Fury said:

Well, of COURSE they're gonna say all that don't mean that fool ain't pissed. I don't care how ya'll slice and dice this cuz after all the ups and downs that Donovan went thru last season in Philly, THIS is not how you show you have the utmost confidence in your QB. But I'll have my popcorn ready cuz I'm sure there will be a show.

I'm online and listening to the talk radio..the show has already started..the radio is getting ugly because you're starting to hear a racial divide..these fools actually talking about going to burn their jerseys in front of the stadium..

http://www.610wip.com/

SCNDLS said:

Donovan was benched once (when he was playing pretty badly) and came back better than ever. No one has been a bigger supporter of McNabb than Andy Reid.

It's also worth mentioning that Donovan McNabb is a better QB than Michael Vick in every way (except rushing, and he's still damned good at that).

AlexdeParis said:

Support my ass, Reid used him as a scapegoat last season IMO. It's quite obvious to me that Vick is there as a means to hold McNabb's feet to the fire. Philly fans in general don't want McNabb or like him and ultimately they're the ones buying tix. Trust and believe this ain't gon' be no smooth sailing even if Vick doesn't take a single snap.

SCNDLS said:

first time vick scores a td or they beat dallas, all will be forgiven. winning brings idiots together. they could bring ryan leaf in and 20% of the fans would want him to start

http://footballnationblog...ood-terms/

Are the Eagles Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid on good terms?

Published: March 26, 2009

Good seats still available at Andy Reid’s table.

That was the case as reporters fanned out across a cavernous ballroom for the NFC coaches’ breakfast at 7 a.m. Wednesday. As you might expect, Giants coach Tom Coughlin was the only coach to show up 10 minutes early, but Reid wasn’t far behind. His spring collection of yellow Hawaiian shirts have been stunning this week, and even at such an early hour, he didn’t disappoint.

After some lengthy discussion about his nearby beach house, Reid settled into one of the most revealing (by his standards) interviews I could recall. The other writers had better table manners because they didn’t have someplace else to be, so I interrupted a delightful exchange about the offensive line to dive into the Donovan McNabb situation.

Reid declined the opportunity to talk about his now infamous meeting with the quarterback, which was leaked to ESPN last month. He said he talks to McNabb “all the time” and doesn’t expect him to miss any of the offseason minicamps. When Philadelphia Inquirer beat writer Bob Brookover brought up the “nuclear bomb” scenario of McNabb being a no-show, Reid reminded us that he’d dealt with a few of those during his decade and change with the club.

“Obviously, the quarterback position is very important,” Reid said. “I’m always looking at the positive. The positive is, that [when a veteran isn't there] the young guys get to work with the ‘ones.’ The negative is that you sure want your starting quarterback there.”

To be clear, Reid doesn’t anticipate McNabb will skip any of the minicamps, but it certainly sounds like the scenario’s crossed his mind. These two men have been in lock step for nearly 11 years, but the November benching may have changed that dynamic.

What McNabb is asking for with a contract extension isn’t so much about money (or offensive weapons) as it is about security. He felt betrayed by the organization and a longtime confidante when he was made the scapegoat for how poorly the team was playing. And even though Reid often comes across as a cold fish in large group settings, it seems like he does have a grasp of where McNabb’s coming from. And unlike a certain Boy Wonder in Denver, Reid knows it’s not wise to get into a whizzing match with the franchise quarterback.

When I asked him if he understood why McNabb felt like the fall guy, Reid said, “Absolutely.”

Sounding like the parent he is, Reid said he made the decision to bench McNabb for his own good. He knew it would be devastating, but for the greater good of the team, he felt like it was the only option. Oh, and in case you don’t remember, it actually worked.

“I’ve got to do what’s best for the football team,” he said. “And, honestly, in that situation, what I thought was best for Donovan. You never know how things are going to go. I could sit here and tell you, ‘Ah, I knew everything would work out like it did.’ But you never know what’s going to happen in this game when you do things like that. But I felt like it had to happen.

“Donovan is the type of person that carries the world on his back. As a result of that, at times, people around him expect him to carry the world on his back. And they’re not doing their jobs to their fullest. It’s too much. Too much for one person to do. That’s the point where this got to.

“It wasn’t from Donovan not trying or doing anything wrong. No human can do what he was trying to do. We were leading the league in drops. We weren’t playing great defense during that stretch. The offensive line was struggling. Everybody was having their thing. And to be honest with you, I wasn’t coaching very good. Everybody needed to pick their game up. And that’s kind of what happened after that.”

The immediate results — winning four of the next five games and reaching the NFC Championship Game — are hard to argue with, but the organization is still dealing with the repercussions of the benching. You already have a quarterback with historically thin skin (”What, you’re drafting a QB in the second round?”). And, honestly, that doesn’t make McNabb different than most franchise quarterbacks. In his mind, quarterbacks with similar tenures around the league (Tom Brady, Manning the Elder, Drew Brees) would never have to worry about getting the hook in a close game at halftime. If Tony Romo throws six interceptions in a game — as we saw in Buffalo two seasons ago — it never crosses Wade Phillips’ mind to replace him with Brad Johnson (Insert Brad Johnson joke here).

In basic terms, McNabb’s request for a contract extension would be something like, “For the next two years, I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder every time I have a bad game.” Of course, that language will never show up in the contract, but a large signing bonus might do the trick.

For a man who already had an underappreciation complex, the November benching only reinforced his paranoia. Now he’s basically asking for an apology, which is something this organization’s not particularly good at.

“I don’t mind being the bad guy,” said Reid. “That’s my responsibility to get the football team right.”

In an offseason marked by the departure of the team’s most beloved player and a longtime starter at left tackle, sentimentality is in short supply. The Eagles want to reward McNabb for his strong play down the stretch, but they’re not into lifetime achievement awards. There’s only one way McNabb can recei

Fury said:

So you have Vick playing against Dallas huh?

SCNDLS said:

Scapegoat? I'm as big a DMc fan as anyone, but he was playing terribly during that stretch. That Cincinnati game was absolutely brutal: 3 interceptions in enemy territory, a lost fumble, and a 13-13 tie that almost cost the Eagles a playoff spot. Oh, and he still started the next game against Baltimore, but was benched at the half when things weren't looking much better. After the benching, Donovan had his best game of the season and the Eagles scored their most points of the year versus Arizona.


I think you're buying into the media coverage a little too much. Yes, there are plenty of Eagles fans who don't like McNabb, but there are plenty who do. The guy was voted the best QB in team history for a reason.

SCNDLS said:

not starting of course, unless mcnabb gets hurt.
the rest of the nfl is really gonna see what the hell a wildcat formation is now.

AlexdeParis said:

Like the article I posted states, lots of other QBs play much worse yet they don't have to worry about being benched in the first half of a game. And when was he voted best QB and who voted??? It sure wasn't last season. I'm not questioning if he's a great player, I'm a big fan of what he does on the field and how he carries himself off. My beef is with Reid and management for bringing Vick in. I ain't even mad at Vick for getting a job. I'm saying that with ALL of the issues they've had with McNabb in the past it doesn't make sense at all to add fuel to the fire with Vick unless they just don't give a fuck about McNabb's feelings which by this point it's obvious they don't.

Fury said:

Or benched I'm looking at my Gucci and starting the countdown. McNabb shoulda moved mountains to get the fuck outta Philly.
[Edited 8/13/09 21:27pm]

Andy Reid just said that Tony Dungy was very influential in his decision..both men are very spiritual..I wonder of this nothing but Andy doing Tony a favor?

SavonOsco said:

So he's relying on TD to tell him who his backup QB should be? This just gets better.

SCNDLS said:

And? That article praises Wade Phillips, so it's totally invalid.


He was voted as the QB for the Eagles 75th Anniversary Team by over 600,000 fans in 2007.


McNabb himself said he lobbied to get Vick. After all, they're friends.

SCNDLS said:

It gets better..Reid said that people deserve a second chance and mentioned his sons...I think he's hoping his sons get a second chance,so he gave one to Ron Mexico..lol..this is getting deep.McNabb said he lobbied for Vick and could see him at receiver..wow he STILL tows the company line

AlexdeParis said:

It is a great move. First of all Donovan is the one
who endorsed the move. The backup qb Kolb whom i think has very little
upside got hurt and they needed a backup. Mike Vick wasn't brought in
to be a starter or cause controversy. He is there for insurance in case
Donovan gets hurt. You are bringing in a guy who has game experience
and playoff experience. It's similar to what the steelers did last year
when Charlie Batch got hurt and they signed Byron Leftwich to backup Big
Ben. This signing has nothing to do with Donovan looking over his shoulder.
[Edited 8/13/09 22:31pm]

SCNDLS, I'm an Eagles fan, and I totally see it like you. I thought DM was going to bounce, and he didn't. I thought he should've, actually. I think bringing in Vick for two years is all about (at least) messing with DM's head and (at best) grooming Vick to be starter.

Reid's benching DM last season was LOW... This move is telling.

ThreadBare said:

Don't believe the hype dude. Why would you sign your franchise qb to a
new deal and then bring in a guy who hasn't played football in 2 years
to be your starter? I agree with Alex that Donovan played terrible against
the bengals and the ratbirds but i fault Andy for pulling the plug that
quick on Donovan during the ratbirds game. All i know is after the benching
Donovan was playing great football down the stretch.

Fury said:

Chris Berman be wrong for that. The years that they weren't very good
he called them the beagles. When Kansas City's wasn't good he called
them the chefs and when Indy was very bad he called them the Dolts.

phunkdaddy said:

I can't really fault Andy for the benching... maybe because I actually watched that Cincinnati game.

I also remember Steve Young getting benched when the Eagles were stomping the Niners in '94 (final score 40-8). Young himself says that was the turning point and propelled them to the Super Bowl... something the Eagles just missed, if you recall.

And this talk about grooming Vick to be the starter is just silly. Everyone who makes decisions in Philly knows that Michael Vick would be a complete downgrade from Donovan McNabb. I believe Reid & McNabb are 5-1 against Vick (including 2-0 in the playoffs).
[Edited 8/13/09 23:23pm]

this is not about race at all

http://blog.peta.org/arch..._chang.php

it is about the fact that dog-fighting still exists and plenty of dog lovers do not think Vick has really done enough yet

granted, they do not know Vick - and their anger is not really about Vick the person but more about dog fighting in general

and how money talks

It looks like everyone is pointing to the Bengals game,but I think it was the Ravens game that was more pivitol.Both coaches made by decisions in the bengals game,it shouldn't have been a tie.McNabb has had bad games like that and they have won before.But the Ravens game,showed that they had no adequate back up.Kolb was horrible and once he got hurt this year,Vick has become insurance.But like I said earlier,this is looking more like Reid being sympathetic to Vicks situation because of his own sons.

SavonOsco said:

And always will, he'll never learn.

ThreadBare said:

Very telling. I'll be watching with un-baited breath when the madness unfolds.

And in the end Donovan will have no one to blame but himself because the Eagles have been quite clear about how they feel about him and instead of growing a pair and bouncing he chose to stay with an org and city that don't want his ass.

Doesn't matter - Giants are still top dawg in the NFC East. We got a score to settle against the Eagles.

uPtoWnNY said:

Good luck without Plax AND Amani this season.
[Edited 8/14/09 6:12am]

SCNDLS said:

Take that, baby!

http://www.nydailynews.co...arden.html

uPtoWnNY said:

Hope springs eternal . . .

SCNDLS said:

He stayed because they do want him.

uPtoWnNY said: