Nathaniel

Shockey

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January 21, 2009

Donovan McNabb: Nice Guy, No Ice in the Veins

As a Philadelphia Eagles fan, the popular trend of national sports analysts from around the nation to defend Donovan McNabb against Philadelphia’s seemingly relentless criticism is incredibly annoying. No one likes being called ungrateful, which we are all the time. No one likes to be incessantly reminded that he is lucky for what he has. This concept is dished up for Philadelphia fans far more regularly than cream cheese or cheese steaks. And absolutely no one likes to be criticized by outsiders who, in this case, having not grown up as Philadelphia sports fans, simply don’t get it.

But then again, in the world of sports, we are just fans and nothing more. For us, sports are a hobby. For a player, it’s their life.

I’ve never met McNabb, but it seems quite clear that he is one of the good guys in sports. He looks out for his teammates, he controls his tongue in interviews, and as the toothy grin behind his facemask so frequently reminds us, he really loves the game. And on top of that, he has enjoyed what will, one day, probably be considered a Hall of Fame career.

It’s no wonder why so many analysts feel the need to come to McNabb’s rescue. What business do a bunch of fans have trashing a future HOFer, one of the good guys, who has spoiled them with five NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl?

Perhaps Sunday’s game gave the world some idea of our business with him. Because the Eagles’ most recent NFC Championship Game loss perfectly encapsulated McNabb’s hotly debated career.

Let’s begin with the pluses. First, he got them there, which is an achievement all by itself. Second, his stats were tremendous – 60 percent completions, 375 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception, which was tipped. The Philadelphia offense racked up over 450 total yards and scored 25 points, and had their kicker been his usual self, they would have had four more. McNabb made some huge throws in this game – impressive throws, throws most other NFL quarterbacks wouldn’t make. Once again, it is incredibly easy to make a strong case for McNabb’s performance. And were it not for a botched non-call on an obvious pass interference on fourth and 10, who knows what would have happened?

But one botched call does not make or break a champion.

On Sunday, one quarterback ripped off his chinstrap after every failed drive. He was in the face of his offensive coordinator. He averaged 9.5 yards per every pass attempt. Thanks to uncannily good play-calling, he was poised and ready for every blitz. And when the game rested on one drive, one quarterback got the job done with a down to spare.

The other quarterback had 7.6 yards per pass attempt. He badly missed his receivers throughout an entire half. He didn’t look remotely fired up at any point during the game. As he mounted an heroic comeback in the third quarter, his toothy grin was clearly visible to all. And finally, with three minutes left, down by seven points, the Super Bowl berth hinged on one drive.

About four hours after the game, I decided to call my brother. I knew he would be feeling empty, as I was, but it still seemed like the right thing to do. As we exchanged our frustrations, without even trying, he perfectly summed up McNabb’s career in one question.

“Nathaniel, at any point during that last drive, did you actually think McNabb could get it done?”

The answer hurt. McNabb almost missed Brian Westbrook for their biggest gain of that final drive. On the final set of downs, one pass was clearly dropped. Another was catchable, but was also dropped. McNabb proceeded to mimic the drop, his way of saying ,“That one’s on you.” Actually, the pass was two feet too high. Another pass was four feet behind a receiver. And then came the fourth and 10 non-call that will haunt Eagles fans for years. Game. Season. Career as an Eagle?

McNabb is a talented quarterback, more talented than Kurt Warner, even. He is capable of winning a Super Bowl, and far more gifted than many quarterbacks who have already won Super Bowls. This very season, his team was one flag, one tackle, two feet, four feet, a fourth and inches, a goal line tackle, mere breaths away from bringing Philadelphia another shot at a championship.

But when it came down to it, Sunday revealed two quarterbacks for who they really were. And only one of them had ice in his veins.

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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