Tag: Donovan McNabb

Donovan McNabb on how the ‘drama’ with Terrell Owens broke up the Eagles

Donovan McNabb says drama with former Terrell Owens broke up the Eagles and fractured their relationship

The Eagles have had two Super Bowl windows over the past twenty years and if not for the destruction of a few key relationships, Andy Reid might already have his first Lombardi Trophy.

Back in 2004, the Philadelphia Eagles acquired Terrell Owens to pair with franchise quarterback Donovan McNabb. The initial results were dynamic, as McNabb and Owens led the Eagles to a 13-3 record and appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX.

The Eagles went on to lose to New England 24-21, with Owens carrying the Birds offense on one leg. Fast forward six months later and the relationship between quarterback and wide receiver started to deteriorate.

If you ask Owens, the relationship deteriorated after McNabb allegedly became jealous of the wide receiver, and changed his interactions towards him.

“A lot of people speculate as to what happened but I think over the years now, people see that I wasn’t really the problem in Philly,” Owens told Adam Schein on Mad Dog Radio. “People said that Donovan and I had some friction. Maybe he had some friction with me, but I didn’t have any with him.

“From my understanding, he had a problem with the way the city embraced me and not the way they embraced him. I am going by what I’ve heard in the streets.”

Now McNabb is telling his side of the story.

While a guest on the latest installment of “Untold Stories” with Bleacher Report’s Master Tesfatsion, the six-time Pro Bowler believes the drama between him and Owens “broke up” the Eagles.

“The offseason goes through and then all of a sudden there’s turmoil there and (Owens and the Eagles) are in a conversation going back and forth, and we had to answer those questions instead of focusing on what we need to do in order to get back to where we were,” McNabb said. “I thought that was a major distraction for us … That was something that kind of broke us up.”

Owens, like many players in today’s NFL, had outplayed his contract and wanted a new deal. It appeared that Owens felt some type of way about McNabb not endorsing a new deal for the Hall of Fame wide receiver that took McNabb to new heights in that initial season together.

The 2005 season turned out to be a disaster and Owens was subsequently released prior to the 2006 season and eventually signed with the hated Dallas Cowboys.

Andy Reid can shed “choker” label with Super Bowl win

Long known for losing big games, Kansas City coach Andy Reid has a chance to shed that label with a Super Bowl win.

Andy Reid won one of the biggest games of his coaching career Sunday. But it wasn’t enough to fully validate him as a great coach.

Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs brought an end to a 50-year streak between Super Bowl appearances (we’re talking 800 games between regular season and postseason) with a 35-24 win against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game. For Reid, 61, it ranks as no worse than the second biggest win in a head coaching career that began in 1999.

The only other win that compares was when Reid was in Philadelphia and beat the Falcons in the NFC Championship Game to advance to Super Bowl XXXIX, a game the Eagles lost to New England. But Reid has lost five conference championship games.

Although he has a .618 winning percentage in the regular season in time with Philadelphia and Kansas City. That’s very solid. But Reid is now 14-14 in the postseason. That’s not that good.

The league and fans are aware of Reid’s postseason woes and that’s why he’s viewed as a coach who chokes in the big games. That can’t be denied. It’s fact. Reid never has won the biggest of all games.

Maybe he made some mistakes along the way. Maybe he just ran into better teams. Or maybe it was a combination of both.

I say this was the biggest win of Reid’s career.

“It’s not done,’’ Reid said after the game.

Reid’s exactly right. It’s not done. He needs to win the upcoming Super Bowl to fully get the respect he should. If he loses, the “choker’’ label will stay and grow. If he wins, he’ll go down as one of the greatest coaches of his generation.

Tony Dungy used to carry the same reputation for not winning the big game, until he won it. His winning percentage wasn’t all that much better than Reid’s. But Dungy finally won a Super Bowl and that got him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Reid can do the same thing – and more. Let’s be real honest. Reid has a chance to win more than one Super Bowl. He has a chance to create a dynasty. He has a team that can win multiple Super Bowls.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

With apologies to the good Philadelphia teams Reid coached, the current Chiefs are the best team he’s ever coached. With apologies to Donovan McNabb, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback Reid has ever coached. Mahomes is in only his third year. The Chiefs are going to be a good team for a long time.

Reid already has a reputation as a good coach. Now, with a Super Bowl win (maybe wins), he’s got a chance to be considered as one of the best coaches in history.

 

Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Playing through pain in the NFL: The most courageous performances

After Philadelphia quarterback Josh McCown played with a torn hamstring last week, Touchdown Wire looks at others who’ve played through pain

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Josh McCown was visibly limping throughout the second half of his team’s wild-card playoff loss to Seattle. Now, we know why.

According to multiple reports, McCown was playing with a torn hamstring. The injury reportedly happened in the second quarter. McCown is 40 and was coaxed out of retirement by the Eagles at the start of the season to serve as the backup to Carson Wentz.

McCown entered the game in the first quarter after Wentz suffered a concussion. Philadelphia did not have an active third quarterback, so McCown stayed in the game. He played fairly well, completing 18 of 24 passes for 174 yards, but was sacked six times.

McCown isn’t the first player to keep playing through a painful injury and he won’t be the last. Here’s a look at nine other players who continued playing through serious injuries:

Steve McNair

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

In a Sept. 26, 2004 game against the Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans quarterback suffered a bruised sternum. McNair spent two nights in the hospital, but returned to play in five more games before finally agreeing to have surgery.

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Does Texans QB Deshaun Watson play a little like former Eagles QB Donovan McNabb?

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid sees some similarities between Donovan McNabb’s play and that of Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid doesn’t like to make comparisons, but sometimes the similarities are too glaring to ignore.

For Reid, he sees some comparisons between Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and Donovan McNabb, who Reid coached with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2009.

What stands out to Reid about McNabb and Watson is their strength.

“Donovan was phenomenal and did it for so long, but both are strong and make things happen,” said Reid. “They’re strong mentally and physically. You can add that all up together. They all do it their own way and that’s the neat thing to watch.”

Watson displayed his strength in the 22-19 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC wild-card on Jan. 4. The two-time Pro Bowler shook off two Bills defenders who had him dead to rights and made teammate Justin Reid’s heart sink.

However, Watson took the hit, kept upright, and hit running back Taiwan Jones for a 34-yard gain to setup Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 28-yard field goal.

The Chiefs weren’t able to neutralize Watson enough when Houston beat Kansas City 31-24 in Week 6 at Arrowhead Stadium. Watson completed 30-of-42 for 280 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions.

5 more stats that prove Eagles’ QB Carson Wentz is elite

Carson Wentz’s stats prove that Eagles QB is an elite signal-caller

Carson Wentz has been one of the best at his position since entering the league in 2016 and despite the heavy criticism he’s faced over the past two years, his finish to the 2019 season made it all worth it.

There’s been a constant debate since last season in regard to whether Wentz is a top-10 talent, but numbers talk and the Eagles star is on a career arc that could have him in Canton when things are all said and done.

We previously provided five statistics that prove Wentz’s greatness and show that he’s just hitting his stride as a quarterback.

The topic of conversation is sensitive for Eagles and Wentz pundits, but here are five more incredible stats that prove Wentz is elite and just getting started.

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1. Magical TD-INT ratio

In the Eagles season finale against the Giants, Wentz became just the third quarterback in NFL history with three straight seasons of 20 plus touchdowns and 7 or fewer interceptions, joining Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers in that distinct club.

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Carson Wentz now first QB in Eagles history to throw TD pass in every regular-season game

Carson Wentz now first QB Eagles history to throw a TD pass in every regular-season game

Carson Wentz is continuing to rewrite the record books and hours after leading the Eagles to the playoffs and securing the franchises first 4,000 passing seasons, he’s been recognized for something else.

After crunching the numbers, Wentz is now the first quarterback in Eagles team history to throw at least one touchdown pass in all 16 regular-season games.

Wentz completed 63% of his passes for 4,039 yards, 27 touchdowns with 7 total interceptions.

Even more impressive, Wentz was the only quarterback to accomplish the feat this season.

Donovan McNabb congratulates Carson Wentz for breaking Eagles single season passing record

Donovan McNabb congratulates Carson Wentz on breaking Eagles single-season passing record

Carson Wentz is now the proven face of the Eagles franchise after leading the team to four straight wins and a spot in the 2019 NFL playoffs.

Along the way Wentz was steady, showed great leadership and broke a few of the franchises passing records along the way. On Sunday, Wentz broke Donovan McNabb’s record for passing yards in a season, while also becoming the first Eagles quarterback to pass for over 4,000 yards.

Shortly after Wentz and the Eagles punched their ticket to the playoffs, McNabb congratulated Carson on a job well done.

McNabb had 3,916 yards during the 2008 season and had previously had five of the top-10 passing seasons in Eagles history before Wentz’s arrival.

Carson Wentz breaks Eagles’ single season passing record

Carson Wentz becomes Eagles first 4,000-yard passer in team history

Carson Wentz has completed his first full season since he was a rookie and along the way, he shattered two Eagles passing records. Earlier in the Eagles Week 17 win over the Giants, Wentz became the Eagles single-season leader for completions.

Wentz entered the game with 3,750 yards on the season, leaving him 162 behind McNabb for the single-season record and 250 shy of becoming the Eagles first 4,000-yard passer in a season.

Wentz is just the 27th quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards, win 8 games, throw 25 touchdowns and less than 10 interceptions in a season in the history of the NFL.

Carson Wentz closing in on Eagles first 4,000 yard passing season

Carson Wentz 250-yards away from Eagles first 4K yard passing season

The Philadelphia Eagles don’t have the greatest lineage at the quarterback position, but one of the NFL’s gold standard franchises, the Birds have had their share of special signal-callers.

Donovan McNabb holds the majority of the Eagles single-season and career passing records at quarterback, but Carson Wentz is on his way to shattering every single record outside of rushing yards for a quarterback.

After two injury-plagued seasons, Wentz has taken that next step as an elite signal-caller and on Sunday, he’ll have the chance to lead the Eagles into the postseason, while becoming the franchises first 4,000-yard passer in a season.

Wentz sits just 250 passing yards behind Donovan McNabb’s 3,916 yards, set in 2008 season.

Making the accomplishment even more phenomenal, Wentz will likely accomplish the feat without having any wideout amass over 600 yards receiving.

Wentz almost completed the task during his rookie season in 2016, when he passed for 3,782 yards and 16 touchdowns.