McNabb Has to Play

I don't care if his ankle is sore or his thumb isn't quite right.  I don't care if he's struggled for much of the season to regain his prior form.  And I don't care that the smart play would be to concede the inevitable loss, let the backups get pounded on, and save McNabb for another day.

McNabb claims he's the leader of this team.  If that's true, he should strap it on, get on that field, and play his guts out against the league's toughest foe. 

His team needs him.  He damn well better be there for them.

Comments

[Tom G, ballssticksstuff.com]

Here's a thought: might the Eagles have a better chance with AJ? Here's why: when one of McNabb's backups is in, Reid decides it's ok to run the ball more, and that might be a way to slow down the game and keep the ball out of Tom Brady's hands as much as possible. Don't get me wrong, I think Donovan gets a bad rap just as much as you do, but I can't help but wonder if the matchup would be better this week with AJ, given Reid's tendencies when AJ is in the game.

[Me]

I'd even go one step further and say that AJ gives them a better chance -- on average -- if McNabb's thumb really is jacked up. QBs have a lot of trouble playing through that injury, since they can't properly grip the ball.

I still think he needs to play, regardless.

[Cheesesteak Hoagie (aka Gabe from BountyBowl)]

The rational/ I-want-the-rest-of-the-season-to-matter part of me thinks McNabb should sit. The Birds aren't winning Sunday, so just let the guy take a week off and get right for the rest of the NFC and divisional games.

But hey, this isn't all about being rational. If his thumb works reasonably well (even if the ankle is sore) he needs to play and take his whuppin with the rest of them.

I just hope the storyline Monday morning isn't about how Kolb should play down the stretch after our craptastic secondary gets videogamed by the Pats. Unless Kolb is also a talented safety.

[Me]

Excellent verbing, bounty.

[BrianS]

Putting aside the fact that he makes millions of dollars for a second, I feel bad for McNabb. He's really in a no-win situation in this town.

There were/are times this season when Feeley probably would have given the team a better chance to win. (For example, while I don't think it's quite fair to say the Eagles lost in GB because of bad QB play, I thought McNabb looked very rusty and inaccurate in that game.) Not because Feeley's a better QB than McNabb (he's not!), but because he's healthier, and because of the approach Andy Reid takes to the offense when he's in the game. This game is one of those times, when that approach raises the Eagles chances from miniscule to small.

But, after the team rallied 'round Garcia (or, more accurately, Westbrook) at the end of last season and the Eagles drafted his successor, McNabb is under more pressure to be dominant than ever before. It almost seems like this is a make-or-break year for him, and I just don't think he was physically there yet.

But, if he plays, he likely looks awful and his abilities are questioned. If he doesn't play, fans, and maybe the media too, are going to be questioning his heart. This is a guy who threw four TDs w/a broken ankle. Played a playoff game with broken ribs. Played with a bruised sternum and sports hernia. Rushed back from an ACL tear. What does he have to do? Meanwhile, his coach, who seems to be (or have been) very close to Donovan, gives him no help at all through a balanced offense.

If McNabb needs to play on Sunday to maintain his position as a leader on this team, forgetaboutit, he's already lost it.

(Sorry guys, that just sort of turned into a rant)