Tags : Donovan McNabb, nfl, Philadelphia Eagles
Fourth And Done: McNabb, Eagles Fail In Pinch Vs. ‘Boys
Philadelphia, PA (AHN) – Donovan McNabb cannot win for losing.
Sitting before a snarky media gaggle at Lincoln Financial Field, choking on another tough, ugly defeat, the most accomplished quarterback in Eagles franchise history had nowhere to run.
For all his Pro Bowls and playoff wins, McNabb’s legacy in Philadelphia remains tilted toward these sullen moments.
”It’s frustrating,” he said, again and again, rolling out his characteristically cautious, meandering answers.
McNabb was far from perfect through the air — he was 16-for-30 for 227 yards, a touchdown and two picks — but the questions centered on his fourth-and-one quarterback sneak.
Depending on who you ask, McNabb either clearly nudged past the marker, or he was stuffed for a loss.
The Eagles — by way of a red challenge flag — asked the officials, who stood by a dubious spot. Replays seemed to show McNabb’s upper body a full yard ahead of where the football ended up, and his inner monologue of persecution gained another chapter.
”I felt like half of my body was past the marker,” he said. “I landed on top of one of our guys and just slid and kept on moving.
”The way they spotted the ball, they made it look like I lost a yard.”
Had the first down been awarded, Philadelphia would have had the ball in Cowboys territory and a go-ahead score likely. Instead, the defense coughed up a big play to Dallas.
The Eagles had one more chance with the ball, but on third-and-11, a Cowboys linebacker Victor Butler tripped up a McNabb scramble.
”The telltale of that game was the shoestring tackle,” McNabb said. “All I saw was green grass… I thought I was going to pick up some big yards and that’s kind of how the game went.
”It was just that close.”
McNabb is one of just four quarterbacks NFL history with more than 30,000 passing yards, 200 passing touchdowns, 3,000 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns, joining John Elway, Fran Tarkenton and Steve Young.
Interestingly, like each of those other three, he has suffered for most of his career under the specter of ambitions not attained.
Elway and Young vanquished their ghosts with Super Bowls. Tarkenton didn’t, and until McNabb succeeds on football’s biggest stage, he’ll keep banging his head on that ceiling.
He looked positively dizzy behind the podium Sunday night, it wasn’t that long ago — 2007, in fact — that he and head coach Andy Reid drew sharp criticism for not sneaking in short-yardage situations. The Eagles didn’t trust McNabb, the story line read then. He couldn’t run anymore, because of the knee injury that ended his 2006 season.
This year, he’s thrown himself into the pile despite fracturing a rib in Week 1. He’s still unable to sleep well because of the discomfort, and he’ll likely wear a flak jacket into 2010.
But his detractors want more toughness from him at big moments. Used to winning and the fourth-quarter rally, they wonder where the magic has gone.
McNabb, a weary and resigned magician, has nothing new to say.
”I know that’s something that everyone is going to talk about,” he said. “Have fun with it, I guess.”
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