It's Donovan's F-ing Homecoming Week [Archive] - Page 11

MTK

10-02-2010, 12:16 PM

Good read here, really shows what a class guy he is. Also, heard an interview with Chad Lewis yesterday, he just put out a book. He had nothing but glowingly positive things to say about McNabb.

David Fleming: 12 things most fans don't know about Donovan McNabb - ESPN (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/columns/story?columnist=fleming_david&id=5636424)

The room fell uncomfortably silent the second Donovan McNabb stepped inside the doorway.

It was late last season and I was with a crew from The Magazine inside the Philadelphia Eagles practice facility shooting Michael Vick for a cover story. It was late in the day, dark and drizzly outside, so we thought the facility was empty -- until McNabb, dressed in a baggy gray Syracuse sweat suit, caught us all by surprise.

Not sure how McNabb would react to the scene, no one said a word at first. Think about it: Over the last decade in Philly no athlete had won more, under tougher circumstances and for a less-grateful fan base than Donovan McNabb. And here he was, prepping late night for yet another playoff appearance and what does he discover? The third-string QB, the guy he personally vouched for to the front office, is posing for a magazine cover instead of him? If ever there was a time for McNabb to drop his cool exterior and go all QB diva on us, this was it.

Now, I know you've been thoroughly inundated this week with updates and information regarding McNabb's return to Philly. But the truth is, all you really need to know about the guy is how he reacted to the above scene.

He laughed. He jumped right into the room and said hello to everyone. He could not have been more gracious, more comfortable or confident. Heck, he even gave Vick a few pointers about posing for the camera. Then he made one or two more wise cracks about the struggling Syracuse hoops team (he sits on the school's board of trustees) and disappeared quietly down the hall. And just like that, McNabb was gone, with little fanfare, before we even had a chance to miss him.

I suspect that's exactly how they're feeling in Philly this week. Although we all know they won't admit to it. So here is my list of the 12 best things about McNabb most people don't know.

1. After playing high school hoops with Antoine Walker, McNabb went on to play backup guard for two seasons at Syracuse, including the 1994-95 team that lost to Kentucky in the NCAA finals. McNabb used his background in hoops to gain unique insight on the football field and especially the West Coast offense. McNabb realized early in his career that playing basketball with his receivers not only built chemistry but taught him about how each one moved in open space, where they wanted passes and what they did when things broke down. This is how he was able to get so much out of so many bad wideouts in Philly. In a lot of ways, McNabb once told me, a West Coast quarterback is a lot like a point guard because he has to make sense of so much movement, keep everyone happy, manage the game for the coach and deliver the ball into the hands of his playmakers at the best possible time and place.

2. He protects the ball better than any QB, ever. Heading into the season, McNabb's interception percentage of 2.107 ranked third all time behind Neil O'Donnell (2.106) and David Garrard (2.04). But McNabb has thrown 1,500 more passes than O'Donnell and about 3,000 more than Garrard.

3. I'll never forget this: Years ago I tagged along with McNabb when he dressed up as Santa for kids at a school near downtown Philadelphia. Just as he was about to leave the room and make his grand entrance, his mom, Wilma, who was a registered nurse before she became a famous Campbell Soup spokesperson, pointed at the giant, shiny watch on Donovan's wrist and shook her head, no. "Santa don't wear bling," she said. And he complied. Immediately. Something about that scene, with McNabb's dad, Sam, chuckling in the background, has always made me think of the McNabbs as the first family of football.

4. McNabb threw for almost 6,000 more yards and 41 more TDs than any other Eagles quarterback without the actual benefit of a long-term quality target at wide receiver. No, wait, I take that back. Without the benefit of even a halfway decent long-term target at wide receiver.

5. McNabb has won 102 of 161 starts and has more victories this decade than every quarterback except Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.

6. McNabb is almost freakishly calm under pressure. He's been known to rattle a would-be blitzer by smiling at him as he approaches the line of scrimmage during his cadence. Exhibit B: Redskins teammate Chris Cooley pranked him in camp by having a fan jump out of his locker and instead of flattening the poor kid or screaming like a little girl on a roller coaster, McNabb stepped back, calmly, collected his wits and then just started laughing.

7. Eagles fans still mad about McNabb's trade to the Redskins should think of one thing: Julius Peppers. When he's on, Peppers can be the most dominant player on the field, just like he was against Green Bay when he single-handedly took over the Monday night game. Now, what did his original team, the Carolina Panthers, get from the Bears in exchange for a potential defensive MVP? Nothing.

Why? Because they held on to Pep until he was an unrestricted free agent and too costly to keep, instead of dealing him when they had a chance. McNabb, on the other hand, will be 34 next year when his contract expires. So not only did the Eagles avoid paying McNabb a $6 million roster bonus, they now don't have to break the bank to keep him in 2012 and in return they got two high drafts picks from the Redskins. That sure beats what the Panthers got for Peppers. Which was nothing.

8. I saw Drew Brees on the cover of a magazine this month being lauded for his hard work and unconventional offseason workouts. McNabb pretty much blazed that trail about 10 years ago. See, I spent a week with McNabb in Arizona during the summer of 2001, when he was one of the first NFL QBs to do things like take his pass drops in sand or on a balance beam or attached to a Bungee cord. It was 105 degrees that day and, of course, McNabb was teasing his workout partners about who was going to barf first.

9. Andy Reid once told me the key to a great quarterback is his ability to morph between the Joker and the General, depending on what the situation calls for. Quarterbacks, Reid said, have to be able to stick their heads in the huddle and either get guys laughing or get them pissed off. And no one does that better than McNabb -- not even Favre.

10. Enjoying Vick's return to the spotlight are you? Well, there's a pretty good chance none of this happens without McNabb, who went to bat for Vick last year when the Eagles were thinking about signing him. And once he was on the team, McNabb had a major influence on improving Vick's work habits, his leadership and his development into more of a complete QB. Most of us give our two-week notice and storm out. McNabb recruited and then helped develop his eventual replacement. Is it possible for someone to be too magnanimous?

11. Booed by his own fans at the draft. Disparaged by Rush Limbaugh. Cussed at by Terrell Owens. His lawn vandalized by fans. The attacks. The injuries. Five losses in the six biggest games of his career (five NFC title games and Super Bowl XXXIX). Traded to the Redskins three days after Andy Reid said he was his starting QB. Look, we all know that McNabb hasn't won a Super Bowl and he really needs to in order to solidify his standing as one of the great quarterbacks of his era. But can you name another player in the NFL who has faced more challenges and produced better results under more pressure and with greater class and dignity than Donovan McNabb?

Which makes me wonder: Could all the anger toward McNabb in Philly be fueled by the realization, on some deep subconscious level, that, maybe, he was always too good for that town and, in reality, a better fit with a place the stature of Washington, D.C.?

12. However, with the Redskins' offense ranked 31st in red zone scoring and the Eagles leading the league with 11 sacks, my guess is McNabb is far more focused on that kind of stuff than any deep-seeded revenge plot on the city of brotherly love.

The truth is, I don't see a whole lot changing on Sunday for McNabb in Philadelphia. It will play out like it has for the last decade or so. McNabb will play the game with joy and fearlessness and with a big old smile on his face. McNabb will remain above the fray. He'll produce, he'll lead and he'll win.

And the fans in Philly will hate him for it.


	Commanders Post at The Warpath > Commanders Football > Locker Room Main Forum > It's Donovan's F-ing Homecoming Week PDA It's Donovan's F-ing Homecoming Week Pages : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 [11] 12 13 14 Chico23231 10-01-2010, 09:59 AM Thanks Matty. That reminds me. Given our struggles on the DL, we didn't sign Pryce because...? we already have him, he is know as Philip Daniels Lotus 10-01-2010, 12:52 PM Pryce wanted to play for Ryan. At this point not sure how much he has in the tank anyway. He's a role player at best. Given the weak pass rush that we get from our DE's, a role player pass rusher seems like just what the doctor ordered. But I understand why Haslett does not have the drawing power of Rex Ryan. Plus I imagine that Pryce wanted to go to a winner and after the Rams game especially that would be a hard sell. MTK 10-01-2010, 12:55 PM Pryce used to play for Ryan there in B-More and said he wanted to play for him again, so I'm not sure any other teams were really on his radar, regardless of how we look. SirClintonPortis 10-01-2010, 02:17 PM Pryce may also not want to be with Shanahan anymore. MTK 10-01-2010, 05:45 PM What a bunch of tards "Dirty 30" reunite to welcome McNabb home \| ProFootballTalk.com (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/10/01/dirty-30-reunite-to-welcome-mcnabb-home/) pick-ups 10-02-2010, 08:46 AM http://img820.imageshack.us/img820/7396/mcnabbeagleskin.jpg Going to be a good game(either team winning would'nt surprise me). skinsfaninok 10-02-2010, 08:54 AM That's a pretty cool pic lol Chico23231 10-02-2010, 11:14 AM What a bunch of tards "Dirty 30" reunite to welcome McNabb home \| ProFootballTalk.com (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/10/01/dirty-30-reunite-to-welcome-mcnabb-home/) This is exactly why these classless pieces of sh*ts have never won a superbowl. Good lord, you know how miserable that team would have been if they had chosen Williams? Reid woulda been kicked outta there a longggggg time ago. SirClintonPortis 10-02-2010, 11:27 AM Even Eagles fans are lampooing Angelo Cataldi and his 29 other goons of the "Dirty 30". And here's hoping our Dirty 30(Landry) lights some Eagles up! MTK 10-02-2010, 12:16 PM Good read here, really shows what a class guy he is. Also, heard an interview with Chad Lewis yesterday, he just put out a book. He had nothing but glowingly positive things to say about McNabb. David Fleming: 12 things most fans don't know about Donovan McNabb - ESPN (http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/columns/story?columnist=fleming_david&id=5636424) The room fell uncomfortably silent the second Donovan McNabb stepped inside the doorway. It was late last season and I was with a crew from The Magazine inside the Philadelphia Eagles practice facility shooting Michael Vick for a cover story. It was late in the day, dark and drizzly outside, so we thought the facility was empty -- until McNabb, dressed in a baggy gray Syracuse sweat suit, caught us all by surprise. Not sure how McNabb would react to the scene, no one said a word at first. Think about it: Over the last decade in Philly no athlete had won more, under tougher circumstances and for a less-grateful fan base than Donovan McNabb. And here he was, prepping late night for yet another playoff appearance and what does he discover? The third-string QB, the guy he personally vouched for to the front office, is posing for a magazine cover instead of him? If ever there was a time for McNabb to drop his cool exterior and go all QB diva on us, this was it. Now, I know you've been thoroughly inundated this week with updates and information regarding McNabb's return to Philly. But the truth is, all you really need to know about the guy is how he reacted to the above scene. He laughed. He jumped right into the room and said hello to everyone. He could not have been more gracious, more comfortable or confident. Heck, he even gave Vick a few pointers about posing for the camera. Then he made one or two more wise cracks about the struggling Syracuse hoops team (he sits on the school's board of trustees) and disappeared quietly down the hall. And just like that, McNabb was gone, with little fanfare, before we even had a chance to miss him. I suspect that's exactly how they're feeling in Philly this week. Although we all know they won't admit to it. So here is my list of the 12 best things about McNabb most people don't know. 1. After playing high school hoops with Antoine Walker, McNabb went on to play backup guard for two seasons at Syracuse, including the 1994-95 team that lost to Kentucky in the NCAA finals. McNabb used his background in hoops to gain unique insight on the football field and especially the West Coast offense. McNabb realized early in his career that playing basketball with his receivers not only built chemistry but taught him about how each one moved in open space, where they wanted passes and what they did when things broke down. This is how he was able to get so much out of so many bad wideouts in Philly. In a lot of ways, McNabb once told me, a West Coast quarterback is a lot like a point guard because he has to make sense of so much movement, keep everyone happy, manage the game for the coach and deliver the ball into the hands of his playmakers at the best possible time and place. 2. He protects the ball better than any QB, ever. Heading into the season, McNabb's interception percentage of 2.107 ranked third all time behind Neil O'Donnell (2.106) and David Garrard (2.04). But McNabb has thrown 1,500 more passes than O'Donnell and about 3,000 more than Garrard. 3. I'll never forget this: Years ago I tagged along with McNabb when he dressed up as Santa for kids at a school near downtown Philadelphia. Just as he was about to leave the room and make his grand entrance, his mom, Wilma, who was a registered nurse before she became a famous Campbell Soup spokesperson, pointed at the giant, shiny watch on Donovan's wrist and shook her head, no. "Santa don't wear bling," she said. And he complied. Immediately. Something about that scene, with McNabb's dad, Sam, chuckling in the background, has always made me think of the McNabbs as the first family of football. 4. McNabb threw for almost 6,000 more yards and 41 more TDs than any other Eagles quarterback without the actual benefit of a long-term quality target at wide receiver. No, wait, I take that back. Without the benefit of even a halfway decent long-term target at wide receiver. 5. McNabb has won 102 of 161 starts and has more victories this decade than every quarterback except Tom Brady, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. 6. McNabb is almost freakishly calm under pressure. He's been known to rattle a would-be blitzer by smiling at him as he approaches the line of scrimmage during his cadence. Exhibit B: Redskins teammate Chris Cooley pranked him in camp by having a fan jump out of his locker and instead of flattening the poor kid or screaming like a little girl on a roller coaster, McNabb stepped back, calmly, collected his wits and then just started laughing. 7. Eagles fans still mad about McNabb's trade to the Redskins should think of one thing: Julius Peppers. When he's on, Peppers can be the most dominant player on the field, just like he was against Green Bay when he single-handedly took over the Monday night game. Now, what did his original team, the Carolina Panthers, get from the Bears in exchange for a potential defensive MVP? Nothing. Why? Because they held on to Pep until he was an unrestricted free agent and too costly to keep, instead of dealing him when they had a chance. McNabb, on the other hand, will be 34 next year when his contract expires. So not only did the Eagles avoid paying McNabb a $6 million roster bonus, they now don't have to break the bank to keep him in 2012 and in return they got two high drafts picks from the Redskins. That sure beats what the Panthers got for Peppers. Which was nothing. 8. I saw Drew Brees on the cover of a magazine this month being lauded for his hard work and unconventional offseason workouts. McNabb pretty much blazed that trail about 10 years ago. See, I spent a week with McNabb in Arizona during the summer of 2001, when he was one of the first NFL QBs to do things like take his pass drops in sand or on a balance beam or attached to a Bungee cord. It was 105 degrees that day and, of course, McNabb was teasing his workout partners about who was going to barf first. 9. Andy Reid once told me the key to a great quarterback is his ability to morph between the Joker and the General, depending on what the situation calls for. Quarterbacks, Reid said, have to be able to stick their heads in the huddle and either get guys laughing or get them pissed off. And no one does that better than McNabb -- not even Favre. 10. Enjoying Vick's return to the spotlight are you? Well, there's a pretty good chance none of this happens without McNabb, who went to bat for Vick last year when the Eagles were thinking about signing him. And once he was on the team, McNabb had a major influence on improving Vick's work habits, his leadership and his development into more of a complete QB. Most of us give our two-week notice and storm out. McNabb recruited and then helped develop his eventual replacement. Is it possible for someone to be too magnanimous? 11. Booed by his own fans at the draft. Disparaged by Rush Limbaugh. Cussed at by Terrell Owens. His lawn vandalized by fans. The attacks. The injuries. Five losses in the six biggest games of his career (five NFC title games and Super Bowl XXXIX). Traded to the Redskins three days after Andy Reid said he was his starting QB. Look, we all know that McNabb hasn't won a Super Bowl and he really needs to in order to solidify his standing as one of the great quarterbacks of his era. But can you name another player in the NFL who has faced more challenges and produced better results under more pressure and with greater class and dignity than Donovan McNabb? Which makes me wonder: Could all the anger toward McNabb in Philly be fueled by the realization, on some deep subconscious level, that, maybe, he was always too good for that town and, in reality, a better fit with a place the stature of Washington, D.C.? 12. However, with the Redskins' offense ranked 31st in red zone scoring and the Eagles leading the league with 11 sacks, my guess is McNabb is far more focused on that kind of stuff than any deep-seeded revenge plot on the city of brotherly love. The truth is, I don't see a whole lot changing on Sunday for McNabb in Philadelphia. It will play out like it has for the last decade or so. McNabb will play the game with joy and fearlessness and with a big old smile on his face. McNabb will remain above the fray. He'll produce, he'll lead and he'll win. And the fans in Philly will hate him for it.