From the time he was booed at the NFL Draft, and his subsequent reaction, Eagles fans always questioned whether or not McNabb was made for this town. Was he tough enough to sustain the criticism that goes with being the starting quarterback in a town starving for its first Super Bowl championship, and first NFL title since 1960? Or, as Andy Reid calls it, was he “wired for Philadelphia?”
Ashley Fox has a great, in-depth look at Andy Reid today that focuses more on the off-field issues involving his sons that he’s had to deal with the last three years. Tucked into the piece is a bit of football talk in the form of the quarterback situation, and drafting players that can thrive playing in front of a demanding, passionate, intelligent fan base.
Donovan McNabb sulks after being replaced by Kevin Kolb in Baltimore in 2008. Andy reid says he drafted McNabb because the Syracuse grad was "wired for Philadelphia." In the end, does Reid believe that?
He’s quoted in the piece as saying, “(McNabb) had the ability to laugh things off that needed to be laughed off and not take things too serious from the outside influences. At the same time, he was able to focus on the job at hand. You have to be able to do that here.”
He thinks Kolb has the mentality to survive the disappointing Sundays surely to come this year when he goes throw the ups and downs all first-year starters face.
He said, “They probably get to it a different way, but [Kolb] has that ability to not let the outside things influence his game inside. I think that’s important.“
Having read both quotes, you have to question if McNabb ended up having the mentality Reid envisioned when he tied his credibility to the quarterback’s arm in the 1999 draft. While we’re one of McNabb’s supporters and were against the trade, clearly McNabb had trouble accepting blame and dealing with the perception people had of him during his time in Eagles green.
He was upset when the Eagles drafted Kolb. Reports indicated he and Reid barely talked that offseason. While one can understand being upset at a player drafted to eventually succeed you, a professional should embrace the challenge and step up a bit more.
Also, look at last year when the Eagles got pounded by Dallas. McNabb referred to the young guys and implied it was their fault as much as his. A veteran who is “wired for Philadelphia” doesn’t deflect any attention or blame to young guys just learning the pro game. DeSean Jackson was in just his second year, and Jeremy Maclin was a rookie. Let them be.
So, was McNabb “Philly wired?” Clearly not. And, Reid implies just as much in his quotes above. He says Kolb “goes at it in (a) different way.” Then Reid uses the key word — “but.” he continues to say that outside issues don’t affect Kolb. Is he implying that McNabb couldn’t block out the media and fans perception of him? Was McNabb another Mike Schmidt — highly successful but just never felt comfortable in this city?
