Donovan Mcnabb News

"DONOVAN McNABB could have responded the way former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre did when he blasted management for not pursuing Pro Bowl receiver Randy Moss to help him in his swan-song campaign. McNabb isn't Favre and Philadelphia isn't Green Bay. After nearly a decade as the lightning rod of Philly's most popular team, McNabb is smart enough to know how publicly lamenting the Eagles' "oh, well" approach to upgrading the offense would play out. Few would understand his point, even fewer would want to hear it, and virtually none would sympathize with him."

"The gesture was vague, but it might have revealed more about Donovan McNabb's opinion of the Eagles' offseason than anything the quarterback actually said. The question: Did the Eagles try hard enough to better the offense? Or, more specifically, did they do their best to pair their franchise quarterback with some playmakers? "I think they did a great job," McNabb said. His sincerity, though, wasn't completely believable. And he smirked. Was the look because of the loaded question? Or was it his ambiguous answer? Only McNabb knows."

"What does Donovan think? It is not the only question that matters, but it is among them. It has to be. Donovan McNabb is your quarterback, and you cannot win a Super Bowl this year without him being good, and if you aren't trying to win a Super Bowl this year, then he shouldn't be your quarterback anymore. So you have to care about his reaction, at least a little."

"In an off-season that started with Donovan McNabb's call for more playmakers, the Eagles quarterback still has not seen an influx of offensive weapons. The team's big acquisitions have been on the defense, headlined by cornerback Asante Samuel and defensive end Chris Clemons. Eagles fans keep waiting for answers on offense. McNabb is preaching patience."

"Actions almost always speak louder than words for Donovan McNabb. For those who wondered if the Eagles’ all-too often fragile quarterback might approach the biggest season of what soon will be a 10-year NFL career with even a hint of trepidation, just the opposite is happening. McNabb is so serious about getting himself and his body up to Fitness Magazine-cover standards he’s added another trainer to an already impressive stable that annually whips him into shape."

"As political theater, this will be a fascinating performance to watch in the coming months. Because McNabb made it clear that he believed the Eagles needed playmakers in all three phases of the game - wink, wink. So far, the Eagles have not addressed his phase, other than to bring back tight end L.J. Smith and declare him healthy."

"Since Reid arrived in 1999 and made McNabb the cornerstone of the roster, everything else has been about that. The other eras have come and gone, but the franchise quarterback era remains in place."

"Quarterback Steve McNair is rehabilitating his shoulder every day, either at the Ravens training facility in Owings Mills or in his home state of Tennessee. He has heard talk about his possible retirement and speculation that the Ravens might trade for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb."

"In the NFC, Chicago and Minnesota seem like candidates to show interest. After their Super Bowl loss to Indianapolis last season, the Bears slipped in 2007. They could believe McNabb represents the difference between an early offseason and late postseason... In the AFC, along with the Ravens, would it be a shock if Kansas City made a run at McNabb?"

"During the inquiry, perhaps we'll find out once and for all whether quarterback Donovan McNabb actually lost his lunch on the field in Jacksonville during crunch time against the Pats, and why it took the Eagles so long to get those fourth quarter plays sent in."

"General manager Ozzie Newsome disputed an ESPN report that the Ravens are pondering making a substantial offer for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb."

"That pesky rumor has surfaced again that the Ravens are trying to trade for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, though I'm guessing somebody just put two and two together after the hiring of former Eagles assistant coach John Harbaugh."

"Judging from what general manager Ozzie Newsome told the Baltimore Sun yesterday, speculation about the Ravens attempting to acquire quarterback Donovan McNabb from the Eagles might be a bit premature."

"It was only a matter of time before Donovan McNabb's name surfaced in some sort of trade rumor this off-season, and it has happened here at Super Bowl XLII. A report on ESPN yesterday said that the Baltimore Ravens, with new head coach John Harbaugh, are pondering making a substantial offer for the Eagles' veteran quarterback."

"It's all well and good for ESPN's Chris Mortensen to report that the Baltimore Ravens 'are seriously considering' trading for Donovan McNabb, but for that to actually happen the Eagles would have to want to trade him... There has been speculation that McNabb's hometown Chicago Bears might also be interested, but again, no evidence of Eagles interest in making such a deal."

"So Donovan asks not to be sent elsewhere, but for help to come from elsewhere. He chooses his headlines wisely, positioning his stand as if it were a party platform. He wants to stay, wants to win a championship here and finish his career here - no matter how unfair he thinks we have been toward him."

"Donovan McNabb has taken his pitch for more weapons to the blogosphere and intensified it. In his blog on yardbarker.com, the Eagles quarterback wrote Monday that he hoped his team would 'secure some playmakers in all three phases of the game' during the off-season, continuing a campaign he started near the end of the season."

"So, after yesterday's 17-9 win over the Buffalo Bills, it really does seem as if the franchise has positioned itself in such a way that McNabb is likely to be the starting quarterback in 2008. They would be negligent not to consider a trade if somebody made a significant offer but, short of that, it sounds as if he is coming back."

"As for the whispers that McNabb could be shopped around in the offseason, his teammates were vocal in their desire to see the veteran back next season."

"The Eagles finished the season Sunday the way they wanted to start it. Quarterback Donovan McNabb was in control, running back Brian Westbrook on a roll and the defense vintage tough in a 17-9 victory over the Buffalo Bills at Lincoln Financial Field."

"Debate if you’d like whether or not the McNabb Era should end. But his presence on the field Sunday should tell you this about Andy Reid’s outlook: 1) Next season will be to reload, not rebuild. 2) McNabb is the best option for reloading."

"Even if McNabb, who may or may not have made some remarks two weeks ago to Fox-TV reporter Pam Oliver about his future in Philadelphia, does return, the speculation about his job won't end until he or his presumed replacement, Kevin Kolb, leaves town."

"Just like that, McNabb had to look over his shoulder for really the first time since being drafted by the Eagles with the No. 2 overall pick in 1999. It's a situation that will linger as long as they are both on the roster."

"As McNabb himself predicted yesterday, in his final Wednesday news conference of the year, it's going to be an entertaining offseason. So far, indications are that the Eagles intend to try to win with McNabb next year, instead of handing the keys to 2007 top pick Kevin Kolb."

"The latest twist in the Eagles season that won’t go away is that quarterback Donovan McNabb could decide whether rookie successor Kevin Kolb gets into the finale Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field."

"Remember the off-season after the Eagles' trip to the Super Bowl? A disgruntled Terrell Owens called McNabb "the company man" and pointed out he, Owens, wasn't "the one who got tired in the Super Bowl." Remember two off-seasons ago? McNabb fired back at T.O. and accused him of committing a "black-on-black crime.""

"Whatever Andy Reid is really thinking, Donovan McNabb made it easier for him yesterday. If the master plan is to ease Kevin Kolb into the starting lineup in 2008, then McNabb moved and threw like the kind of franchise quarterback who will command a steep price in trade."

"If/when the Eagles decide to bring Donovan McNabb back next year as their quarterback, the video of this game is the one that will be playing on a continuous loop in their minds. McNabb shredded the New Orleans Saints, an amenable opponent, yesterday in the Louisiana"

"But the biggest decision is at quarterback. It always is. It's been difficult to read the Eagles' intentions - even as everyone has publicly said McNabb is staying, there have been a dozen indications that the Eagles are setting up to move on from the McNabb era. You wonder what Sunday means, what this little flourish at the end of a rough season means. "

"Let's say the Eagles had no intention of keeping Donovan McNabb as their starting quarterback next season. Let's say they drew up a script of how they would hope the next couple of months might play out. How would it be any different than what is currently happening?"

"McNabb acknowledged he thought his Sunday pregame conversation with Fox reporter Pam Oliver was either off the record or not for attribution - the conversation that resulted in Oliver reporting that McNabb felt the Eagles organization was distancing itself from him."

"Refusing to tell reporters exactly what he said to Oliver, McNabb stood by his postgame denial that he ever told her "my knee is not an issue and the next place I go I will win"' -- leading many to believe he plans on playing elsewhere in 2008."

"This is a tricky one, but ultimately, I believe Pam Oliver. I believe Oliver when she said Sunday on Fox that Donovan McNabb gave her the impression that he believes that "his days in Philadelphia are numbered" and that "he sees an organization distancing itself from him.""

"In turn, he also left the impression that he would like his chances with basically the same team next season, which means McNabb at quarterback. First, the McNabb issue. Reid was as forceful and about as animated as the taciturn coach has been at a news conference when asked about the report by Oliver, who said she had spoken to McNabb before the game."

"Andy Reid flashed a smile, but the expression was in no way meant to reflect any feeling of joy or happiness on the part of the Eagles' coach. Instead, Reid was conveying his annoyance at once again being asked about the status of Donovan McNabb, and whether the team's starting quarterback had a secure future within the organization."

"It is the continued subject of Donovan McNabb and his future — immediate or long-term — with the Eagles, and as if on schedule, Reid was asked to address it at his regular day-after press conference in the NovaCare Complex. It was the latest — and the head coach hopes, final — reverberation from an in-game report from Fox reporter Pam Oliver during the Birds’ 10-6 victory Sunday in Dallas."

"Sideline reporter Pam Oliver of Fox strongly defended her in-game report about Donovan McNabb yesterday, which said, among other things, that the Eagles quarterback 'seems to believe that his days in Philadelphia are numbered' and that 'he sees an organization distancing itself from him.'"

"Fox Sports sideline reporter Pam Oliver told The News Journal on Monday she views the Eagles quarterback differently after McNabb flatly denied the accuracy of her report during the network's broadcast of the NFC showdown."

"During the game, Oliver said she spoke with McNabb Saturday and came away convinced that he believed he was being phased out of Philadelphia and would be a 'winner' wherever he played next. 'I didn't say that,' an exasperated McNabb said after a game right out of his 2002 highlight reel. "

"McNabb outplayed Romo yesterday, and the fading Eagles jumped up off their deathbed to bloody and confound the NFC's newly anointed elite, the Birds winning, 10-6, in front of a profoundly miffed Texas Stadium crowd."

"When McNabb leaves -- whenever that is -- the bet here is that he'll play great again somewhere, that he'll win. Kevin Kolb might be a great one, but by any measure the science of drafting a quarterback is a very dicey business. The Eagles will miss him when he's gone."

"Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb denied telling FOX sideline reporter Pam Oliver 'point-blank' that 'my knee is not an issue' and 'the next place I go I will win.'"

"Whatever impression Fox's Pam Oliver gleaned from her interview with him, Donovan McNabb came to his post-game press conference here prepared to pledge his loyalty to the Eagles. No, McNabb said, he doesn't believe his days in Philadelphia are numbered. No, he doesn't believe the franchise is distancing itself from him. No, no, no."

"Plenty of motivation still exists for the Minnesota Vikings as they try to become only the fourth team since 1970 to start 2-5 and make the playoffs. So if the Bears want to artificially enhance their stake Monday night at the Metrodome, here's a sweet possibility to ponder: Winner gets Donovan McNabb."

"It has been a tale of two seasons for Dallas receiver Terrell Owens and Philadelphia quarterback Donovan McNabb."

"Terrell Owens and Donovan McNabb reached their career moments of glory together as playmaking sidekicks in Super Bowl XXXIX. They now stand three years later on opposite ends of the NFC East with careers rocketing in opposite directions."

"You open your ears and listen. "It's not all Donovan," coach Andy Reid said at his Monday news conference after the Eagles' 16-13 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. "Everybody has a little piece of the pie on this thing. I've said that before.""

"The Eagles won't be making a quarterback change. Not this weekend against the NFC's best team, the Dallas Cowboys. Not next weekend, when the team could officially be eliminated from playoff contention. And not in the season finale against Buffalo. Donovan McNabb is the starter, and no one else is going to get a chance. Not this season. Not if Andy Reid is to be believed."

"Donovan McNabb will quarterback the Eagles the rest of the season, Andy Reid said yesterday. Asked about his plans down the stretch, the Eagles' coach said: "Donovan's the quarterback right now." Asked if that meant the remainder of the season, Reid said: "Yes.""

"Echoing the certitude of team president Joe banner from a few days earlier, Eagles head coach Andy Reid indicated he'd be sticking with Donovan McNabb as the starting quarterback."