Eagles All-Time Top 5 QBs: Polish Rifles and Ultimate Weapons
Cliff's Notes for the Donovan McNabb era, the Dutchman sails again, Jalen Hurts climbs the standings and much more.
Eagles quarterbacks are like characters in my life: old friends, childhood heroes, role models, even surrogate family. That made writing this edition of the All Time Top 5 challenging. At times, it veers on personal memoir, which may or may not be to your liking, but I promise there will be some old Sports Illustrated quotes and DYAR rankings as well.
I also wrote extensively about several of these individuals in The Philly Fan’s Code, and Donovan McNabb features rather heavily in A Good Walkthrough Spoiled. But if you are undecided between a Too Deep Zone paid subscription and my back catalog, please prioritize the subscription: this material is fresher and I get more moolah from it.
Which is not to say that I am above repurposing material which was published elsewhere.
1. Donovan McNabb
Philadelphia Eagles fans had a love-hate relationship with quarterback Donovan McNabb since the day he was drafted. Yes, there was a little love mixed with the hate. Here is a look back at the highs and lows of McNabb's career and his stormy relationship with Philly's fickle fans.
APRIL 17, 1999 The Eagles draft McNabb. A horde of Eagles fans known as the Dirty 30 boo and act obnoxiously when the pick is announced. Future historians will confuse this with the start of the Tea Party movement.
NOV. 14, 1999 McNabb defeats Washington in his first start, earning the unequivocal love and support of fans.
NOV. 21, 1999 The Eagles lose to Indianapolis, 44-17. Equivocation begins.
JAN. 27, 2002 The Eagles lose the N.F.C. championship game but have so much fun, they decide to make it an annual tradition.
NOV. 17, 2002 McNabb, playing on a broken leg, throws four touchdown passes against Arizona. Jaded fans are unimpressed: it was not his throwing leg.
JAN. 19, 2003 Tampa Bay beats the Eagles on a 26-degree afternoon at Veterans Stadium. With the ''cold day in hell'' requirement met, the Buccaneers go on to win the Super Bowl.
SEPT. 28, 2003 On ESPN, Rush Limbaugh suggests that McNabb is overrated because the liberal media have been ''very desirous that a black quarterback do well.'' Limbaugh resigns. MoveOn.org endorses A. J. Feeley.
JAN. 11, 2004 McNabb completes a fourth-and-26 pass to lead a comeback against Brett Favre's Packers. A vengeance-minded Favre hijacks the next five off-seasons.
JAN. 18, 2004 McNabb throws three passes for interceptions in an N.F.C. championship game loss to Carolina, though the 180-pound receiver Todd Pinkston is partly to blame for not screening his defender. The Eagles decide to pursue Terrell Owens. Pinkston turns sideways and vanishes.
NOV. 7, 2004 McNabb and Owens argue on the sideline during a loss to Pittsburgh. The debut of Facebook makes this the last face-to-face disagreement in history.
FEB. 6, 2005 McNabb nearly throws up while leading a failed comeback against New England in Super Bowl XXXIX. A blow to the back during a fumble recovery caused the nausea, but 10 months of pretending to like Owens would make anyone queasy.
NOV. 19, 2006 Jeff Garcia replaces McNabb after he tears a knee ligament. Garcia heroically prevents the Eagles from losing another conference championship game by losing in the divisional round.
APRIL 28, 2007 The Eagles draft quarterback Kevin Kolb as part of a job stimulus package to keep Philadelphia talk-show hosts employed.
NOV. 16, 2008 McNabb admits that he does not know the N.F.L. overtime rules after a 13-13 tie with Cincinnati. Across town, Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel admits that he thinks the infield-fly rule ''has something to do with trout fishing.''
NOV. 23, 2008 McNabb is benched in favor of Kolb in a blowout loss to Baltimore. The McNabb era ends for the fourth, but not last, time.
JAN. 18, 2009 An unlikely playoff run ends as the Eagles lose their fourth N.F.C. championship game of the decade. Fans are too weary even to curl into the fetal position.
JAN. 9, 2010 McNabb plays poorly in his 16th and final Eagles playoff game, a loss to Dallas. His career postseason stats: a 9-7 record, 3,752 yards, 24 passing touchdowns, 4 rushing touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a passer rating of 80. May all of us fail so miserably in big games.
APRIL 4, 2010 The McNabb era ends with a trade to the division rival Redskins. Fans who called McNabb a choker for 10 years are suddenly convinced he will rise up to beat the Eagles twice. – Mike Tanier, New York Times, April 11, 2010.
That was my most gratuitous self-quote of the Top 5 series. And damn it, I earned it! McNabb was the central character of the early stage of my career. I wrote about him in the New York Times again, at Bleacher Report, in The Philly Fan’s Code and dozens of other times at Football Outsiders and elsewhere. I learned to be an actual sportswriter and honed my voice by writing about McNabb.
As the timeline above reminds us, McNabb’s career was eventful. I’ve written about lots of eventful NFL careers in this series, but only Ken Stabler had as many “wait, what is going on now?” moments as McNabb, unless we dig really deep into Dan Pastorini’s or Joe Namath’s sex lives. The draft day booing, Limbaugh, the Owens saga, the NFC Championship losses, the Super Bowl loss, the injuries, the comebacks … Michael Vick gets out of prison, signs with the Eagles and backs McNabb up for a year, and it’s not even a footnote to all of the commotion.