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How Vick's Success Could End McNabb's Career In Philly
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By Andrew Perna
When the Eagles shockingly signed Michael Vick, early rumors swirled that Donovan McNabb was miffed by the decision.
All of a sudden, after weathering a quarterback controversy at the midpoint of last season and helping lead Philadelphia to within a possession of the Super Bowl, McNabb found himself in another quandary.
News of the signing broke during Philadelphia’s preseason opener against New England and McNabb touched on it in the postgame press conference.
“There's no threat for me,” McNabb said. “There's no threat for [Kevin] Kolb. It's an opportunity to add another weapon to our offense, and our team.”
The comment was brief and not especially revealing. It may have even led to some of the suspicion that McNabb was upset, but Vick and his mentor, Tony Dungy, claimed otherwise during Friday morning’s press conference.
“He wanted to take time with me, and help me get to a point where I’m ready to play, if possible,” Vick said of McNabb in his introductory press conference.
I’ll admit that even after the press conference, I wasn’t convinced that #5 was okay with the decision to sign Vick.
McNabb has given nearly everything he had over the last ten years, including a number of NFC Championship appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl. He has taken a heap of criticism from those around the league, and in Philadelphia, yet keeps on chugging along.
Yes, he’s injury prone, having played in 16 games just four times in ten seasons, but he’s also one of the best quarterbacks in the league, without question. Sure, he can be erratic at times, but he’s grown as both a player and a person over the last decade.
He no longer relies on his feet, accepting the fact that his body will no longer allow him to do so, and scrambles only when the situation best fits. McNabb, a multi-time Pro Bowler, was benched at halftime of a game last season. Benched. Can you imagine any of the league’s other mainstays dealing with that like McNabb did?
In case you forgot, he didn’t throw Reid under the bus for his decision, or even point out the struggles Kolb had in the second half of that November loss to the Ravens. Instead, he went 27-for-39 with 260 yards and four touchdowns against the Cardinals just four days later.
Still, the city of Philadelphia didn’t truly appreciate what they had in McNabb.
This past offseason, the Eagles gave their franchise quarterback a raise, but they didn’t extend his contract. He has two years left on his deal, and his future in Philadelphia was definitely in doubt, even with the frequently rumored Bears trading for Jay Cutler.
McNabb will be 33 this November and it is difficult to predict how many high caliber seasons he has left. In all likelihood, McNabb will still have value as an elite quarterback in two 2011 when he is expected to hit the free agent market. Many believe that the Eagles will use the next two years to groom Vick into McNabb’s eventual successor, which of course hinges on Vick’s ability to develop the talents we all once lauded over and also put his past troubles truly behind him.
In the days following the “shocking” signing of Vick, McNabb opened up about his team’s latest move. His comments further prove how selfless a man, and teammate, he really is.
“In mid-July before training camp started, I asked Coach [Andy] Reid if we would be interested in having Michael [Vick] join the Eagles and explained why I thought it would be good for both Michael and the team,” McNabb wrote on Yardbarker.com over the weekend. “There was another time during camp where the subject was brought up again by me. It was not until Kevin Kolb was injured last Monday that I was given any indication that something might happen with Michael.”
McNabb continued, adding that he hopes Vick will succeed not only on the field but also as a human being in Philadelphia.
“I wanted Michael to come to Philadelphia and, in any way he can, help bring a Super Bowl championship to the City. There is no doubt he is a uniquely talented player that can add to our offensive weapons. For him personally, I want to see him continue to grow as a person, spend time with his family and re-establish himself as a leader on and off the field.”
In two year’s time, we may reflect on the events of the last week and realize that McNabb approved a decision that ultimately ended his time with the only team he’s ever played for professionally.
Almost no other NFL quarterback would do that, especially with the contract structure that the league currently employs. Sure, a guy might nod and say all the right things in front of the media about a potential teammate, but McNabb extended not only an olive branch, but also a wing under which to learn and grow.
My RealGM colleague, Chris Reina, pointed out in a piece I wrote about the signing that there appear to be similarities in this case to when the 49ers brought in Steve Young to play under Joe Montana almost two decades ago.
That’s not a bad parallel, because Lombardi trophies were involved, but the move ultimately spelled the end for Montana in San Francisco.
Montana was 31 years old when the 49ers acquired Young from the Buccaneers, two years younger than McNabb. The season prior to the acquisition, Montana suffered a severe back injury, which led Bill Walsh to add a sizeable insurance policy. He lasted four more seasons in San Francisco as the starter before an elbow injury forced him to the sidelines, which allowed Young to prove he had become the vastly superior quarterback at that point in time. Young’s presence allowed the 49ers to continue their dominance, but it also forced the franchise to painfully deal Montana to the Chiefs in 1993.
Vick is not Young, at least not yet, but McNabb could certainly follow the path of Montana. There is a key difference; mainly that Montana wasn’t nearly the mentor for Young that McNabb is willing to be for Vick.
The timeline for McNabb could be much, much shorter if Vick proves to the Eagles that he still has his incredible athleticism and can also learn and grow in Reid’s West Coast offense, as he once began to do in Atlanta.
Such a progression might be good for the Eagles as a team, perhaps with a Super Bowl appearance or two in the future, but it may mean a short tenure with another club is in McNabb’s future, not unlike Montana and Brett Favre.
If that’s the case and Philadelphia has a parade down Broad Street in mid-February with McNabb either at home with his kids or playing elsewhere, the Eagles better send him a championship ring.
“I'll be a receiver. I might be a tight end. I might be a running back,” McNabb told reporters with a smile on Monday. “You never know where I'll be.”
We don’t know where he’ll be, but it’s a good bet that Philadelphia might not realize what they’ve got until he’s gone.
Andrew Perna is Deputy Editor of RealGM.com and co-host of RealGM's Radio Show. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com
