I have never understood the Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb haters. This small, but vocal faction of fans that don’t like Reid because he isn’t fiery or dislike McNabb because he smiles after he makes a mistake or he threw up in the Super Bowl.
Who cares?
These two men are largely responsible for the greatest era of football the Eagles have ever seen, and while these two have yet to bring home a Super Bowl for Philadelphia, the Eagles are in the playoff hunt almost every year.
This past season had its fair share of bumps in road. There were injuries to key players, like Stewart Bradley, Brian Westbrook, and Jamaal Jackson, and the team saw young players transition into starting roles. Tight end Brent Celek, running back LeSean McCoy, and wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson have all developed into legitimate threats, the type of players that McNabb has always needed around him.
We all want that Super Bowl parade down Broad Street and in this era of big money and instant gratification, fans expect it overnight. While Reid has done an admirable job of turning this franchise around, and McNabb remains one of the game’s top quarterbacks, that Super Bowl victory hasn’t happened yet.
Even though both men have their obvious faults, that is no reason to send them packing. Reid doesn’t know his way around a clock, but he sure knows to draft well. McNabb may not be Peyton Manning, but when he has confidence in his offensive line, he’s able to quickly make things happen on the field.
A decade is a long time to wait, but this regime needs to stay. Bill Cowher took a longer time to get his Super Bowl victory in Pittsburgh. John Elway, a very similar quarterback in many ways to McNabb, didn’t get his first Super Bowl victory until his 15th season. McNabb just finished his 11th year in the league.
Looking at Elway closer, you see that he matches up very closely with McNabb. He has a 62% regular season win percentage vs. a 64.1% for Donovan. McNabb’s win percentage is also better in the playoffs as well – 56.3% vs. 50%.
Through 11 seasons, Elway had very good playoff stats. After 14 games, he possessed a 53.1 completion percentage with 3,321 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions. McNabb’s better. After 16 games, he has a 59.1 completion percentage with 3,752 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.
While you may still say that Elway is the better quarterback, consider this: he won his Super Bowls with the Broncos in his 15th and 16th seasons, but he did not carry the team on his back. It took an amazing defense, an impenetrable O-line, running back Terrell Davis, wide receiver Rod Smith, and tight end Shannon Sharpe. Elway won as many playoff games in his final two years as he did in his first fourteen.
The Eagles main problem throughout most of the last decade was that they had an excellent defense and top-notch quarterback, but the rest of the team suffered. In 2004 when the team was truly a full package, they made it to the Super Bowl and just barely lost to a better New England Patriots team. Only teams that are excellent on every level win the big game.
It’s not time to move on. It’s time to fill in the missing pieces. We know what the Eagles have with McNabb, and while he is not a player that can carry the team on his back, he is a great quarterback who will be able to lead the emerging offense in the years to come.
And Andy Reid, the man of few words and many coughs, needs to continue doing what he does best – identifying and developing talent. While the Eagles are not a year away from a Super Bowl title, the parade is likely closer than you think.
I can’t wait to say I told you so.
If you’re interested in the other side of the argument, please read the piece from our own David Foley posted earlier this evening.
