throws, and were very reminiscent of the back to back ints (the first nullified by a penalty on n.e.) he threw in the super bowl.
my belief is mcnabb was never suited for the west coast, which requires quick decisions and accurate throws (neither is his strong suit). i would have liked to see him go somewhere like the raiders where they throw deep.
as for the drops, the drops stopped when garcia or feeley was throwing the ball, by and large. don throws an innacurate ball that is also fast and hard to catch (imo).
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 3 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Reid’s tenure is coming to an end in Philly, but in no way does this exonerate McNabb from the teams struggles…past or present. One of Reid’s biggest shortcomings (play-calling being his largest vice) has been his constant “babying” of Donovan. The excuses he and others fabricate for McNabb are laughable. As I have stated before, it is NOT the fault of the O-line, WRs, TEs, coaching staff, media, officials or fans that Disco Donnie throws a bullet pass nowhere near the intended target. Nor is it their fault that McNabb loses his composure (and lunch) in big games and struggles to execute the 2 minute offense. Donovan alone shoulders responsibility for these failures, and they are exactly what keeps him from becoming a truly elite NFL quarterback and driving this team to the top. The current Eagles WRs are far better than the ones Tom Brady won Super Bowls with but guess what??? Brady is an accurate passer who keeps cool under pressure. No matter where McNabb ends up, he’ll never be the legendary QB many of you imagine him to be. He has been a very good QB at times and excelled in certain games, but that’s it. A change of scenery and teammates will not magically transform him into a precise passer and unshakeable field-general.
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Rating: 5 / 5 with 2 rating(s)
November 25th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Maybe he is going to take Emmitt’s place on ESPN, as the washed up, former super star, that doesnt always know the rules, but gets to ad his expert opinion to the show. Maybe that is the “brightness” he is referring to. The bright lights in front of the camera.
After the Eagles dump McNabb’s $10 million contract, they can take some of that $10 mil and sign a real pocket QB, like Matt Cassel, instead of a washed up running QB, that is too proud to say that he was successful, because of his running ability. Apparently that would make him the stereotypical black QB or something. McNabb stopped being effective, when he decided he was a pocket QB, or when his body finally broke down and made that decision for him
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November 25th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Dear Jeffrey Lurie,
Please fire Andy Reid immediately after the last game of the season (you can even let somebody else tell him). Then hire a new coach and GM and let them decide what to do with McNabb. I’m not sure if Donovan has anything left in the tank. But I surely know that Andy Reid should not be the one to make that determination. And, it shouldn’t be Andy Reid who builds an offense around the quarterback’s strengths… because he’s show that he can’t do that consistently for the past 10 years. He came close a few years.. but then sunk back into mediocrity. Which, in itself, should not be tolerated.
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November 25th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
As always, McNabb handles this kinda stuff with class and sometimes a funny joke. He said the Janitor told him. C’mon, thats funny. He might not be a great QB every sunday, but he’s a great guy everyday.
Too bad that doesn’t translate to winning the Super Bowl.
That said, throw the ball a little less hard and with a lot more accuracy #5!! I’m still hoping for another year. If we lose the next 2 weeks, and we’re eliminated from the playoffs, you put Kolb in and tank for a better draft pick. Don’t trade away our 1st rounder 3 years in a row Andy!!
Does anyone think Andy Reid pulled him in the 2nd half Sunday to take the heat off Donovan for his poor play and revealing he “didn’t know” the NFL tie rule? Andy Reid has a man crush on Donovan, and had to get somebody else to tell him. He probably wants to get out of Philly and try to help put his family back together, I sure wouldn’t blame him.
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November 25th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
You know, it is harder for a black quarterback to succeed in the league.
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November 25th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
“Kolb has looked sharp whenever we’ve seen him before”
what? the 4th preseason game doesn’t count. the times we’ve seen him before sunday were last year against the lions when he fumbled his first NFL snap and in the steelers game week three when one of the two passes he completed was to troy palamalu. face it. the guy is not an NFL qb. he’s got no arm strength and couldn’t even give himself a good push on that sneak attempt.
smilergrogan:
1. mcnabb’s fumble was because tra thomas couldn’t hold his block
2. when he had a legitimate #1 reciever, i don’t recall T.O. having problems holding onto the ball.
while I understand that mcnabb isn’t completely blameless in the eagle’s struggles, he’s done enough for this team over the years to be given the benefit of the doubt. i’d like to see him with another coach in a different system before we make a final determination.
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