Donovan McNabb and the Hall of Fame

[Saluki]

Let me put it like this, Go look at Elways numbers from 1990, 1991, 1992. That three year patch was ROUGH by any QB standard, you think people weren't saying the same things they were saying about McNabb? Forget people wondering if he was going to get to another superbowl, people were wondering if he should even be starting still at that point.

I'm not saying McNabb's going to be able to pull off what Elway did and explode towards the end of his career, i'm just saying its a pretty similar looking situation to me, and it COULD happen.

 

Also Elway won his superbowls once he got an all-pro RB....i hear this Peterson guy is pretty good....just sayin.

 

[Saluki]

I'm not trying to compair Elway to McNabb from a skill standpoint, im saying the situation is similar as far as having a lull in the middle of their career

 

[bucky]

I'm not trying to compair Elway to McNabb from a skill standpoint, im saying the situation is similar as far as having a lull in the middle of their career

McNabb, lul in the middle of his career? Doesn't he have to have an end of his career before you could even consider his middle being a lul? I think we are talking about the likely hood of his middle being a lul or the end being a lul.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Let me put it like this, Go look at Elways numbers from 1990, 1991, 1992. That three year patch was ROUGH by any QB standard, you think people weren't saying the same things they were saying about McNabb? Forget people wondering if he was going to get to another superbowl, people were wondering if he should even be starting still at that point.

But nobody was saying that stuff. Why do you keep referencing this? This is revisionist history. It never happened.

Look at 1991. The team went 12-4 and went to the AFC Championship. The leading rusher was Gaston Green, and the leading receiver was somebody named Mike Young who had 44 catches for 629 yards. Again, Elway was FAR & AWAY the best player on the team, and was three points away from a Super Bowl. And you are trying to tell me he was being run out of town because of some 13/12 TD/INT ratio? You're lost, it never happened.

I'm not saying McNabb's going to be able to pull off what Elway did and explode towards the end of his career, i'm just saying its a pretty similar looking situation to me, and it COULD happen.

 

Also Elway won his superbowls once he got an all-pro RB....i hear this Peterson guy is pretty good....just sayin.

Again though, the Elway/McNabb comparison is flawed to begin with. Elway, regardless of statistics, was always considered one of the best if not the best QB in football. McNabb was a good QB who had one spectacular season. He was never ever ever ever held in the same regard as Favre, Manning, Brady, or Warner when Warner was being Warner. And i'm probably overlooking a few guys.

 

[Senser81]

Let me put it like this...

 

[Saluki]

You know what, i take it all back, McNabbs had ONE bad season on a shitty team. Even if he's mediocre his numbers will get him in. People talk about him like he's so bad, but he's taken teams to 5 NFC Championships, and a Superbowl when he had an Elite WR to throw to. Hell his last season in Philly before he went to the Washington Shitskins he threw 22TDs to 10 picks and missed 2 games. If thats him washed up i'll take a washed up McNabb over all but maybe 8 of the QBs in the lg right now.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

You know what, i take it all back, McNabbs had ONE bad season on a shitty team. Even if he's mediocre his numbers will get him in. People talk about him like he's so bad, but he's taken teams to 5 NFC Championships, and a Superbowl when he had an Elite WR to throw to. Hell his last season in Philly before he went to the Washington Shitskins he threw 22TDs to 10 picks and missed 2 games. If thats him washed up i'll take a washed up McNabb over all but maybe 8 of the QBs in the lg right now.

Nobody is talking like he had a 'bad' career. People are mostly agreeing that he shouldn't be a HOF. Not being a HOF doesn't mean you had a 'bad' career, it just means you aren't an all time great, which clearly Donovan McNabb isn't.

With that said, I fully expect him to get in the HOF. Same for McNair. I think the Football HOF generally does a terrible job, and both of those guys are the type of guys they tend to put in.

 

[Shayn•Da•Pain]

You know what, i take it all back, McNabbs had ONE bad season on a shitty team. Even if he's mediocre his numbers will get him in. People talk about him like he's so bad, but he's taken teams to 5 NFC Championships, and a Superbowl when he had an Elite WR to throw to. Hell his last season in Philly before he went to the Washington Shitskins he threw 22TDs to 10 picks and missed 2 games. If thats him washed up i'll take a washed up McNabb over all but maybe 8 of the QBs in the lg right now.

Hold the phone!

Did you really just say he's a top 10 QB right now?

 

[Saluki]

Hold the phone!

Did you really just say he's a top 10 QB right now?

Not at all, i said I'D take him over alot of guys. There's some guys that's prob better than him right now that i wouldn't want on my team. *coughELIMANNINGcough*

 

[The Messenger]

Not at all, i said I'D take him over alot of guys. There's some guys that's prob better than him right now that i wouldn't want on my team. *coughELIMANNINGcough*

Eli Manning has a Super Bowl ring.

 

[killgod]

Eli Manning has a Super Bowl ring.

So does Doug Williams, Trent Dilfer, Joe Namath, Brad Johnson....

 

[The Messenger]

I do think you're (W2B) kinda being a little harsh on McNabb though. He has been one of the better QBs in the NFL during his career. He floated in and around the top 5 when he was healthy. And yes, I would say there was a time when he was the third best QB in the game (during Warner's off periods, before Brees was Brees).

McNabb was cursed with one of the worsts casts of receivers I believe of any QB who achieved the success he did. You're talking about his receivers being James Thrash, Todd Pinkston, and Greg Lewis for how long? Years on end. Just terribly mediocre talent. His best options throughout his career outside of the short stint with T.O. were his HB (Westbrook) and his TE (Smith).

When he was healthy though, he could take a game over by himself. He was one of the most feared players in the league because of that ability. I know as a Cowboys fan, it sucked having to face the Eagles even in the recent years.

Hall of Fame? I don't think so. I do think he was a great quarterback whose career was hurt by injuries and a poor cast of receivers. Not elite, but great? Certainly. (It feels dirty to say McNabb was a great player btw.)

 

[The Messenger]

So does Doug Williams, Trent Dilfer, Joe Namath, Brad Johnson....

:edlover:

Eli Manning is 10x the QB those guys wished they could have been.

 

[bucky]

Hall of Fame? I don't think so. I do think he was a great quarterback whose career was hurt by injuries and a poor cast of receivers. Not elite, but great? Certainly. (It feels dirty to say McNabb was a great player btw.)

I think lack of accuracy hurts him as well. Hall of Very Good, but not HOF.

 

[Rayman]

FirstTimer is not picking up TheMessenger's sarcasm.

 

[Aso]

Let me put it like this, Go look at Elways numbers from 1990, 1991, 1992. That three year patch was ROUGH by any QB standard, you think people weren't saying the same things they were saying about McNabb? Forget people wondering if he was going to get to another superbowl, people were wondering if he should even be starting still at that point.

I'm not saying McNabb's going to be able to pull off what Elway did and explode towards the end of his career, i'm just saying its a pretty similar looking situation to me, and it COULD happen.

 

Also Elway won his superbowls once he got an all-pro RB....i hear this Peterson guy is pretty good....just sayin.

Your comparisons are awful. I've seen games of the Broncos in the time you're talking about. The announcers didn't talk about him the way they do McNabb now.

And the Broncos offense as a whole in that time is far and beyond what the Vikings have now. It was more than just a RB that helped him get over the top.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Consider this concerning McNabb's accuracy...

Last year Michael Vick's completion percentage went up 9% under Andy Reid. McNabb, away from Reid, put up his worst completion percentage since 2006, and one of the lowest rates of his career.

McNabb definitely benefited from playing under Reid, and he still wasn't a very accurate passer.

 

[Hasselbeck]

The Elway to McNabb comparisons are laughable. There was never a doubt Elway was headed to the HOF, irregardless of the end to his career. Similar to Marino, Elway would have been in on the first crack even if he didn't win a Super Bowl.

Of course - that didn't happen. Elway closed out his career with back-to-back championships and he was even more of a slam dunk to be a HOF player, and entered the discussion of GOAT for the quarterback position.

McNabb? Even a Super Bowl win might not be enough. I just don't see the numbers to make him a HOF player. Was he a good QB in his prime? Absolutely.. and he was instrumental in the Eagles being a Super Bowl contender for several years.. but that doesn't equate to being a hall-of-fame caliber player.

I don't think he gets in to be honest. Nor should he at this point.

 

[blstuart]

He's the above average quarterback on Super Bowl winning teams. If that puts him in the Hall of Fame than so be it.

Unfortunately, yes, being the above average QB on Super Bowl winning teams does put you in the Hall of Fame.
You bring up Bradshaw which is a good one. My example would be Troy Aikman.

 

[dave]

Consider this concerning McNabb's accuracy...

Last year Michael Vick's completion percentage went up 9% under Andy Reid. McNabb, away from Reid, put up his worst completion percentage since 2006, and one of the lowest rates of his career.

McNabb definitely benefited from playing under Reid, and he still wasn't a very accurate passer.

For all this yacking about McNabb's inaccuracy - and I'm not saying he's Joe Montana where that's concerned - the man didn't throw a whole lot of INTs in his Eagles' career. His TD-INT ratio seems sadly overlooked in this thread.
I agree McNabb choked more than I would like, but given the lousy WRs he had throughout his Eagles' career, his TD-INT and numbers are pretty damn good.

But I was at The Vet when he threw the pick to Ronde Barber in 2002. Ugh. I've never heard a stadium so quiet (other than any time I attend a Toronto Blue Jays home game).