I have been a true Philadelphia Eagles fan every since I was a little kid watching Randall Cunningham run, throw, and even punt the ball in order to help the team win. At the time I lived in Watertown, NY and Syracuse was my favorite college team. Then in 1999 Eagles signed Andy Reid as the head coach who at the time was the assistant head coach and quarterback coach for the Green Bay Packers. The signing of Reid was not well received in Philly especially after going 3-13 the year before and a coach coming in with not much head coaching experience. So when the Eagles selected Donovan McNabb out of Syracuse it was like Christmas for me, my favorite player in college getting selected by the Eagles. To my surprise the crowd at the draft booed McNabb because they thought Ricky Williams would have been a better selection. I bet they all regret that now with the “cloud of smoke” surrounding Williams over the years.
Since Reid and McNabb’s tenure at Philly they have gone to the playoffs 7 times, the NFC championship 5 times and reached the Super Bowl once. Thanks to the front office finally giving McNabb a go to receiver in Terrell (T.O) Owens. McNabb had career numbers that year, but unfortunately like many teams have learned T.O was not a team player and had to go. Once again the team was without any true #1 receivers.
Over the years McNabb has been banged up due to scrambling out of the pocket and taking punishing hits, including being sacked by the New York Giants 12 times in a game. Eventually the Eagles front office felt McNabb career might be winding down so in 2007 they selected Kevin Kolb out of the University of Houston to be McNabb’s future replacement. With no fail he endured the same hateful welcome McNabb did on draft day. At the time Eagle fans and other NFL sports analyst thought the Eagles should have been pursuing a legitimate wide receiver to replace T.O. That way McNabb would have another weapon besides RB Brian Westbrook, and finally last year they did.
Jump ahead to this summer, the league eagerly anticipated the return of Michael Vick. No one knew where he would go, and I for one would’ve never thought it would have been Philly. They already had 3 quarterbacks with McNabb, Kolb and A.J Feeley, and didn’t see the value in adding a forth. There were a lot of other teams out there that could’ve used Vick’s service more than the Eagles, but nobody really stepped up to the plate. Lucky for Vick with McNabb asking management to give him a chance raised a lot of questions. Does McNabb really want Vick there? Did Management do it without asking McNabb first? Does McNabb feel threatened with Vick lurking over his back? What about Kolb and Feeley?.
I think as a player over time you grow up. If you look at McNabb’s 1999 draft class, which was to suppose to be the second best quarterback class in NFL history, he is the only one remaining with the team that selected him, the rest have faded off into wonderland. He knows he is getting older and wants the one thing that every great NFL player wants a Super Bowl ring even if it means bringing in Vick to run the Wildcat offense. McNabb’s body has taken to many hits to run around the field like he use to.
With the Eagles going into a bye week, McNabb has time to rest his broken rib. Kolb has time to keep working on his throwing motions in case he is called upon again to lead the Eagles. Vick has time to clear his head and get ready for what is sure to be his chance to show other teams in the league that he still can electrify the crowd in whatever formations Reid and the coaching staff put him in.
Given the cast that coach Andy Reid has put together, this year seems to be a make or break year for him and McNabb. Both came to the Eagles in 1999 and have gone through many ups and downs. Together they know they need do whatever it takes to silence the hostile Eagle fans that just want a Super Bowl win even if they have to pelt Santa with snowballs again. We know they have a solid defense and the quarterbacks to game plan for any defensive unit. They also have the talent at running back with Brian Westbrook, rookie LeSean McCoy, and a short yard back in Leonard Weaver. Finally they have true depth at the wide receiver position lead by DeSean Jackson, rookie Jeremy Maclin, and veterans Kevin Curtis and Jason Avant.
Doubt still remains in Philly on both Reid and McNabb. A lot of people want change even though Reid is considered one of the top coaches in the NFL. McNabb is also the Eagles all time leader in wins, pass attempts, touchdowns, and passing yards. He also holds NFL records for most consecutive pass completions 24, is the least intercepted quarterback per pass attempt of all time, has the third best touchdown to interception ratio of all time, and currently has the third highest winning percentage among active quarterbacks. But in Philly you are forever hated until you leave, retire, or win the Super Bowl.
