Posts Tagged ‘Donovan McNabb’

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Eagles-Browns Trade: Will History Repeat Itself?

April 23rd, 2016 by Robert Waterman | Comments Off on Eagles-Browns Trade: Will History Repeat Itself? | Filed in Eagles, Football, General, NFL
Source: Michael Chang/Getty Images North America

Source: Michael Chang/Getty Images North America

“Patience is a virtue and the best things in life are worth waiting for”- Julie Spira

I bring up this quote because it seems that the common Philadelphia sports fan has very little of this anymore as it pertains to the Philadelphia Eagles, and the yearly disappointments that we have endured. This seemed to get magnified after Wednesday’s blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns, in which the Eagles obtained the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Now, common perception among NFL insiders is that the Los Angeles Rams will take QB Jared Goff from Cal with the top selection, allowing the Eagles to take QB Carson Wentz from North Dakota State. There are a lot of people saying that we gave up too much, in addition to questioning whether or not it’s worth it to have this pick. I think we need to take a few steps back, remember the last time we drafted at No.2, and what we obtained from that pick. Yes, I’m talking about Donovan McNabb. Before I go into the current draft situation, I want to relive this pick again for those who have forgotten how good we had it during the Andy Reid Era.

In 1999, rumors were swirling that Philadelphia would take Texas Longhorns RB Ricky Williams. Williams was fresh off of a Heisman Trophy campaign the previous year, that saw him break the NCAA career rushing record. However, the Eagles stunned everyone on draft day when they drafted QB Donovan McNabb out of Syracuse instead. I remember it like it was yesterday, because people were saying the same thing about McNabb that they are about Wentz. What followed this pick was a period of time in which McNabb sat for the first year under then QB Doug Pederson, before ultimately leading the Eagles to five NFC Championship Games, and a Super Bowl appearance in 11 seasons with the team. However, as his production slipped, he was eventually traded to the Washington Redskins in 2009. Since that point, the Eagles have gone though six starting quarterbacks in the last six seasons, and not has shown that they could be the franchise QB.

Fast forward to 2016, enter Carson Wentz. Doug Pederson is now the head coach for the Eagles, and he is a big part of the reason that this trade ultimately happened. After crisscrossing the country with the other members of the Eagles front office and working out the top QB prospects, Howie Roseman pulled the trigger on the trade which may very well land us our new franchise signal-caller. While this might be a big risk, in the end the payoff could well outweigh the risks. The Eagles already have Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel in the nest at this point, and adding Wentz will either bring out the best in him or he will succumb to the pressure of being in Philadelphia. If history is any indication, then this could end up being just as successful, if not even more successful than taking McNabb. So again, I implore you Eagles fans………… patience is a virtue.

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PHILLY PRESSBOX TRIVIA – EAGLES – COWBOYS #2

October 20th, 2013 by Philly Pressbox | Comments Off on PHILLY PRESSBOX TRIVIA – EAGLES – COWBOYS #2 | Filed in Eagles, Trivia

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The October 8, 2006 Philadelphia Eagles vs Dallas Cowboys game at The Linc was dubbed the T.O. Game. It marked the return of Terrell Owens. It later became known as the Lito Sheppard game after Lito ran an interception back 102 yards for the final touchdown in the Eagles 38-24 victory. The Eagles trailed in that game 21-17 at the half but Donovan McNabb threw an 87 yard TD pass in the 3rd quarter and a 40 yarder in the 4th quarter that proved to be the game winner. Can you name the two players that caught the 2nd half TD’s?

 

Philly Pressbox is proud of our association with the Kisses for Kyle Foundation. Please check out their link at www.shop.com/kissesforkyle  Every purchase you make helps families battling childhood cancer in the Delaware Valley.

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Sorry (But not sorry)

September 30th, 2013 by Jeremy Bonnette | Comments Off on Sorry (But not sorry) | Filed in Eagles, Flyers, General, Phillies, Sixers

sorryimnotsorry

Yesterday, we received reports about a Dodgers fan (or a man wearing a Dodgers jersey) being fatally stabbed near AT&T park. It almost turns my stomach to know that someone can consider a rivalry so important that taking the life of an opposing fan is justified. While that act constitutes an article in itself, the inspiration for writing this one came from the twitter, yahoo, and ESPN comment sections.  There were plenty of comments chastising the heinous act.  HOWEVER, there were plenty more claiming that it is minuscule compared to fans in Philly. Naturally, I took my troll hammer and started bashing every comment I could see.  By the time that my wrist was inflamed from the typing, i realized that the proverbial dent I made in the comment section is microscopic compared to the smear job that the media does every now and then. So, I figured I would rant a little bit about a Philly fan’s perspective.  Not just on the stabbing, but on…well…everything.  Keep in mind that I am only 23 years old, and there are many events in Philly sports history that may have happened that I have zero knowledge on outside of a simple report or fable.

Firstly, I always hear about Santa Claus, Santa Claus, Santa Claus.  Pretty much anyone who talks about fan bases bring up how we booed Mr. Kringle and pelted him with snowballs. In fact, a few years back, I remember watching an ESPN exclusive about the man who dressed up as Saint Nick on that fateful day. Yes, it happened, and you cannot erase the past. HOWEVER, how is this worse than killing a man based on his fan affiliation?  If anything, throwing snowballs can be called an act of “douchebagery” (Yeah, I may have made that word up).  Basically, it’s something that jerks do, and everyone has their moments.  Heckling is fine, you may even be crossing the line by throwing a few fists.  But stabbing? trust me, a very small percentage of people stab someone without the intent to kill.  If anything, this should be considered a hate crime. But where is the coverage? I’m watching ESPN right now yet I haven’t heard any relevant mention of it today. Now, let me take you a few years back to when one really stupid fan decided to run onto the field at citizens Bank Park, and go for a little run. BOOM!  He gets tazed by a stun gun, and falls right over (like in an episode of COPS), and ESPN shows footage of it the entire next day calling the shock “excessive”.  Clearly, the media loves to paint us as if we are maniacal and barbaric.  I will say, that there are plenty of moments where this rains true.  But let’s not act like fans from the rest of the country wear halos on the top of their heads.  I mean, have we ever thrown bananas at Adam Jones because of the color of his skin?  No.  Did we throw syringes at Barry Bonds when he was caught using steroids?  No (at least i don’t think so).  So who’s really barbaric here?

My problem with this, is that it all came in the wake of former Eagles coach Andy Reid, and quarter back Donovan McNabb returned to Philly last Monday night.  Both were greeted with applause in honor of everything they have done for the franchise.  They didn’t get us the Super Bowl that we so desperately wanted, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.  Could a barbaric fan base really be that grateful?  You should ask Lebron James the next time he plays the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Other than acts committed by fans with other fans, we get a bad rep for booing our players.  I just want to say that EVERY TEAM BOOS THEIR PLAYERS.  We tend to let ours know far in advance when they are screwing up.  Looking at other big cities such as New York, LA, or Chicago, Philly is definitely lacking in the championship department.  Every year, we take on the championship or bust mentality even if we know that the team isn’t good enough (In fact, Cleveland’s fan base should be more like us considering their lack of just one). So I guess what i am trying to say is, I’m sorry that you feel this way about us, but we’re not sorry for being this way.

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Eagles make Reid look like Genius

September 21st, 2013 by Leo | Comments Off on Eagles make Reid look like Genius | Filed in Eagles, General, Interviews, Video
Eaglestire

Lets put on the spare!

The air in the tires has definitely leaked out in Philly leaving the Philadelphia Eagles Nation feeling flat after the 26-16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this week.  The score does not reflect the domination of the Eagles by the Chiefs and their new coach Andy Reid.  It was just an ugly game for the Eagles that included 3 fumbles lost, 2 interceptions, 5 sacks of Vick and 3-10 in 3rd down efficiency.

The Chiefs could have scored a lot more than they did if their offense was working on all cylinders and had to settle for 4 field goals after going 1-6 in the Red Zone yesterday.  Chip Kelly and the Eagles need to produce a win next week to keep the Eagles hopes alive and the fan base from being demoralized so early in the season.

The game had special significance for the return of Andy Reid and the retiring of Donovan McNabb’s number and the excitement about the game could be felt all around the stadium.  We had a chance to interview several of the fans and enjoy the pre-game festivities of the Eagle Nation, which turned out to be the best part of the day for the fans.  Take a look at the interviews in the video below.

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Reid/McNabb come back to Philly, How will the Fans React?

September 20th, 2013 by Leo | Comments Off on Reid/McNabb come back to Philly, How will the Fans React? | Filed in Eagles, Football, General
Reidmcnabb

How will Reid/McNabb Play in Philly?

by Christopher Leomporra

Philadelphia (September 19, 2013)  Well we all know the big return of Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb to Philadelphia is going to happen today.  You can hear the buzz around Philly about Reid’s first appearance here since he was let go from the Eagles.  It’s going to be an emotional comeback for Andy, do you think he has something to prove to the Eagles fans?

Andy still has many close ties to the team he coached for 14 seasons and which included 6 Division titles, 5 NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl appearance.  In Reid’s first year as head coach for the Kansa City Chiefs, he has got off to a good start with a 2-0 record and looks to make it 3-0 today.  The Eagles bring in a 1-1 record under Chip Kelly and are under pressure to deliver a win for the Eagles today.  The current line for the game has the Eagles favored by 3, you can check out the NFL odds here for the lines on the other games this week.

To make the day even more interesting, the Eagles will welcome back Donavan McNabb to retire his number (5) during the halftime ceremonies.  McNabb has a love/hate relationship with the Eagles fans and controversy still follows him over the Super Bowl loss.  McNabb had a record of 92-49-1 as QB for the Eagles.

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Who’s Your Favorite Eagles QB, Jaworski, Cunningham or McNabb?

July 5th, 2013 by Philly Pressbox | Comments Off on Who’s Your Favorite Eagles QB, Jaworski, Cunningham or McNabb? | Filed in Eagles, Football, General

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While listening to opinions and fielding questions in regards to our present poll we’re conducting in our article “What Philly Non Hall of Famer has meant the most to the City” The link follows: http://phillypressbox.WordPress.com/2013/06/30/which-philly-non-hall-of-famer-has-meant-the-most-to-the-city/ there was great support for a couple of Eagles QB’s. Most surprising to us is that Ron Jaworski received a bunch of immediate support and received a handful of early votes. Not long after the Donovan McNabb supports came out. One voter went so far as to say “there shouldn’t even be a poll there’s no one close to what McNabb did in this city”.

This conversation led the boys to get back together over a few beverages and a BBQ to discuss the subject and we want to give you a chance to vote again.

From 1977-2009 there have been 386 Philadelphia Eagles regular season football games started by Ron Jaworski, 137, Randall Cunningham, 107 and Donovan McNabb, 142 at the QB position.

Here are some facts and stats to help you decide which of the three is your favorite Eagles QB covering over 30 years of Eagles football.

Ron Jaworski – “The Polish Rifle”

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Donovan Mcnabb: Hall of Fame worthy?

June 13th, 2013 by Jeremy Bonnette | Comments Off on Donovan Mcnabb: Hall of Fame worthy? | Filed in Football, Sports, TalkSportsPhilly
Is he Hall of Fame worthy?

Is he Hall of Fame worthy?

Former Eagles QB Donovan McNabb has been generating a little bit of press in the past couple of months by officially retiring from the NFL, and making comments about Robert Griffin III’s off-season antics. It has been quite some time since McNabb’s name has even been relevant since his last games back in 2011. I posted a few questions about him on my Facebook and Twitter accounts, and it the resulting comments were not very surprising. During his tenure in Philadelphia, there was a pretty evident split of fans that supported him, and those that did not. In 2013, that split seems to have tilted ever so slightly in the direction of praise. However, the negative is still prevalent. Regardless of individual stance, I received some pretty good feedback on the views of many Philadelphia sports fans.

When a professional athlete retires, one of the first questions we, as fans, ask if whether or not said person is hall of fame worthy. Well? Is he? Don’t grill me for my answer, but yes. He is hall of fame worthy for many reasons. However, there are many other reasons why he will not be inducted (at least not anytime soon).

One could say that McNabb has had a great career. He’s had 6 pro bowl selections, an NFC player of the year award, and NFC championship title, and more division titles than we can count. However, any Eagles fan will tell you that the absence of a Super Bowl Championship has a profound effect on his legacy. After all, when you play for a team with no titles, the QB that brings them the first one will be remembered forever. He brought the Eagles closer than any QB that preceded him, but his failure in completing the task is what I believe brought about the split in McNabb favor and disdain. It’s bittersweet, but should his failure be put on him so much that he isn’t hall of fame worthy? They guy did play with the likes of Todd Pinkston, James Thrash, and Freddie Mitchell as his WRs, and still managed to become a successful quarterback. We all saw what happened when you put a talented receiver around him (albeit a headcase), so what was stopping management from going out and getting another? We may never know. Not only that, but there were other stars on the team as well, including Brian Westbrook and Brain Dawkins.

While they were great at what they did, whose to say an early fumble or a missed tackle didn’t help contribute to a critical loss? Are they any more close to becoming hall of fame worthy than McNabb is? If the answer is yes, then the bias of being QB has gotten a bit out of hand. Yes, as a QB you are supposed to lead your team to victory. However I am going to throw you a bit of a curveball (or maybe a slider…nothing like a good slider on an 0-2 count). Remember the Baltimore Ravens team that won the Super Bowl in 2001? Who was the leader of that team? Do you remember the name of the QB? What about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003? If you look back at the teams you’ll see that leaders can come from BOTH sides of the ball. Isn’t the LB more times than not the leader on defense? Well…why is Jeremiah Trotter’s name never brought up? I am in no way saying that it’s his fault. However it does give one something to ponder.

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