McNabb's Time in Philadelphia is Done
It May be Time for Another Player to Lead the Eagles Flock
Jan 18, 2009
Another Failed NFC Championship Game
It was a familiar story for Donavan McNabb and the Eagles this past Sunday. It was another courageous hard-working season and another loss in the NFC Championship. McNabb went to the NFC Championship for the first time since four consecutive appearances from 2001-2004, yet the result was the same. Another close loss, and his record in the NFC Championships now drops to 1-4. Out of five potential Super Bowl appearances, the Eagles under McNabb have only played on the grand stage once. It may be time for another player to lead the Eagles flock.
Criticism and praise have been around McNabb for quite some time. Philadelphia is a harsh city for its athletes, especially for its Eagles. A good win equals praise from fans and writers, but a questionable play will get you lambasted. However McNabb has had many opportunities to bounce back from criticism and it does not seem as if there has been over or too harsh criticism on Donavan.
The 2009 Season
Inconsistency has plagued McNabb for a fair amount of time especially after injuries in the past few years. Nevertheless, to say that he makes simple errors sometimes is an understatement. Yesterday, like many other games, fans saw the former Syracuse University quarterback throw short passes which were often inaccurate and questionable throws as well. Although the third quarter saw the best of McNabb, it was only a quarter earlier that the worst of McNabb was on display. After Arizona posted another touchdown and the Eagles were down 32-25 in the fourth quarter, McNabb was not able to muster much of a drive and again threw inaccurate passes.
Although Donavan has played quite well in the past few games including those at the end of the regular season, he made many crucial mistakes in the first half of the year. The first few games of the season had many praising McNabb as he appeared to be healthy. He ran the ball like a pre-injury prone McNabb and was throwing accurate passes in their wins and tough losses. In week one, the Syracuse graduated threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns.
However in the game against a mediocre team at best, the Cincinnati Bengals, McNabb threw for three interceptions and did not even know that an NFL season game could end in a tie. Sadly, that is coming from a ten year veteran. Although he has definitely changed this team and contributed to many of its highlights and accomplishments over his tenure, it may be time – now more than ever – for another man to take his place, perhaps the rumoured future successor and current backup quarterback Kevin Kolb.
Now, it is unfair to blame this loss against the Cardinals entirely on the shoulders of Donavan McNabb. However, it is clear that for the future of the Philadelphia Eagles, another quarterback is needed to truly make this team into Super Bowl contenders rather than just a last minute wild car team who can make strong playoff appearances.
