Donovan McNabb and the Hall of Fame

[Diivox]

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.

i think that's this thread in a nutshell right there. McNabb has a chance to make last season look like an aberration and stand on his stats, or he can support the already standing perception that Reid is a really amazing coach because of what he got out of Donnie. im not sure that Leslie Frazier and Percy Harvin are the people to change that perception. AP might open up some passing opportunities, but he's not passing to anyone of consequence.

I think Minnesota fucked up pretty bad letting Sidney Rice walk, especially after Favre showed us Rice could be pretty fucking amazing with a competent quarterback throwing to him. Guy was definitely the only Vikings reciever I worried about since Moss 1.0.

 

[Xixak]

Any thoughts of McNabb being in the HOF will wither away after this season. Pray for me while I suffer through a parade of interceptions and bad throws this year

 

[Senser81]

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.

They are good because he didn't pass for yardage. A dink-and-dunk guy, who would run instead of forcing a pass. I was looking over McNabb's numbers, and they were pretty interesting. Only 4 times did he play a full season. Never threw for over 4000 yards. In fact, he only threw over 3500 yards three times, which is low considering the era. Never finished in the top 5 in passing yards (finished in the top 10 only twice). And for the guy who claimed that McNabb spent most of his career as a top 5 QB, he finished in the top 5 in QB rating only twice. Aside from his 2004 season, his numbers are rather pedestrian.

 

[Jclentzthadon]

McNabb had little talent at WR his whole career. That being said this whole "McNabb to the Hall talk" is only now beginning because this will be a throw down once he becomes eligible. He really flamed out in DC and now he is at Minny, in what I believe to still be a quality team with obvious wepons. It will be interesting to see how this season plays out for him and the eagles.

 

[Senser81]

McNabb had little talent at WR his whole career.

But he had great coaching and a great defense. If we are going to praise McNabb for leading his team to NFC championship games, then we should at least acknowledge that the Eagles were a pretty strong team, who would usually win with Koy Detmer and AJ Feeley at QB.

 

[Wrath]

First off I think McNabb was one heck of a QB and he did HIS part in leading the Eagles to those championship games and the SUPERBOWL. Unfortunately, he was very inconsistent and his completion percentage and lack of desire to run at times drove me and lots of eagles fans crazy. That being said, McNabb was a winner and knew how to protect the ball. I believe he has one of the lowest interception rates among QB's. I feel that McNabb was Miscast abet in the Eagles system. Had McNabb been on a run first team where you worked off the play action with a few deep threats he could have done even more in this league. The Eagles system works better at a higher completion percentage and relies abet more on touch which was McNabb's weakness. However; McNabb made the best of our system and performed which courage and more heart at times then he's given credit. As an example when he played on a broken leg verse the Arizona Cardinals...I feel McNabb is a borderline Hall of Fame player who may get in because he was a super football player but not first ballet.

 

[Jclentzthadon]

But he had great coaching and a great defense. If we are going to praise McNabb for leading his team to NFC championship games, then we should at least acknowledge that the Eagles were a pretty strong team, who would usually win with Koy Detmer and AJ Feeley at QB.

That is the counter argument, no question. Now I am not die hard eagles fan but, you gotta look at things in this light too. Who did they lose too? They lost to one of the greatest offenses in NFL history (Rams), they lost to one of the greatest defenses in NFL history (Bucs), they lost to a team that put up one of the greatest runs at a dynasty in the past 15 years + in the Patriots AND all those teams did what? Won the superbowl that same year.

I cannot recall but I think they did lose to the Panthers who lost in the Superbowl to the patriots but they did have some tough beats against some tough teams.

 

[Jclentzthadon]

I guess my point is that the eagles were ALWAYS good but they were never truly great outside of the year they had with T.O. They were the nuts that year. Just see the Eagles as consistantly a very good team but they never had that Rams year or that Bucs year where they just were "the team".

 

[Senser81]

That is the counter argument, no question. Now I am not die hard eagles fan but, you gotta look at things in this light too. Who did they lose too? They lost to one of the greatest offenses in NFL history (Rams), they lost to one of the greatest defenses in NFL history (Bucs), they lost to a team that put up one of the greatest runs at a dynasty in the past 15 years + in the Patriots AND all those teams did what? Won the superbowl that same year.

While thats true, I also remember the Eagles always losing at home to inferior opponents in the playoffs. Even that Bucs loss was at Philly.

 

[Jclentzthadon]

While thats true, I also remember the Eagles always losing at home to inferior opponents in the playoffs. Even that Bucs loss was at Philly.

They blew to the panthers also.

 

[Wrath]

While thats true, I also remember the Eagles always losing at home to inferior opponents in the playoffs. Even that Bucs loss was at Philly.

Which team are you talking about? The Panthers and Bucs where better teams....

 

[Jclentzthadon]

That Buc team had their sights set on the Eagles that year. They were poised to take them out.

 

[Jclentzthadon]

Now that panthers team. I don't know about that. I thought they should have beaten the panthers because I always sorta pulled for the eagles because everyone hating on them. Panthers though had a helluva team. Kris jenkins, pepers, al wallace, dan morgan, minter, sick defense....

 

[Senser81]

Which team are you talking about? The Panthers and Bucs where better teams....

LOL. Philly was expected to beat Tampa. I don't really think Tampa was any better than Philly. The next year, Tampa went 7-9.

The Panther game was a huge upset. Carolina had barely scored more points than they allowed during the year. McNabb had been sorely outplayed by pedestrian Brad Johnson in the previous championship game...in this one McNabb was TERRIBLE and made Jake Delhomme look good by comparison. There is no way Carolina was better than Philly. The next year, Carolina went 7-9.

 

[Jclentzthadon]

Well the Bucs had massive injuries the prior year, the reason they bombed. Plus the bucs had that, "this is our last shot" mentatlity and Philly had owned them. Don't forget that Bucs team dominated in the superbowl.

 

[Senser81]

Well the Bucs had massive injuries the prior year, the reason they bombed.

No, they didn't. They just weren't that good. And, as I said, Philly was at home and favored to win. I don't think anyone thought that the Bucs were a team of destiny or anything like that. They had lost to the Eagles during the regular season.

 

[Blade]

The 2004 season was his best, because that was the year he had the best WR in football, THE Best O-line in the league (Healthy Runyan and Thomas, Hank Fraley, Herremans and a Normal Shawn Andrews) That year he had all day to complete passes because of some of the best pass blocking he ever had.

The Eagles system IS a dink and dunk, but when the pass protection is shit you need a McNabb or Vick, to keep the pocket moving and make plays themselves. When TO left, McNabb was pretty much on an island for a year before DJax showed up. Then Kolb goes in and he is your ultimate dink and dunk QB but not mobile enough and he was getting killed against defenses with fast DBs and good pass rushes. Enter Vick and all of a sudden the Eagles offense explodes but as he takes hits throughout the year, he isn't mobile enough the offense flames out in the Playoffs.

Yea the Andy Reid offense is good, but only when there is good pass protection. If that's not there even Reid knows he needs a mobile QB to put up points.

 

[Shayn•Da•Pain]

LOL. Philly was expected to beat Tampa. I don't really think Tampa was any better than Philly. The next year, Tampa went 7-9.

The Panther game was a huge upset. Carolina had barely scored more points than they allowed during the year. McNabb had been sorely outplayed by pedestrian Brad Johnson in the previous championship game...in this one McNabb was TERRIBLE and made Jake Delhomme look good by comparison. There is no way Carolina was better than Philly. The next year, Carolina went 7-9.

Yeah before that game the Bucs had never won a game in the playoffs on the road. They were 0-5 on the road, 1-40 in weather below 40 Degrees. They were supposed to win that game(Eagles). Besides, the Bucs were an average offense, 15th ranked in the league. The Eagles had the 4th ranked offense, and the only drive they could score a touchdown on was the opening drive when Mitchell ran the kickoff back to the Bucs 25 yardline? McNabb sucked in that game. I mean he really sucked.

 

[shag773]

In the 5 championship games McNabb played in, the Eagles were the favorites in 4 of them. However, the only loss I hold him directly responsible for is the Cardinals loss.

For as bad as the Bucs loss was (I'm still not over it), McNabb was coming off a broken ankle and was not playing at 100%. People were debating that week whether they should start Feely over him because of how hobbled he looked the week prior vs the Falcons (we won that game 14-7 on a Bobby Taylor INT TD return IIRC). Also, the gameplan was garbage. We seemed to completly abandon the run after the first quarter (Duece Staley had 152yds in the regular season matchup).

The Panthers game was a complete joke. WRs James Thrash and Todd Pinkston could not get off the line of scrimmage. And when they did, they seemed like they wanted no parts of the Panther secondary. Plus, McNabb was knocked out of the game early in the 4th Quarter if memory serves.

The Cardinal game I only saw parts of (fucking wedding). I know McNabb led a furious comeback and took the lead that the defense relinquished. But McNabb had the ball in the end and only picked up one first down on that last drive, with three straight errant throws to end that drive.

Point is I think McNabb had some strange things happen in his career. However he doesn't have the statistics that would be able to overshadow his perceived shortcomings in the big games he played in to make him HOF worthy IMO.

 

[Villain]

I'd rather have Philip Rivers as he is today than Donovan McNabb in his prime.

/just saying.