Very exciting offensive game that ended up sucking for Eagles fans in the end!
I am sure there will be plenty of coverage and whining about all the things the Birds didn’t do well like…
- The defensive line getting man-handled most of the game and not getting enough consistent pressure on Romo.
- DeSean Jackson committing his first rookie mistake tossing a sure touchdown one step before the goal line. A lot of what I’ve heard and read so far this morning from fans and talking heads is this is why such a great talent got drafted lower then expected. This is what everyone was waiting for and worried about regarding his cocky attitude.
My take: It was a very good young player with some ego (umm how many receivers don’t have it?) making a great play then getting completely caught up in his first big prime-time moment against a hated rival. It was a mistake he will learn from, and I am glad it happened this early. I don’t expect we will see anything like that again from Jackson. I’ve read all kinds of nonsense about fans already jumping off his bandwagon and now “not liking” him already because of that play. Are you freakin’ kidding me!?! He is the third best playmaker the Eagles have, and that includes when Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis get back on the field. He made a mistake. I think his performances so far in the first two games have been enough to give him a pass on this one.
- Other receivers not named Jackson coming back to Earth, not making enough plays, dropping balls and not getting open in the second half.
- Dawk looking old and slow getting burned by Jason Witten on numerous plays.
- Lack of discipline by Trent Cole costing the Birds 25 yards on defense.
- Pass-defending linebackers? Do we have any of those?
- McNabb unnecessarily faking the funk on B. West TWICE leading to fumbles – one costly.
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
On a More Positive Note for the Eagles
Our Eagles are for real. There is no doubt in my mind we watched the two best teams in the NFC last night. And you could argue two of the best teams in the entire NFL after Brady going down and the Colts, Chargers and Jags looking somewhat weaker than we expected.
Offensively
The Birds are explosive with Westbrook, Jackson and McNabb. When Curtis and Reggie Brown come back (not really a big Brown fan), they will be just fine (not great) at receiver. Good enough that I don’t see it being the biggest deterrent of them going deep in the playoffs or getting to a Super Bowl with a good chance to win it. Every team in the NFL will have a hard time stopping this team on offense. The ultimate test will be this Sunday though against one of, if not the best, defense they will see all year in Pittsburgh.
Defensively
I think they will create more turnovers this season. Samuel looks good and has fantastic instincts being in the right place at the right time on many occasions. The key as always will be the pass rush. If they get some pressure, the Eagles will turn that into interceptions and takeaways; we saw it last night.
Donovan McNabb
WOW. If he stays healthy (IF) he has to be a front-runner for MVP. His elusiveness and mobility are completely back. The difference: his accuracy and throws are stronger this season so far. Will he dump a couple in the dirt sometimes? For sure. But he is making throws we haven’t seen from him in a long time. He looked ridiculous last night making plays with his feet and buying time to find open guys down field. If he would just learn to throw the ball away or take off for 5 yards and go out of bounds, he would be perfect in my eyes. It simply is a flaw of confidence. He always thinks he can make a play, and sometimes he takes sacks he should never take (that last one he took in the 4th was a killer). I am a McNabb guy. He gives us the best chance to win, and he is on top of his game right now.
Return Game
Another aspect of the Eagles that is much improved this year. Demps had a nice kickoff return yesterday, and Jackson is a threat to break one at any time. With the offense playing the way it is, coupled with solid field position, the Eagles should be in good shape.
Just because the Birds lost doesn’t mean it is the end of the season or the end of the world. I think because it’s Dallas, people put too much weight on the negative outcome of the game. Had they gotten blown out of Texas then there would be something to worry about. A play here, a play there and this game could have easily been sizable victory for the Eagels.
I am actually looking forward more to the Pittsburgh game than I was the Dallas game because I think the offense will be tested much more. I am curious to see if the Eagles can win a low-scoring affair.
Thoughts, analysis, rants? Let’s hear ‘em.
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{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
4 free toppings on a large Papa John’s Pizza for $8.99 plus tax!!! The positive note is how well the commentators were talking about McNabb and his excellent play. When healthy, he really can the be the man! They kept saying things like “that was an Eli Manning type of play” or a “Brett Farve type of play”. It was unusual for Westbrook to fumble twice. It probably won’t happen again. So far, this team can score!! There are a lot of teams, the Eagles can probably feast upon, and hopefully that will build our momentum and our team, when we face the Cowboys next time. Who will be better this season, the Cowboys or the Giants, both (2-0)?
Also, was Jessica Simpson not at the game? If so, it should stay that way for the Cowboys.
This was no doubt a tuff loss and a few plays here or there this game would have been ours. But as I looked at our schedule at the beginning of the year I had a 11-5, I think, when we discussed this before. This was a tuff situation to go into Dallas on their home opener and try to win on Monday night football. I think with this game we should look at the positve and not the negatives. Not many teams besides Eagles or Dallas have as dominating Off or Def lines, nor top quality weapons on both sides of the ball. Just looking a head, 4-2 at the bye, 5-1 better, would put us in pretty good shape. We just cant lose NFC or divisional games, making wins against Bears, Skins and 49ers more important than the Steelers win or loss. Dont get me wrong I want to win all of them, I hate the Steelers too but when it comes down to division or wild card it will come down to divisional games.
i thought the commentators, particularly kornheiser, were awful. i’m ticked you can’t listen to Merril Reese anymore because of the time delay.
my expectations are now 12-4 for this team. We were equal, if not better, than Dallas on their home field. McNabb looks fantastic, and I agree with Dannie that DeSean will have learned his lesson after one of the stupidest plays you will ever see.
After a tough game next with vs. Pittsburgh we a lot of very winnable games. Our non NFC East schedule is shaping out to be not too hard (Bengals, Falcons, Niners, Ravens, Seahawks)
Was a fun game. I loved how Jerry Jones reacted as if his team had just won the Super Bowl. I guess you have to do that when you can’t celebrate playoff wins.
Also, I would like all of those who asked for McNabb and Reid’s heads in the offseason to please exit stage left, you look like morons now (or, even moreso than before)
Pete, It’s clear you have Donavanitis, usually contracted from walking in the woods of perception. Take 2 aspirin, drink OJ, have some chicken broth and get plenty of rest. If bouts of delirium continue see your doctor.
#5 excels at times but is a little less than a winner…something happens at critical moments, in closing minutes. See 4th quarter underthrown pass to Avant, overthrown pass to
Westbrook, taking sack (instead of throwaway); 2 botched handoffs. Lots of pretty passes, glib comments and key losses during career. McNott.
The game has been dissected and analyzed as always, so I’m going to second something Pete said. Kornheiser was horrendous. I was dreading any break in the action longer than 10 seconds because I knew he was going to launch into some contrived, long-winded bit. If I heard that the bond between Reid and McNabb forms the backbone of the Eagles, their spine, their identity one more time…UGH! Hey Tony, here’s a tip. I tuned in to watch the game, not listen to you blather on about whatever.
Kornheiser, and others of his ilk, is emblematic of all that is wrong with televised sports. They lose sight of the fact that the game is the real event and start to think we are tuning in to see and to hear them. This is especially true for television where you can actually see what is happening! As long as you can ignore the info boxes in all four corners of the screen, the updates scrolling across the bottom, and see through the translucent network logo with minimal distortion, you don’t need three guys who never shut up!
The 3 man booth and the 7 man (or more) pregame/halftime/postgame crew is absolutely ridiculous. Everybody has to say something. Trouble is there’s not that much to say, which invariably leads to situations like last night.
Kornheiser must have prepared all of his material in advance. It was too practiced to have been off the cuff. You could tell he was just dying for the play to be over so he could launch into another one of his in-depth pieces because he rarely let an opportunity go by. I have no problem with him wanting to do those types of things as long as he presents them in the appropriate forum (Hmmm, PTI perhaps?). MNF (or any other televised sporting event) is not the proper forum, IMO. Instead of adding a dimension to the game, (which is what I think he is trying to do) he is actually interfering with our enjoyment.
There’s your rant.
jjg-
disagree completely.
Highest winning percentage among active starting QBs (min. 100 starts)
Name Win Loss Percentage
Tom Brady 86 24 .782
Peyton Manning 104 55 .654
Donovan McNabb 73 39 .652
Brett Favre 160 93 .632
He is also 7-5 in the playoffs. Managing not to screw up any of those 7 wins. He would have made 2 super bowls had he not been cheap-shotted and hurt in the Panthers championship game.
yes, he has some frustrating moments. but do you think Dallas wants Romo out of town because he fumbled a snap in a playoff game and handed us a touchdown last night? What about Indy when Peyton Manning continuously didn’t play his best in AFC playoff games? Or Brett Farve with his countless late-game interceptions?
Right now, if given the option of any (healthy) QB in the league who do you take over Donovan? I’d take Peyton, and maybe Roethlisberger. That’s it.
Certain broadcasters I enjoy listening to for they have insights to lend. Tony’s not one of ‘em. He’s an over-eager quipster who made his bones writing (where the editing process works to his and readers’ advantage). Now a national media type who rides into town, scans the horizon, goes to his favorite local sources for scoop, disseminates and yuks during broadcast in an assuming, yapping, interruptive, annoying fashion. I hear his wife likes him.
Good post, Pete. Will respond when I have time.
Rob -
do you, or do you not, work for Papa Johns?
The secondary got smoked. Plain and simple. I absolutely love Brian Dawkins, but he looked his age last night. I am not sayin that a move should be made and get him out of the starting lineup, but it is something to keep an eye on. Now Sean Considine on the other hand shouldn’t be anywhere near our D. He blew the coverage on TO for that long touchdown. He was supposed to cover deep on his side and he stuttered and got beat.. bad. On the Felix Jones return Considine got laid out immediately. The return is not all on him but I am just saying. Considine is one of Andy Reid’s “guys” that he keeps around longer than they should. Quetin Demps is proving himself on special teams and probably should get more playing time than Con-sidine.
Did anyone else think Big Red should have challenged that play on the first drive where it looked like DeSean Jackson fumbled and then it was recovered by the Eagles in the endzone?? I do. It looked like he had possession and made a clear “football move” making it a reception. If it is 3rd down and we get another crack at it I don’t think I challenge the call, but if it is the difference between 6 points and 3 points do it. Big Red don’t be scurred to throw Little Red (flag).
T.O.
I have to agree with you on B-Dawk. He is one of my favorite players and has been the leader on D for a long time, but is his time up? Is he there for leadership more then his skills by this point. Yes, he does still come up with big plays with big hits, but he got beat bad by both T.O. and Witten last night. Q Mikel on the other hand was an animal last night and all over the field making plays. I would like to see more of Q and Demps on the field in coverage, and not let Considine play anything more then special teams. You need to have Dawk on the field for leadership and in the locker room, but you cant leave him in situations where he is getting beat. Q and Demps are quicker, younger and much better in coverage.
Considine is my new least favorite player on the Eagles by far. It use to be “Mr. Softy” Greg Lewis, but he doesn’t bother me anymore. He at least catches the football and doesn’t completely kill us when he is on the field. I don’t know how many times I’ve screamed at the TV…
Agreed. 100% least favorite player. He should have been cut two or maybe even three years ago. Can’t cover and can’t tackle.. so what the hell is he doing on the field on every passing down?? That is Jim Johnson’s fault. As is the position he put B-Dawk in on the goal line against Owens (not t.o because i have been T.O way longer than that ass clown)…
Dannie: Ugh. Considine is the worst. Why he is still on this steam is a mystery, put the kid Demps in his place.
I do not work for Papa Johns, but the offer is there for those that are in the South Jersey / Philadelphia area. More details are on your local Papa Johns web sites.
Now, as obvious as some of the statistics show, it just doesn’t seem obvious when one watches it live out there. McNabb and Reid have been around for a long time, which shows consistency. Now McNabb just has to not look like a deer in the headlights, especially in the critical moments of the game. Other than that, he was impressive. But McNabb has to stopping shying away from the critical moments. That is what separates the great ones from the seemingly great ones!!
Great post. Couple of other points:
1) Our special team’s return coverage is still terrible.
2) Pass protection was awesome. If S. Andrews is out for any time, this team will suffer.
@T.O.
I agree, that play should have been reviewed. I thought he clearly had it and made a football move.
@Morty
What was Consodine even doing in the game so early on? He should have been cut in preseason.
Rob – Get out of here with all this Papa John’s promotion – I hate that damn green pepper they always put in the box! I am a Dominos kind of guy. And Donatos and PIzza Hut before they closed all the stores near me or stopped delivering.
Haha
Pete, i gotta agree with jjg here—i am a huge donovan mcnabb fan, in fact i agree that he is a top 8 quarterback int he league… but the guy just comes up way too lame when the games matter most. Last nite he double pumps a handoff and romo leads the cowboys down the field for a score, thats fine, he still had two more possessions…
but in those two possessions he throws it in the dirt to avant, and completely overthrows westbrook on third down on which westbrook would have had a first down—-then the defense gets the ball back with two minutes left, and what does he do, a 10 YEAR VETERAN takes 2 crucial sacks to end the game—now you can argue no one is open and that is fine—but the first sack game after the two minute warning and the next play they got off wasnt until about 1:15 left on the clock, my point is that you throw that ball away..and he should know that by now..
i once did an analysis that i will share with you guys when i find it—but it was donovan mcnabb’s qb rating in the playoffs as the game became more and more important—for example, for his 12 playoff games in the wild card round his rating was very good, but as they moved along in the playoffs his rating became disgustingly poor…
i like the guy but he is the definition of a choker—he is the anti-michael jordan/tom brady….
i dont want the eagles to get rid of him and im not calling for his head—im calling for all you people drinking the eagles kool-aid to settle down about how good he is—compare his stats to matt hassleback, hassleback has very similar stats, even better in TD’s and qb rating…
and pete if you are taking rothlesberger why are you not taking eli manning who was super bowl mvp last year in his 4th year in the league??…
OK, ok I was just informing. I guess the taste of victory would be a lot better!!
Next up the Steelers!!
anybody remember little caesars? pizza pizza!!!
And the commentators were AWFUL!!! agreed… c’mon MNF has become more of a circus than a showcase of a great game.
BTW: YES! you can still listen to Merrill Reese… Use your DVR to pause the game 7 seconds for the delay then presto… Eagles Radio Network…
oh yeah… I loved there cheezy bread too… Cheezy Cheezy! LOL!
In the words of Urkel, “Did I do that?” LOL
BubbaChuck– Little Caesar is still around. I saw one in Vegas at the Luxor. Crazy Bread was crazy great!!
When will we continue evaluating NBA teams? I am Philadelphia excited!! Eagles scoring points, Phillies on quite a road to October, the Flyers, and definitely the Sixers BRAND NEW START!!!
I can’t resist jumping in on all this pizza talk. I live about 15 minutes away from Old Forge, PA, which is the self-proclaimed “pizza capital of the world”, or at least Pennsylvania. Anybody ever have it? What did you think?
Dannie, how about you? Did you ever make your way to Old Forge when you were at King’s? Maybe after a road game against the University of Scranton?
Pete (in reply to #6): It’s plain to see that you’re a big fan of McNabb. All well and good. But a few of your statements spur responses.
“Managing to not screw up those [seven] playoff wins” is hardly a standard of elite quarterbacking. Eliminating or minimizing mistakes is an asset, but the key ingredient of a champion QB is poise under pressure and a “follow me” leadership example.
“He would’ve made two Super Bowls had he not been cheap-shotted and hurt in the Panthers championship game” – but he was. “Cheap-shotted and hurt” – an integral, unavoidable part of the NFL (“Not For Long”) experience. [Don't repeat your statement to Chuck Bednarik at the risk of a scoffing diatribe
regarding softness of current league ways and means.]
Of course, Dallas doesn’t “want Romo out of town” for a few mistakes that apply to his learning curve as he’s only in his 3rd year of starting and has the obvious look/talent & intangibles of a winner, having gone 21-7 in games in which he’s started, having improved his efficiency rating each year.
“What about Indy when Peyton Manning continously didn’t play his best in AFC playoff games?” Manning went 4-0 in playoff games in year 9, culminating in Super Bowl win. His passing
and evolving leadership throughout career had been the obvious reason for Colts even sniffing the money.
As to Favre’s “countless late game interceptions” - January ‘97;
Green Bay 35, New England 21. Enough said. (I do think he’s been a media darling and has been over-esteemed due to playground passion and competitive gunslinging style.)
Who would I take over McNabb? Without hesitation, Brady,
P. Manning, E. Manning, Roethlisberger, Romo. For future, would also prefer Palmer, Brees, Rivers, Garrard, and Cutler under my center.
Donovan - grasps the big moment like Barney Fife (OK, maybe I’m exagerrating some). Racks up impressive stats, has league wide respect, but is on the underside of greatness due to cotton-mouthed lack of finishing.
whoa… Eli Manning?
Really?
Bski – I have never been to Old Forge for pizza. We always ate before we left school and when we got back when we played Scranton since it was such a short ride.
Telling stat: Including Super Bowl loss, McNabb is 18-18 in his last 36 starts. Far too many superlative exclamatories spent on this guy, compliments of pigheaded patron and static rutter Andy Reid, along with fawning, obeisant beat writers and columnists!
Now that this game is over and Pittsburgh is next Sunday, I was wondering if we can continue evaluating more NBA teams to burn more time. Who is the next team we are going to evaluate?
jjg-
I wouldnt mind talking about Atlantic division and how we are going to match up against the Knicks, Celtics, Raptors and the Nets. Are the Raptors the real deal with an injury prone Oneal. Will the Celtics play as hard now that all their aging stars have a ring? Are the Knicks and Nets rebuilding and no threat? Are
Pete
I have taken a lot of heat from people always supporting McNabb and proud of it. People in this town complain way to much about our stars. They were happy to run AI out of town, hate on Howard even though once again he saved the phillies last night, and hate on McNabb, the best QB our team has ever had, bc of a mistake. If McNabb hadnt played his a$$ off that entire game we would not have even been in the situation to win. Am I the only one that saw how many sacks he didnt get bc of his strength to get away?
im not so sure anyone on here is complaining about mcnabb or his skills—as i said above, i think he is a top 8 qb in this league…my problem with him is when there is any sore of pressure/big time situation, he does not make a play, and almost always makes a bad play…
and monday nite just revealed the type of qb he has been his whole career—-he’s awesome until there is any sort of pressure…just look at the 4 nfc championship games and the super bowl for recollection…
Pete, I’m too unversed with younger QBs I’ve mentioned to proclaim them better suited to leading, though I’ve seen strong positives in glimpses, and they very well may be – even at this nascent stage in their careers.
The playoff win stat is misleading as NFL has format-transformed in time. I’ve seen Van Brocklin, Jurgensen, Gabriel, Jaworski and Cunningham play – all better QBs than the presently heralded McNabb at their peaks, my opinion.
Why don’t I like McNabb? Simple - he’s a spoiled, haughty undeliverer; long overrated.
Eli’s comin’, hide your heart!
Did anybody else notice the playaction on EVERY pass play. It was taking McNabb so long that when he settled in the pocket, the defense was already in his face. I know that playaction will open up the run, but on every play? Just seems like a useless waste of precious time.
JJG – so all you are basically saying is it takes one super bowl win by McNabb to cover up and forget past shortcomings? The same way it has for Peyton Manning.
J Dubbz – I noticed it too. Play action is pointless when you haven’t been effective or showed the run enough anyway. Was that Donovan improvising or the actual design of the play is a question I’d like answered.
Dannie, No, that is not what I’ve basically said. I’ve basically said that McNabb is football’s version of Eric Lindros. When he finally leaves town, Ring or no Ring, there’ll be no love lost. Modus is the issue. In conclusion, I like my QBs uncushioned, unbuffed and real.
JJG – Then your perception of McNabb and the situation he has been in (cozy and catered) with the Eagles is vastly different than mine. Considering you said…
Your statement of “ring or no ring” makes little sense to me since we are debating McNabb’s prowess as a winner.
You quickly pointed out the ring in Manning’s case (9th season) ignoring Pete’s direction towards his shortcomings in big games prior to. But, when I pose the hypothetical of Donovan reaching the promise land (season 10), you downplay the thought. What gives?
Ring makes McNabb = to Peyton Manning in the playoffs (aka championship time). Their numbers and wins will be damn near the same if that scenario plays out. No ring obviously strengthens your position. Taking a hard line either way screams bias to me…
Maybe because of where your rooting interest lie (Eagles). Had you been emotionally involved with the Colts leading up to 2006 how could you not have similar feelings about Manning’s shortcomings?
There is no question McNabb is the key to the Eagles winning it all. When his rating is 89.8 or better the Eagles win in the playoffs, when it’s below they lose. It’s just a matter of putting together that 4-0 string of 90’s the way Manning did ONCE.
i dont get the pressure thing.
Dannie, Pete do these comments suggest a few more Eagles posts per year? I’d think so.
Donovan, finally healthy! And once again a top 5 QB. Do the Bill Simmons test, there are maybe 4 other QB’s I’d rather have and yes he’s not perfect, but this position is SOLID. Keep this in mind, when the playoffs arrive over half the teams wish to god they’d have a QB as good as Donovan.
#37 Sean C., must have blackmail material on the coaches. And TE LJ? I’m done with him. Let Celek start.
DeShawn Jackson, I’ll take the good with the bad, he’s already our best receiever, and Kevin Curtis makes a nice #2. Reggie can fill in as #3 he’s nearly a bust.
The O-line really, really missed Shawn Andrews in the second half. And while #5 hasn’t always had any receievers, can we all admit that Andy has given him nearly the best O-line every single year?
Anybody notice the Cowboys running game had 1 yard the entire first half? That was awesome. Our front 7 rock.
So we lost, big deal, the Cowboys have like 20 all-pros and we played them to the wire at their place. We are a lot better than I thought.
Sad note: this is Dawkins last year. I”m going to make a point of enjoying every good play (like the forced incomplete pass) he makes this year.
Pete, not sure how you don’t understand the pressure thing, I hope the graphic below sums it up for you—-using some logic and assuming that the deeper you go in the playoffs, the more important the games become and therefore more pressure…here’s how #5 performed….as you can see, as you go deeper in the playoffs, his QB rating falls …
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Wild Card Round
90.6
97.8
Divisional Round
59.1
89.8
103.1
90.5
111.4
NFC Championship
73.1
58.5
19.3
111.1
Super Bowl
75.4
sorry that didnt paste correctly
2000
Wild card-90.6
Divisional- 59.1
2001
Wild card-97.8
Divisional- 89.8
NFC Champ- 73.1
2002
Divisional-103.1
NFC Champ- 58.5
2003
Divisional- 90.5
NFC Champ- 19.3
2004
Divisional-111.4
NFC Champ- 111.4
Super Bowl- 75.4
as you can see EVERY year as the playoffs went on, he became a worse passer…
“using some logic”, you can also assume that deeper in the playoffs you are going to play better teams with better defenses. The 2002 Tampa D and 2004 New England D were historically good. 2003 NFC Champ shouldn’t even be on there because he only attempted a couple passes.
again – i love how you guys are COMPLETELY overlooking the 111.4 rating in the divisional and NFC championship games in 2004 and basing your argument solely on the bad numbers. No pressure in the 2004 NFC championship? seriously? none? Yeah, that was a breeze for us fans too. I barely even watched the game because I knew what was going to happen….
here is the same thing for Peyton Manning. The only year he didnt get worse as the playoffs went on was the super bowl year, when he was mediocre all the way through.
2000
Wild card-82.0
Divisional- 60.9
2004
Wild Card – 158.3
Divisional- 138.7
AFC Champ- 35.5
2005
Divisional- 81.8
NFC Champ- 64.3
2007
Wild Card – 71.9
Divisional- 39.6
AFC Champ- 79.1
Super Bowl- 81.8
your a typical #5 fan, keep making excuses for him—if you talk to most outsiders they dont even consider mcnabb a top ten qb—and is known as a choke artist…you are completely blinded by the big numbers he puts up in teh regular season—
were gonna have to agree to disagree on this one..i think mcnabb is an above average qb comparable to hasselback, brees, eli manning etc…you point out that the ny giants defense won the super bowl last year, and I will point out the dominant eagles defenses from 2000-2003–it wasnt great qb play that got them to where they were, but rather great defense…and the fact of the matter is that eli manning made big time plays in the super bowl last year when he needed to, and donnie mac didnt when he was given the chance to..
no, I’m a typical #5 fan in that I’ve enjoyed watching the Eagles be very good for the last 9 years instead of pretty much sucking for 80% of the years before that. Usually, when a player takes one of my favorite teams and turns them into a contender year-in and year-out, I appreciate them. I must be crazy.
For instance, if the Lions draft a QB next year that takes them to the playoffs nearly every year he starts, I don’t think I’d expect their fan base to hate him and label people who like him as “apologists”.
define “outsiders…” aren’t the fans, players and coaches who selected him to 5 pro bowls outsiders?
im not blinded by anything. I’ve seen the good and i’ve seen the bad. Philly fans are blinded because they watch every Philly game and don’t take into account that EVERY QB makes these types of plays. They assume our guy is the only one doing it because they don’t watch every down of every other team.
I just proved to you that Peyton Manning has the same dropping QB rating in the playoffs, and you completely dismissed it. If you’d like, we can discuss all the HORRENDOUS throws Brett Farve made in the playoffs for the Packers. We can start with him giftwrapping a pick to Brian Dawkins in OT in the 2004 playoffs after McNabb unclutchly completed a 4th and 26.
here is something interesting and along the lines of our argument…not sure whose side it supports but here it is nonetheless…
Donovan McNabb’s career record in games decided by seven points or fewer is 24-24. It would be erroneous to say that all 24 of those wins or all 24 of those losses came down to something the quarterback did or didn’t do. Still, it’s enlightening to compare how some of the other elite quarterbacks have fared in the same situation during their careers. Tom Brady, for example, is 39-10 in games decided by seven points or fewer, including a 7-2 mark in the postseason. Maybe that means he has a better team, a better coach, and a better plan at the end of games. That’s all part of a quarterback’s greatness, too. But it most certainly means that Brady has made more big plays at the ends of games than McNabb. Peyton Manning is 45-32 in games decided by seven points or fewer, but just 2-4 in the postseason. As brilliantly as Manning has played in his career, he also was widely criticized for his failure to come through in the clutch until he won a Super Bowl two seasons ago. Brett Favre is 62-47 in games decided by seven points or fewer, but only 3-4 in the postseason. He, too, gets a hall pass because of that one Super Bowl victory. – Philadelphia Inquirer
I pointed out this thought in my comment above to JJG, just without the comparisons of some other QBs. It supports Pete’s point a bit because it just says other elite quarterbacks have not had great records (besides Brady) in the postseason and in close games.
Pete’s stats on Manning are extremely telling. His QB rating was marginal at best. Certainly not elite level performances the year they went to the Super Bowl and won it. So his team won IN SPITE of his mediocre play, yet he gets much of the credit and all is forgotten of his previous failures.
I would be interested to see Favre’s break down in the playoffs as well.
Donovan still needs to at the very least play very well in a Super Bowl (it’s still a team game so winning isn’t 100% on him) before he leaves town/retires to solidify his mark as a great QB. Right now I think he is very good and nothing really to complain about on the whole. He still has time if he remains healthy the next 3 years.