PHILADELPHIA – Donovan McNabb was famously booed upon being drafted and many fans were eager to see him go.
PHILADELPHIA – Donovan McNabb was famously booed upon being drafted and many fans were eager to see him go.
In between, McNabb went to six Pro Bowls, led the Philadelphia Eagles to five NFC championship games and one Super Bowl appearance – and set franchise records in nearly every passing category. Yet to some McNabb’s years in Philadelphia always will be measured by what he didn’t accomplish. He failed to win an NFL championship. To those who emphasize the bottom line, that’s all that counts.
The McNabb Era ended Sunday night when the Eagles traded the star quarterback to the Washington Redskins for a pair of draft picks. The 33-year-old McNabb joins new Redskins coach Mike Shanahan, who won consecutive Super Bowls with John Elway in Denver more than a decade ago. Yes, the Redskins: The Eagles will see their old quarterback twice next season in NFC East battles. Philadelphia turns to McNabb’s understudy, promising but unproven Kevin Kolb. They also have Michael Vick as insurance.
“Obviously we have a lot of confidence in Kevin Kolb to make this decision,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said on Sunday night. “No matter how you look at this, he is a young and upcoming player who I think everybody in our building has a tremendous amount of confidence in him.” During his 11 seasons in Philadelphia, McNabb was an elite player on a team that went to the playoffs eight times. But the organization decided it was time to move on after a disappointing finish last season.
McNabb played poorly in two straight losses at Dallas to end the year. The first one – a 24-0 loss – cost Philadelphia the NFC East title and a first-round bye. The Cowboys routed the Eagles again, 34-14, the following week in the wild-card playoff.
The defense deserved as much blame for both losses, but McNabb took most of the heat. Fans and talk show hosts even harped on McNabb’s air-guitar entrance onto the field before his final game. His goofy personality always rubbed them the wrong way. Peyton Manning or Tom Brady would never act silly before an important game, they said.
McNabb’s relationship with the notoriously tough Philly fans immediately got off to a rocky start in 1999. A group of 30 fans – some with their faces painted midnight green and silver – went to the NFL draft in New York and booed vociferously when the team selected McNabb instead of Texas running back Ricky Williams with the No. 2 overall pick.
The fans said they weren’t booing McNabb personally, rather the fact the Eagles didn’t take Williams. McNabb and his parents have never forgotten it. While Williams underachieved, it wasn’t long before McNabb established himself as a premier player. With his strong arm and scrambling ability, McNabb won Philly over by his second year as he turned the Eagles into a perennial playoff contender. McNabb finished as runner-up to Marshall Faulk for NFL MVP in his sophomore season and made the first of five straight trips to the Pro Bowl.
In those days, McNabb had little help on offense. He led the Eagles to three conference championship games despite a mediocre receiving corps. McNabb’s targets included pedestrian wideouts like Torrance Small, Charles Johnson, James Thrash and Todd Pinkston.
McNabb leaves the Eagles as the franchise leader in yards passing (32,873), completions (2,801), attempts (4,746), completion percentage (59.0) and touchdown passes (216). He also rushed for 3,249 yards and 28 TDs.
So what’s McNabb’s legacy in Philadelphia? “I think it should be that he was the greatest quarterback ever to play for the Philadelphia Eagles to this point,” Reid said.
Copyright 2010 Assiciated Press
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