G
yeah i've read this right now as well... WTF; they have more leeway than anyone else in the league!
Eagles | McNabb says black quarterbacks under more scrutiny
Tue, 18 Sep 2007 07:34:48 -0700
ESPN.com reports Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb said in an interview scheduled to air on HBO Tuesday, Sept. 18, that African-American quarterbacks face far more pressure and more criticism than their white counterparts. McNabb added African-American quarterbacks such as himself face added pressure because there are fewer black quarterbacks. "There's not that many African-American quarterbacks, so we have to do a little bit extra," McNabb said. "Because the percentage of us playing this position, which people didn't want us to play... is low, so we do a little extra."
PS. he's probably feeling a heat after a miserable performance (missed Kevin Curtis for the easiest TD on a simple out) and is looking for excuses. KEvin Kolb is breathing down his neck.Edited by: backrow
Eagles | McNabb says black quarterbacks under more scrutiny
Tue, 18 Sep 2007 07:34:48 -0700
ESPN.com reports Philadelphia Eagles QB Donovan McNabb said in an interview scheduled to air on HBO Tuesday, Sept. 18, that African-American quarterbacks face far more pressure and more criticism than their white counterparts. McNabb added African-American quarterbacks such as himself face added pressure because there are fewer black quarterbacks. "There's not that many African-American quarterbacks, so we have to do a little bit extra," McNabb said. "Because the percentage of us playing this position, which people didn't want us to play... is low, so we do a little extra."
PS. he's probably feeling a heat after a miserable performance (missed Kevin Curtis for the easiest TD on a simple out) and is looking for excuses. KEvin Kolb is breathing down his neck.Edited by: backrow
G
Guest
Guest
backrow said:
That was my guess as well. He doesn't handle criticism well. Most black americans do not. A few months of steady, moderate criticism is all it took for him to complain about it.
Many white quarterbacks face constant, heavy criticism for years and never say anything.
The MNF announcers must have set a world record for blaming receivers for a quarterback's poor showing. Curtis would have huge stats after two games if McNabb had any accuracy at all.
What I find most amusing about McNabb's latest whining is that he is considered by many blacks tobe a conservative pro-management guy, almost an Uncle Tom. But Nevada's observation is right, blacks can't handle criticism, especially if it comes from "White America." McNabb ought to watch the way Rex Grossman handles the constant onslaught of criticism directed his way, not that it would do any good.
What I find most amusing about McNabb's latest whining is that he is considered by many blacks tobe a conservative pro-management guy, almost an Uncle Tom. But Nevada's observation is right, blacks can't handle criticism, especially if it comes from "White America." McNabb ought to watch the way Rex Grossman handles the constant onslaught of criticism directed his way, not that it would do any good.
Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
Rush talked about this for a bit today and how that even if the NFL was 100% black, the media would still call them oppressed by the white men in the front offices. He also said maybe Eli Manning should change his race.
Tom Iron
Mentor
Gentlemen,
I didn't hear this latest garbage from McNabb, but I love it. I think it's great when blacks whine out loud in front of everybody. Little by little the worm is turning and statements like this from these idiotic blacks just speed up the process.
Outstanding news.
Tom Iron...
I didn't hear this latest garbage from McNabb, but I love it. I think it's great when blacks whine out loud in front of everybody. Little by little the worm is turning and statements like this from these idiotic blacks just speed up the process.
Outstanding news.
Tom Iron...
At least he's getting an opportunity to get criticized. I would imagine that are a bunch of white running backs and receviers who would relish the chance to get criticized, because that would mean they are at least playing. James Brown should have asked him if he is under any more pressure than white running backs or receviers. Hell, at least he gets to play. He says there are so few white qbs. If there are one or two, that's more than there are whites at the prized RB and WR position. Ask him if he wants to trade places. I know that's not going to happen, but it's nice dreaming.
Colonel_Reb said:
Rush is right as usual. I still wonder sometimes if Rush has discovered this site. I almost guarantee that there are some coaches, General managers, scouts(definitely) and maybe a few famous people like Rush who have stumbled onto this site. Unfortunately it would be career suicide for any of them to reference this site in anyway unless it was to criticize it.
ps...Donovan should check with Rex Grossman to see the most criticized and scrutinized athlete in all of sports.
what did surprise me is how many negative comments his whining got. let's hope it's a sign of people coming around. one guy said something like that: he's complaining? how about Brian Leonard trying to be a white runningback, you don't see him writing books about it...
Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
McDrabb is supposed to be talking on HBO about it soon. I don't know the details though.
G
Guest
Guest
A white quarterback was benched and traded after one game this season, and yet already a few people in the sports media are taking McNabb seriously.
Anybody in sports media that does not laugh McNabb right out of the news has no credibility.
Anybody in sports media that does not laugh McNabb right out of the news has no credibility.
Matra1
Mentor
This is brilliant. Even on mainstream Canadian sports radio today they are angrily attacking McNabb for playing the race card. Bob McCowen - the most popular sports radio 'personality' in Canada - even went so far as to say crying racism is typically the first response of black Americans in general - not just sports stars - to ANY kind of adversity. One of the callers reminded listeners that Bryant Gumbel put down winter Olympic athletes. (I started a thread at Caste Football about that last year.) Is the message getting out at last?
We need more McNabbs making these kinds of transparently bogus complaints. Why? Because it will tell the masses that crying racism is not about injustice but is in fact a tactic being utilized to make whites cower in order to enhance black interests no matter what the specifics of the case at hand.
We need more McNabbs making these kinds of transparently bogus complaints. Why? Because it will tell the masses that crying racism is not about injustice but is in fact a tactic being utilized to make whites cower in order to enhance black interests no matter what the specifics of the case at hand.
on Eagles boards there are surprisingly a LOT of people critising McNabb for his statement. and his play. and not that many are down on Curtis although there are some voices that he isn't as fast as advertised...
from one of the posts: "I was at the game, I watched the WRs. They were getting open. Reggie Brown even said it after the game. In a few short words he said They are open, and all doing their jobs individually but collectively not getting it done. Translation: "McNabb isn't throwing us the ball.""
from one of the posts: "I was at the game, I watched the WRs. They were getting open. Reggie Brown even said it after the game. In a few short words he said They are open, and all doing their jobs individually but collectively not getting it done. Translation: "McNabb isn't throwing us the ball.""
One of the biggest knocks against blacks before the Cultural Marxist revolution began in the U.S. in the late 1960s was that they "lacked toughness," whether in sports or any other field. Reading and listening to all the whining that super-rich, pampered black professional athletes engage in, it may be time to bring that "stereotype" back into the discussion.
sport historian
Master
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2004
- Messages
- 2,952
Don Wassall said:
In Bernie Parrish's book "They Call It A Game," there was this passage concerning Paul Brown:
"When I was a rookie, the old heads on the team told me, 'Paul doesn't criticize Negro players the same way he does white players. He doesn't think they can take it as well.' I can't say that I saw that in Paul. He criticized Bobby Mitchell severely for fumbling and for mental errors. John Wooten sprained his ankle playing half-court basketball and Paul told him, 'If you don't play Sunday, you don't get paid either.'
In Paul Brown's own memoir, he as much as admits that he couldn't criticize Jim Brown the way he did other players. I once saw Bobby Mitchell interviewed. Mitchell said that Paul Brown would criticize HIM when he actually meant Jim Brown. It would seem that Paul Brown felt that Bobby Mitchell could take it, while Jim Brown could not.
I posted in wrong section before. This crap is just like the "not enough blacks in baseball" mantra we have had to endure. It is a passive-aggressive ploy of a schoolyard bully. Don makes a good point. McNabb comes across as a pampered pussy. We can't walk in "His" shoes the media points out. Hell yeh I can't walk in his multi million dollar shoes. Can't even dream about making that kind of money. Absolute joke. At least some members of the media aren't buying it. Yes as above making whites cower to push a black agenda is the passive-aggressive bully approach and it needs to be called out.
TorontoArgos
Guru
Here is a fantastic article from Canada criticizing Donovan and pointing out how Black QBs are favoured by coaches and media!
http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/nfl/index.asp?name=NFL/2007/09/ mcnabbs_comment_1.html
http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/nfl/index.asp?name=NFL/2007/09/ mcnabbs_comment_1.html
Jimmy Chitwood
Hall of Famer
here is the live link: [url]http://www.thescore.ca/blogs/nfl/index.asp?name=NFL/2007/09/ mcnabbs_comment_1.html[/url]
and i'll c/pthe articlebefore the negrophiles demand it be destroyed...
<H3>McNabb's comments baseless and out of line</H3>
Posted by D.J. Bennett on September 20, 2007
When I heard Donovan McNabb's comments I was caught a bit off guard. I was taken aback. I had to go to YouTube to see for myself because something just didn't add up. No he didn't. Not now. Ironically, on HBO, and even more ironically on Bryant Gumbel's show. Bryant Gumbel, the poster boy for putting the proverbial race foot in the black mouth.
First of all, I have a disclaimer. I always cheered for Donovan. Just something about a black quarterback with the same name as me. A two-sport athlete in college, I couldn't help but like him. But I can't like this. The race card? That is so Barry Bonds. That is so Don King. Donovan seems to be a pretty educated guy but he needs to sit down and take a history lesson.
There are seven black starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Donovan is the highest paid and most celebrated of them all. If anyone has been accepted by mainstream America, and helped by the media, it is Donovan McNabb.
The nature of the position of quarterback lends itself to constant criticism and scrutiny. You touch the ball on every play and are the most influential player on the field. When you win, you get the glory so you might as well learn to take the good with the bad.
There are many white quarterbacks scrutinized by fans and media just as much, if not more than McNabb. Rex Grossman is the anti-Christ in Chicago, despite the fact he got his team to the Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl and then was shipped out of town. Carson Palmer threw six touchdown passes in Week 2 and then media members criticized him because he threw the game-clinching interception.
Let me take this time to mention that McNabb has a paltry one touchdown pass so far this year. Terry Bradshaw, Joe Theismann, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly are all Hall-of-Famers, and they were heavily scrutinized throughout their playing days. Kurt Warner was an MVP, and subsequently run out of town twice. Trent Green is a former Pro Bowler and the media is questioning him. Peyton Manning was known universally as a choke artist before he finally beat the Patriots and won the Super Bowl last season. Chris Simms gave up a spleen for his time, and people still questioned his toughness, and brought up the fact he never beat Oklahoma in college. Upon his return, he had to fight for his job back and his head coach tried to sign any and every quarterback to supplant him. He's found himself now below Bruce Gradkowsi on the depth chart after once being billed the quarterback of the future.
Last time I checked, unless Archie was getting his creep on, Eli manning is not black, yet he gets destroyed in the N.Y. media after wins - and losses. As did Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler, and they both won championships in New York. Eli's former teammate, who is now in the media - and black I might add - dissed him before the regular season had even begun. I could go on and on. He claimed it had to do with the low percentage of black quarterbacks starting in the league. Does that mean Kevin Curtis, Mike Furrey, and Wes Welker are racially scrutinized as well? No quarterback gets a free pass in the win-now, every-mistake-is-magnified environment of the NFL. Donovan - black, or white it makes no difference - when you are 23rd in the NFL in passer rating at 68.8, you are bound to get criticized.
When you look at McNabb's career 84 passer rating with two-year highs of 104 and 95 you may think the criticism is unjustified. But if you then look at the fact Trent Green has a career 87 passer rating with two-year highs of 101 and 95, Brian Griese has a career 84 passer rating with two-year highs of 102 and 97, Chad Pennington has a career 89 passer rating with two-year highs of 104 and 91, it puts Donovan's alleged plight into perspective. He has been treated much better by the media and fans alike than all three of those quarterbacks combined. Do his claims really have a leg to stand on?
The media has given many black quarterback the benefit of the doubt in my opinion. The plight of the black quarterback is a little overdone considering the first quarterback taken in the draft the last two years has been black and maybe again this year with Andre Woodson in the mix. Like it or not, media hype has a lot to do with who is and isn't a first-day pick. Steve McNair is injury prone and when you look at the numbers is not as productive as Kyle Boller yet he is looked upon as the saviour and difference-maker in Baltimore, even though he did nothing against Indianapolis at home in the playoffs last year.
Vince Young is heralded as the next great thing to transcend the position, yet he is still a flawed passer and questionable decision-maker. David Garrard was chosen to be the answer in Jacksonville, and yet he has had a handful of good games in his career, he doesn't scare anyone he faces, and doesn't do anything particularly well.
Byron Leftwich is highly injury prone, immobile, and has terrible mechanics, yet he is looked upon as the saviour in Atlanta and not a first-round bust. Tarvaris Jackson was handed the starting position in Minnesota based on no merit of his own and is quite possibly the worst starting quarterback in the league, yet he is given a pass.
Daunte Culpepper pretty much stole money from the Miami Dolphins, still hasn't fully recovered from a knee injury suffered almost two years ago, yet Raider Nation is more than willing to hitch their hopes on him this year. JaMarcus Russell, solely because of the media's BCS hype machine, was the consensus number one pick in the draft, despite not grading out the highest among quarterbacks throughout the entire year. Instead of feeling lucky for his good fortune he holds out for the entire preseason, immediately stunting his growth as a passer. The media has been much harder on the organization and Al Davis for not getting a pre-draft deal done than they were on Russell, despite the fact that holdouts are a two-way street. McNabb's claim that black quarterbacks have to do a little bit extra is untrue. As is his claim that people don't want black quarterbacks in the league. That is not the case the way it was in the past and also is not the view held by the public in general. Jason Campbell, McNabb's fellow black counterpart, who badly outplayed him on Monday has already come out and disagreed with McNabb's claims.
Donovan has brought this on himself, I'm afraid. He has brought much of the criticism and negative attention to himself. First and foremost, anybody who thought the T.O. saga was a one-way street needs to dig a little deeper. Donovan has been called out by numerous ex-teammates for being a drama queen and a diva. The common perception out there among the fans and media is that Donovan is the leader of the Eagles' locker room. By default, the quarterback is the leader to some extent on the field, but that doesn't mean he is the rallying point of the team. Brian Dawkins is a leader. Jeremiah Trotter, when he was there, was a leader. Donovan was known for taking the company's side when players had contract squabbles and that will lose you credibility with fellow teammates real fast. It was highly frowned upon that, after Donovan got paid, he was the first one to call players out for holding out to gain fiscal contract leverage. Donovan's mother was using the media to make ridiculous claims of not wanting the Eagles to succeed after Donovan was hurt because it would make her soon look bad. The media would have been well within their right to mention that the team and, more specifically, the offence, played considerably better after Jeff Garcia took over. Donovan was the first one to whine and gripe when Kevin Kolb was drafted. That goes to show that Donovan is insecure in his role as a starter. If he had all the confidence in his abilities he claims the media should, it wouldn't matter to him who was drafted by the Eagles. This coming from a guy with resurfacing issues, escalating age and salary. Hernia, ankle, and knee surgeries are enough reason to question him, nevermind the fact he has yet to play well with the Eagles in the final game of the year, notwithstanding the times he has been healthy enough to make the final game of the year.
In three consecutive NFC Conference final losses he has a combined 50.5 QB rating. In his one and only trip to the Super Bowl he was dehydrated, vomiting, wasn't able to communicate in the huddle, and choked down the stretch. As my man Herman Edwards says, "You play to win the game." However, the Eagles have won despite McNabb, not solely because of him like he'd have you believe. The Eagles' blitzing defence has carried that team, not McNabb. But he has cashed the cheque for that success on the 1st and 15th of the month when their defensive players fought over the scraps and many had to leave the team to get paid. So this is what you're left with, a 0-2 team who can't beat the Packers and Redskins to teams who won't make the post season. Donovan is left to carry the team and has written a verbal cheque his aging, injury-prone legs can't cash. Ever since he was drafted and booed by the Philly faithful, he has had a chip on his shoulder an heir of holier-than-thou that is not cute when you're not producing.
Donovan had the opportunity yesterday to soften the blow of his comments, retract them, or reword them. He did none of the above and instead, reiterated the same ridiculous notion in his press conference before walking off the stage hastily. He would not give specific examples or cases of black quarterbacks being treated unfairly and did not give any reasons for the timing of his comments.
The most absurd thing about this whole situation is that Donovan, like no other black quarterback, has benefited directly from the media. He compares himself to the struggle of black quarterbacks before him, which is doing a disservice to the plight of the African American quarterback being validated in the NFL. Instead of showing thanks to the quarterbacks before him, he is pretty much spitting in the face of real struggle by devaluing it by catastrophic proportions. I don't want to hear anything about the media giving them an unfair ride. The media took his side in T.O.-fest, the media anointed him as a God and the next Steve Young when he went to four straight conference finals. They never mentioned that his rushing and completion-percentage numbers were not even close to Young's. Who do you think got you and your mom that Campbell's Chunky Soup deal? Who do you think got you that Reebok deal? Without the media you are now at odds with, none of those are endorsement deals are possible. The media should turn on you now for being so ungrateful. If I am a Philadelphia Eagles beat writer I go Scarface on you: "You wan't to play with me? Well say hello to the bad guy." Newsflash Donovan: Brian Westbrook is the most valuable player on that team and he is not getting paid like you are, and he's not drinking Campbell's Chicken Corn chowder either.
Donovan has been seen as very PC, fan and consumer friendly. When race was brought up with his name in the slightest way Rush Limbaugh lost his job on ESPN. Limbaugh's comments were complimentary compared to what Don Imus said, yet the media rallied to McNabb's aide before he could blink. At the time, McNabb stated that race had nothing to do with his coverage and he was surprised. So why the change of heart now? Is he looking for a convenient scapegoat to take the focus off his diminishing skills?
The bottom line is that when your 2007 season quarterback rating is below that of Trent Green and Joey Harrington, it is not the time to pull the race card. Not to mention right after your nationally televised Monday night game where seven of your attempted passes were uncatchable. Donovan, your play has been inexcusable. Your accuracy or lack thereof, has been discouraging to say the least.
If I'm Andy Reid, where do I go from here? I have no idea what I have at the quarterback position. I have a group of receivers who barely get open and when they do my quarterback can't hit them. My quarterback can no longer run so how do I coach this team with him at the helm? It is time for McNabb to do some real self-examination and realize that he is the problem in Philly, not the men covering the team.
More troubling for me personally, as a man of colour, is when the race card and racism is trivialized to the extent it has in the Mike Vick case, the O.J. saga, or McNabb's media treatment. It devalues the issue when real racism exists. You can only cry racism wolf so many times.
If I'm a Katrina victim, I'm not trying to hear anything from Donovan McNabb. If I'm Dr. King or Mr. X, I'm not trying to hear anything from Donovan. If I'm Rodney King, I don't want to hear anything from Donovan. If I am Jackie Robinson or Hank Aaron, I definitely don't want to hear anything about racism from Donovan. If I am Afeni Shakur or Voletta Wallace, I don't want to hear anything from Donovan. If I am an Islamic person in America, I don't want to hear anything from Donovan. If I am a soccer player of colour in the Premier League, even I don't want to hear anything from Donovan F. McNabb.
Has he not picked up a newspaper or watched the news lately? Does he not know what's going on in Louisiana? Did Donovan McNabb show up to the Eagles practice facility with a noose hanging from a tree? Has he not heard about Mychal Bell or the rest of the Jena 6? Being wrongly held in jail and prosecuted on trumped up charges that stemmed from a series of altercations leading from tensions from a noose hanging from a tree in a schoolyard would better classify as racism. A noose hanging outside a black cultural centre on the University of Maryland campus would better classify as racism. The fact he uses the term so loosely shows that he doesn't know what it truly means or truly is.
and i'll c/pthe articlebefore the negrophiles demand it be destroyed...
<H3>McNabb's comments baseless and out of line</H3>
Posted by D.J. Bennett on September 20, 2007
When I heard Donovan McNabb's comments I was caught a bit off guard. I was taken aback. I had to go to YouTube to see for myself because something just didn't add up. No he didn't. Not now. Ironically, on HBO, and even more ironically on Bryant Gumbel's show. Bryant Gumbel, the poster boy for putting the proverbial race foot in the black mouth.
First of all, I have a disclaimer. I always cheered for Donovan. Just something about a black quarterback with the same name as me. A two-sport athlete in college, I couldn't help but like him. But I can't like this. The race card? That is so Barry Bonds. That is so Don King. Donovan seems to be a pretty educated guy but he needs to sit down and take a history lesson.
There are seven black starting quarterbacks in the NFL. Donovan is the highest paid and most celebrated of them all. If anyone has been accepted by mainstream America, and helped by the media, it is Donovan McNabb.
The nature of the position of quarterback lends itself to constant criticism and scrutiny. You touch the ball on every play and are the most influential player on the field. When you win, you get the glory so you might as well learn to take the good with the bad.
There are many white quarterbacks scrutinized by fans and media just as much, if not more than McNabb. Rex Grossman is the anti-Christ in Chicago, despite the fact he got his team to the Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl and then was shipped out of town. Carson Palmer threw six touchdown passes in Week 2 and then media members criticized him because he threw the game-clinching interception.
Let me take this time to mention that McNabb has a paltry one touchdown pass so far this year. Terry Bradshaw, Joe Theismann, Dan Marino, and Jim Kelly are all Hall-of-Famers, and they were heavily scrutinized throughout their playing days. Kurt Warner was an MVP, and subsequently run out of town twice. Trent Green is a former Pro Bowler and the media is questioning him. Peyton Manning was known universally as a choke artist before he finally beat the Patriots and won the Super Bowl last season. Chris Simms gave up a spleen for his time, and people still questioned his toughness, and brought up the fact he never beat Oklahoma in college. Upon his return, he had to fight for his job back and his head coach tried to sign any and every quarterback to supplant him. He's found himself now below Bruce Gradkowsi on the depth chart after once being billed the quarterback of the future.
Last time I checked, unless Archie was getting his creep on, Eli manning is not black, yet he gets destroyed in the N.Y. media after wins - and losses. As did Phil Simms and Jeff Hostetler, and they both won championships in New York. Eli's former teammate, who is now in the media - and black I might add - dissed him before the regular season had even begun. I could go on and on. He claimed it had to do with the low percentage of black quarterbacks starting in the league. Does that mean Kevin Curtis, Mike Furrey, and Wes Welker are racially scrutinized as well? No quarterback gets a free pass in the win-now, every-mistake-is-magnified environment of the NFL. Donovan - black, or white it makes no difference - when you are 23rd in the NFL in passer rating at 68.8, you are bound to get criticized.
When you look at McNabb's career 84 passer rating with two-year highs of 104 and 95 you may think the criticism is unjustified. But if you then look at the fact Trent Green has a career 87 passer rating with two-year highs of 101 and 95, Brian Griese has a career 84 passer rating with two-year highs of 102 and 97, Chad Pennington has a career 89 passer rating with two-year highs of 104 and 91, it puts Donovan's alleged plight into perspective. He has been treated much better by the media and fans alike than all three of those quarterbacks combined. Do his claims really have a leg to stand on?
The media has given many black quarterback the benefit of the doubt in my opinion. The plight of the black quarterback is a little overdone considering the first quarterback taken in the draft the last two years has been black and maybe again this year with Andre Woodson in the mix. Like it or not, media hype has a lot to do with who is and isn't a first-day pick. Steve McNair is injury prone and when you look at the numbers is not as productive as Kyle Boller yet he is looked upon as the saviour and difference-maker in Baltimore, even though he did nothing against Indianapolis at home in the playoffs last year.
Vince Young is heralded as the next great thing to transcend the position, yet he is still a flawed passer and questionable decision-maker. David Garrard was chosen to be the answer in Jacksonville, and yet he has had a handful of good games in his career, he doesn't scare anyone he faces, and doesn't do anything particularly well.
Byron Leftwich is highly injury prone, immobile, and has terrible mechanics, yet he is looked upon as the saviour in Atlanta and not a first-round bust. Tarvaris Jackson was handed the starting position in Minnesota based on no merit of his own and is quite possibly the worst starting quarterback in the league, yet he is given a pass.
Daunte Culpepper pretty much stole money from the Miami Dolphins, still hasn't fully recovered from a knee injury suffered almost two years ago, yet Raider Nation is more than willing to hitch their hopes on him this year. JaMarcus Russell, solely because of the media's BCS hype machine, was the consensus number one pick in the draft, despite not grading out the highest among quarterbacks throughout the entire year. Instead of feeling lucky for his good fortune he holds out for the entire preseason, immediately stunting his growth as a passer. The media has been much harder on the organization and Al Davis for not getting a pre-draft deal done than they were on Russell, despite the fact that holdouts are a two-way street. McNabb's claim that black quarterbacks have to do a little bit extra is untrue. As is his claim that people don't want black quarterbacks in the league. That is not the case the way it was in the past and also is not the view held by the public in general. Jason Campbell, McNabb's fellow black counterpart, who badly outplayed him on Monday has already come out and disagreed with McNabb's claims.
Donovan has brought this on himself, I'm afraid. He has brought much of the criticism and negative attention to himself. First and foremost, anybody who thought the T.O. saga was a one-way street needs to dig a little deeper. Donovan has been called out by numerous ex-teammates for being a drama queen and a diva. The common perception out there among the fans and media is that Donovan is the leader of the Eagles' locker room. By default, the quarterback is the leader to some extent on the field, but that doesn't mean he is the rallying point of the team. Brian Dawkins is a leader. Jeremiah Trotter, when he was there, was a leader. Donovan was known for taking the company's side when players had contract squabbles and that will lose you credibility with fellow teammates real fast. It was highly frowned upon that, after Donovan got paid, he was the first one to call players out for holding out to gain fiscal contract leverage. Donovan's mother was using the media to make ridiculous claims of not wanting the Eagles to succeed after Donovan was hurt because it would make her soon look bad. The media would have been well within their right to mention that the team and, more specifically, the offence, played considerably better after Jeff Garcia took over. Donovan was the first one to whine and gripe when Kevin Kolb was drafted. That goes to show that Donovan is insecure in his role as a starter. If he had all the confidence in his abilities he claims the media should, it wouldn't matter to him who was drafted by the Eagles. This coming from a guy with resurfacing issues, escalating age and salary. Hernia, ankle, and knee surgeries are enough reason to question him, nevermind the fact he has yet to play well with the Eagles in the final game of the year, notwithstanding the times he has been healthy enough to make the final game of the year.
In three consecutive NFC Conference final losses he has a combined 50.5 QB rating. In his one and only trip to the Super Bowl he was dehydrated, vomiting, wasn't able to communicate in the huddle, and choked down the stretch. As my man Herman Edwards says, "You play to win the game." However, the Eagles have won despite McNabb, not solely because of him like he'd have you believe. The Eagles' blitzing defence has carried that team, not McNabb. But he has cashed the cheque for that success on the 1st and 15th of the month when their defensive players fought over the scraps and many had to leave the team to get paid. So this is what you're left with, a 0-2 team who can't beat the Packers and Redskins to teams who won't make the post season. Donovan is left to carry the team and has written a verbal cheque his aging, injury-prone legs can't cash. Ever since he was drafted and booed by the Philly faithful, he has had a chip on his shoulder an heir of holier-than-thou that is not cute when you're not producing.
Donovan had the opportunity yesterday to soften the blow of his comments, retract them, or reword them. He did none of the above and instead, reiterated the same ridiculous notion in his press conference before walking off the stage hastily. He would not give specific examples or cases of black quarterbacks being treated unfairly and did not give any reasons for the timing of his comments.
The most absurd thing about this whole situation is that Donovan, like no other black quarterback, has benefited directly from the media. He compares himself to the struggle of black quarterbacks before him, which is doing a disservice to the plight of the African American quarterback being validated in the NFL. Instead of showing thanks to the quarterbacks before him, he is pretty much spitting in the face of real struggle by devaluing it by catastrophic proportions. I don't want to hear anything about the media giving them an unfair ride. The media took his side in T.O.-fest, the media anointed him as a God and the next Steve Young when he went to four straight conference finals. They never mentioned that his rushing and completion-percentage numbers were not even close to Young's. Who do you think got you and your mom that Campbell's Chunky Soup deal? Who do you think got you that Reebok deal? Without the media you are now at odds with, none of those are endorsement deals are possible. The media should turn on you now for being so ungrateful. If I am a Philadelphia Eagles beat writer I go Scarface on you: "You wan't to play with me? Well say hello to the bad guy." Newsflash Donovan: Brian Westbrook is the most valuable player on that team and he is not getting paid like you are, and he's not drinking Campbell's Chicken Corn chowder either.
Donovan has been seen as very PC, fan and consumer friendly. When race was brought up with his name in the slightest way Rush Limbaugh lost his job on ESPN. Limbaugh's comments were complimentary compared to what Don Imus said, yet the media rallied to McNabb's aide before he could blink. At the time, McNabb stated that race had nothing to do with his coverage and he was surprised. So why the change of heart now? Is he looking for a convenient scapegoat to take the focus off his diminishing skills?
The bottom line is that when your 2007 season quarterback rating is below that of Trent Green and Joey Harrington, it is not the time to pull the race card. Not to mention right after your nationally televised Monday night game where seven of your attempted passes were uncatchable. Donovan, your play has been inexcusable. Your accuracy or lack thereof, has been discouraging to say the least.
If I'm Andy Reid, where do I go from here? I have no idea what I have at the quarterback position. I have a group of receivers who barely get open and when they do my quarterback can't hit them. My quarterback can no longer run so how do I coach this team with him at the helm? It is time for McNabb to do some real self-examination and realize that he is the problem in Philly, not the men covering the team.
More troubling for me personally, as a man of colour, is when the race card and racism is trivialized to the extent it has in the Mike Vick case, the O.J. saga, or McNabb's media treatment. It devalues the issue when real racism exists. You can only cry racism wolf so many times.
If I'm a Katrina victim, I'm not trying to hear anything from Donovan McNabb. If I'm Dr. King or Mr. X, I'm not trying to hear anything from Donovan. If I'm Rodney King, I don't want to hear anything from Donovan. If I am Jackie Robinson or Hank Aaron, I definitely don't want to hear anything about racism from Donovan. If I am Afeni Shakur or Voletta Wallace, I don't want to hear anything from Donovan. If I am an Islamic person in America, I don't want to hear anything from Donovan. If I am a soccer player of colour in the Premier League, even I don't want to hear anything from Donovan F. McNabb.
Has he not picked up a newspaper or watched the news lately? Does he not know what's going on in Louisiana? Did Donovan McNabb show up to the Eagles practice facility with a noose hanging from a tree? Has he not heard about Mychal Bell or the rest of the Jena 6? Being wrongly held in jail and prosecuted on trumped up charges that stemmed from a series of altercations leading from tensions from a noose hanging from a tree in a schoolyard would better classify as racism. A noose hanging outside a black cultural centre on the University of Maryland campus would better classify as racism. The fact he uses the term so loosely shows that he doesn't know what it truly means or truly is.
InfamousOne
Guru
Another irritating thing about the Eagles loss to the skins - there was no mention about how ineffective LJ Smith was.
Smith's play is obviously being hindered by his groin injury. Why wouldn't the Eagles run Schobel, and the rookie Celek as a backup and list LJ as a third TE while he heals? Celek had some great catches in the preseason and looked sharp. Why would you run a guy claiming to be at 75% health instead of these guys?
On McNabb complaining - Screw off McNabb! Your passer rating says it all. I waited all year to watch Garcia make a fool of you again, and you didn't let me down.
If you can't stand the heat that the white Qbs put you under quit the league, you whiner.
Smith's play is obviously being hindered by his groin injury. Why wouldn't the Eagles run Schobel, and the rookie Celek as a backup and list LJ as a third TE while he heals? Celek had some great catches in the preseason and looked sharp. Why would you run a guy claiming to be at 75% health instead of these guys?
On McNabb complaining - Screw off McNabb! Your passer rating says it all. I waited all year to watch Garcia make a fool of you again, and you didn't let me down.
If you can't stand the heat that the white Qbs put you under quit the league, you whiner.
yanling
Guru
This is hardly suprising. What a girl.
ToughJ.Riggins
Hall of Famer
Interesting that that article 4 posts ago was from a black journalist, so most blacks aren't buying McNabb's hogwash.
I just wish he would have mentioned that based on the number of blacks in the American population, blacks are more likely to make it to the NFL as a QB. I really feel that that is a statistic that no one really thinks about. And the mention of Phili receivers not getting open soured me a little.
Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins
I just wish he would have mentioned that based on the number of blacks in the American population, blacks are more likely to make it to the NFL as a QB. I really feel that that is a statistic that no one really thinks about. And the mention of Phili receivers not getting open soured me a little.
TorontoArgos
Guru
Very telling. Very few of the Black QBs in the NFL actually belong. Less than half, I'd say.C Darwin said: