YOU WILL MISS HIM WHEN HE’S GONE

How would you feel if you were a Hall of Fame caliber NFL quarterback and your organization gave you Ren & Stimpy or Beavis & Butt-head as your starting wide receivers? To make matters worse, your fans and local talk-radio hosts are constantly trying to run you out of town because you haven’t won a Super Bowl. Well boys and girls, welcome to the world of Donovan McNabb.

The Hate-Hate relationship between Donovan McNabb and the city of Philadelphia got off to a stellar start on Draft Day 1999. The Eagles selected McNabb with the #2 overall pick and he was immediately greeted by tremendously loud BOOOOOOSSSSSS!!!! by the Philly fans (Fans of the Miami Dolphins didn’t complain one bit when they drafted Ronnie Brown 2nd overall in 2005, Go Figure). That was a ridiculous reaction to have for a fan base whose current quarterbacks were Bobby Hoying and Koy Detmer. Well, no one has ever said that Eagles fans were the most knowledgeable fans in the NFL. The truth of the matter was that the fans wanted the team to draft Ricky Williams. Do you think the team made the right decision? Although the very passionate fan base wanted Williams, Andy Reid & company realized that the running backs on the roster were serviceable (Duce Staley & Charlie Garner) and that they really needed a quarterback. Since this was a stellar year for first-round quarterbacks (tongue-in-cheek) they decided that they should pick one with their first round pick. The only thing left was for them to decide between McNabb, Akili Smith, Cade McNown, and Daunte Culpepper. These were their choices only because the great Tim Couch was selected #1 overall and was therefore off the board. So, do you think they made the right pick?

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Be sure to check out regular STRAIGHT CASH HOMEY!!!! reader and commenter Anthony “Pharaoh” Goolsby on BET’s Somebodies. He will be appearing in the episode that will be airing Tuesday, September 30th at 10:30 pm.

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I applaud the Eagles organization for realizing the special talent that Donovan McNabb was during his time at Syracuse and using the #2 overall pick in the draft to acquire him. However, I don’t understand how you draft a quarterback to build your team around and refuse to give him the needed weapons to be successful. Let’s take a moment and reflect. During McNabb’s tenure in Philadelphia he has thrown passes to James Trash (sorry, I meant to say Thrash), Freddie Mitchell, Torrance Small, Charles Johnson, Chad Lewis, and Todd Pinkston (or should I say Stinkston). Oh, and let’s not forget his current cast of Pro Bowlers. He now has Hank Baskett, Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, and DeSean Jackson. I am sure that this group strikes fear in the hearts of defensive coordinators all over the NFL. I’m sorry, there was one glaring omission from his list of receivers. That would be the one-man team killer himself, Mr. Terrell (I LOVE ME SOME ME) Owens. As much as I hate Owens (almost as much as I hate Kobe Bryant), he is an absolute beast as a wide receiver. He is a legit number one receiver and he is one of the three best receivers in the NFL today. Does anyone remember what happened when Donovan got a chance to play with a legitimate NFL receiver? That’s right, he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for the McNabb and the Eagles the Terrell Owens experiment was only successful for one season. By his second season in Philly, the one-man team killer earned his nickname, and single-handedly killed the team. It is really a shame because they were great together. It’s also a shame that the Eagles haven’t given McNabb a competent receiver since.

Even with the talentless group of receivers that he has been forced to play with, McNabb has managed to lead the Eagles to six playoff appearances, four NFC Championship Games, and 1 Super Bowl. This apparently isn’t good enough for Eagles fans. They are constantly trying to run this guy out of town, for not being a winner. There were actually some that were saying this off-season that the team would be better off starting Kevin Kolb instead of McNabb. Are you serious? If you are reading this and you are one of those fans, please SLAP YOURSELF!!!! If you think that Kevin Kolb gives you a better chance to win than Donovan McNabb, you really need to have your medications adjusted. I just have one thing to say to Philly fans. You can hate him all you want, but YOU WILL MISS HIM WHEN HE’S GONE.

While exchanging text messages with Anthony “Pharaoh” Goolsby earlier this week, we both realized that Donovan McNabb simply does not get the credit and respect that he deserves from NFL fans (especially Eagles fans). I then decided to put his greatness in perspective and let people know that we are fortunate to be witnessing greatness before our eyes. Peyton Manning, Brett Favre (the Diva), and Tom Brady (for a minute, it looked like they were going to cancel the season when Brady got injured) are held in such high regard in NFL circles. Truthfully, I view McNabb as their equal. Every NFL player is always one play away from having his season, or even worse, his career end. Before it is over for McNabb, do yourself a favor and enjoy his greatness. He is arguably the most complete quarterback in the game today and is the best run/pass threat the league has ever seen. He should definitely be celebrated as such, and I am willing to start the party.

****PROOF THAT LIFE ISN’T FAIR****
Journeyman Quarterback Jon Kitna has had the great fortune of playing with such receivers as Chad Johnson & TJ Houshmandzadeh in Cincinnatti and now he has Calvin Johnson & Roy Williams in Detroit. Future Hall of Famer Donovan McNabb on the other hand has been playing with “insert scrub here” basically his entire career.

****COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY****
WE ARE NOW 51 DAYS AWAY FROM ELECTING THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. I HOPE THAT EVERYONE READING THIS HAS ALREADY REGISTERED TO VOTE. IF NOT, PLEASE DO SO SOON. BE SURE TO LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!!

WHAT A CLASS

“Do you think that he’s a Hall of Famer?” This is the question that is asked at sports bars, on sports radio, in barbershops, and among friends who are sports fans every time any NFL player of note retires. Over the past couple of years I have been asked this question about such players as Steve McNair, Jerome Bettis, and Tiki Barber. My answer was NO!!!! in the case of all three players for the following reasons:

Steve McNair – May be the toughest player in the history of the NFL. He played football through injuries that would make someone who sits at a desk all day miss work. He was maybe one yard short of getting in the Hall of Fame (remember “The Tackle” in Super Bowl XXXIV).

Jerome Bettis – was NEVER an elite running back, no matter what Steeler fans think. He also played during the era of Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, and Curtis Martin, who were all much better than he was. Also, the media likes to say that he won a Super Bowl, but in all honesty (at that point in his career) he was simply along for the ride.

Tiki Barber – had some very good years but was not an all-time great player. There were better backs during his era. Also, Congratulations on the Super Bowl victory. Oh, I’m sorry they did that without you, actually the year after you retired. You must feel really stupid. You were really holding the team back.

When considering if a player is worthy of Hall of Fame induction, I ask myself one simple question, “Was this player a top 3 player at his position for an extended period of time (at least 5 years)?” All three of the players listed above fall short of this definition, as do most NFL players. That is what makes it a Hall of Fame. It is an elite club that should only admit the best of the best.

If a player is truly a Hall of Famer, that question never has to be asked. Notice, no one ever asked if Rod Woodson, Deion Sanders, or Marshall Faulk are Hall of Famers. That is because they are “no brainers”.

Speaking of sure fire Hall of Famers, the potential class of 2013 is full of them. Six of the best players to ever play the game will be eligible (players must be retired for 5 full seasons before becoming eligible). These players are (in alphabetical order):

Larry Allen – arguably the best offensive guard in the history of the game. He has been named to 7 All-Pro teams, 11 Pro Bowls, and is a Super Bowl Champion (Dallas, Super Bowl XXX).

Brett Favre – temporarily owns basically every significant passing record in the NFL (that is until Peyton Manning breaks them all). He has won a Super Bowl (Green Bay, Super Bowl XXXI), is a 3-time NFL MVP, a 9-time Pro Bowler, and a 7-time All Pro. He has a place on the Mt. Rushmore of NFL Quarterbacks.

Jonathan Ogden – is THE GREATEST LEFT TACKLE IN NFL HISTORY. He has been named to 11 Pro-Bowls in 12 seasons, and was an All-Pro 9 times. He also won a Super Bowl (Baltimore, Super Bowl XXXV), and did I mention his statue is going to have the coolest afro of any inductee since the 70’s.

Warren Sapp – is the best pass rushing interior lineman in NFL history (had 96.5 career sacks as a defensive tackle, that is ridiculous). He was named to 8 Pro Bowls, and 6 All Pro teams. He is also a former Defensive Player of the Year (1999) and a Super Bowl Champion (Tampa Bay, Super Bowl XXXVII). In addition to his football moves, we have also seen that he is quite the dancer (see video).



Junior Seau – played 17 seasons and is a 12 time Pro Bowler and is a 7-time All Pro. The missing piece of his resume is that he did not win a Super Bowl.

Michael Strahan – holds the single season sack record (thanks largely to Brett Favre) and is a Super Bowl Champion (New York, Super Bowl XLII). He has also been named to 7 Pro Bowls and 6 All Pro teams, in addition to being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2001).

The only negative thing about this list is that someone will be left out. Hall of Fame rules only allow five people to be enshrined each year. Although all of these players will get in eventually, only five will have the honor of being First-Ballot Hall of Famers.

Who will be left out? If I was a betting man (which I am not), I would say Junior Seau. Although he was a GREAT player. He wasn’t the best ever at his position like Ogden, Sapp, and arguably Favre. He is also not a Super Bowl Champion, unlike the other five. There is still a slim chance that Seau will play another season. If he does, he could possibly be a First Ballot selection in 2014.


****ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT NOTE****
All comparisons between Kobe Bryant & Michael Jordan must end immediately. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WOULD JORDAN LET HIS TEAM LOSE A 24 POINT LEAD AT HOME IN THE NBA FINALS. With that being said, Kobe will never be as good as Jordan.