As I thought, Andy Reid's comments yesterday denying McNabb's frustration with the organization have not put the fire.
Tonight, Sal Pal was on Glenn MacNow's WIP show (yes, I know...I'm the same guy that yesterday said I no longer listen to the station) and stated that McNabb has told many friends that "either I or Jeff Garcia will be playing in Tampa Bay next year."
Wow....you simply can't push this story into a corner now. Sure, it's easy to pass off a website story or sully an article from Mark Eckel, but now Sal Pal is reporting D Mac isn't happy. That's three separate sources, people. Where there's is smoke, there's fire and this thing appears close to burning out of control if Garcia comes back for next year.
If this is true, I'm really disappointed in Donovan. How coddled is he? If he is such a team leader, why wouldn't he want a guy around that could help the team win.
In any event, I guess we can say good bye to Garcia. There is no way the team won't bend over backwards to make D Mac happy. Thanks for the memories, my favorite Red Headed Latino.
4 comments:
In my opinion there isn't a story as Phil depicts in his artic.e.
Garcia will get starter money from someone and will be gone. Good luck and hopefully who chooses a better fit than he did in '04 and '05
Now that Jeff Garcia has been on Leno, it's probably too late for Donovan McNabb to go on Letterman.
Of course, there's always The View.
McNabb could do his robot dance, discuss his recovery from reconstructive knee surgery, tout the Extra Hearty Beef Barley from Campbell's Chunky Soup and -- who knows? -- maybe address his intention to lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl next February in suburban Phoenix.
That's what everybody wants to hear, right?
McNabb still is a five-time Pro Bowl player. He still is the Eagles' franchise quarterback. He still is halfway -- the shorter half, but halfway all the same -- to the Hall of Fame.
Garcia didn't change that by going 6-2 as a starter after McNabb tore up his knee Nov. 19.
Garcia didn't change it by walking into that television studio in Burbank, Calif., the other night and handing a replica No. 7 jersey to Tonight Show band leader Kevin Eubanks, a Philadelphia native.
And Brian Westbrook didn't change it by saying some nice things about Garcia in the wake of the Eagles' loss to New Orleans in the NFC divisional playoffs Jan. 13 at the Louisiana Superdome.
McNabb could settle this whole thing if he would just tell Babs and Rosie that he was thrilled to see his team do well in his absence, proud of Garcia's perky play, and pumped for 2007.
End of story.
Hey, here's an idea: McNabb could tell the Philadelphia-area media the same stuff during a press conference convened to discuss the state of his rehabilitation from that knee injury.
Oh, the Eagles already tried that, then decided to cancel the press conference when coach Andy Reid harumphed there was nothing "beneficial" for McNabb to address the media at this point in time.
But it was OK for Garcia to go on Leno and chuckle when the host made a lame joke about "a banana peel" that might result in another McNabb injury next season?
Here's the difference: Garcia is a free agent, and he probably would have laughed in Reid's face if the coach tried to control his offseason media appearances.
By comparison, McNabb is being made to look weak, insecure and overly sensitive -- a 30-year-old man and $112 million quarterback who can't be trusted to handle a standard press conference in a conventional setting.
Either that, or McNabb truly is upset with a variety of issues -- from the state of his rehab to the lavish praise of Garcia from fans, media and some teammates -- and was set to open fire for the first time in his career.
Not likely, right?
The problem here is the absence of any comment from McNabb, and precious little from Reid -- although the coach was happy to discuss, in detail, why his special teams coordinator is now his secondary coach.
If this is all so obvious to everybody involved -- McNabb is the starter, Garcia was a strong backup who made the most of his chance and now will test the free-agent market -- then why the cone of silence?
Nature abhors a vacuum, and Eagles fans aren't too crazy about it, either. So the airwaves, newspaper columns, Internet sites and water-cooler chats are filled with speculation.
Here's the thing: There is no way the Eagles are better off with Garcia at quarterback.
No way.
Sometimes, we all lose sight of things, so here's another reminder: McNabb is a better player.
By far.
Garcia will be 37 in February. He caught a little lightning in a bottle at the end of this season, played well, got his teammates excited and rode a wave into the playoffs.
To expect him to do that starting in September this upcoming season, and still be going strong in January, is unrealistic. It's not going to happen. The Vikings or Bucs will find that out when they sign him and make him their starter.
McNabb is 30 and still in the prime of his career. Those injuries in three of the last five seasons, they are a concern. But there's no reason to believe McNabb won't be able to regain his health.
Plus, he will only be a better player if the Eagles remain committed to a balanced offense, with more carries for Westbrook and more reliance on the earth-moving capabilities of that massive offensive line.
The best-case scenario would have been Garcia as McNabb's backup -- as insurance in the event McNabb isn't ready for the start of the season, or gets hurt again, but also as motivation. What's wrong with a little competition?
That's not going to happen. Fine. Garcia wants to start, and he wants starter money. The Eagles have A.J. Feeley as a decent backup. Fine.
So will somebody just stand up and say it?
This weird silence, this awkward absence, it makes the Eagles and their coach and most of all their star quarterback look silly and sensitive and insecure.
It makes the Eagles look as if they aren't so sure about a sure thing.
It makes McNabb look like he's caught up in nonsense, like the notion that Garcia is a better player, or more popular with the fans.
Superstar quarterbacks and team leaders need to be above all that stuff.
They also need to speak their mind.
Jeez....and you won't get back to me about being a contributor on this site?!?!? This is awesome...How long it take you to do this one?
I'm a retard...I just realized you pasted an article in...who wrote it? Phil Anastasia?
I don't know about Tampa though. Haven't they hung their hat, or however that saying goes, on Simms Jr.?
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