Thursday, February 02, 2006
Love Story: McNabb & T.O.
I watched McNabb's interview with ESPN about the 2005 season and T.O.'s meltdown with the team. I'm not surprised by the tone of Donovan's response: pleasant, upbeat, water-off-my-back kind of attitude. He's such a calm person and his nothing-bothers-me attitude has really given him the tools to survive in Philadelphia. Who else would have shrugged Draft Day booing off? Who else could have lasted as long through so much adversity like the team's 0-2 start in '03?
The racial component is obviously the big, thorny issue here: McNabb likened T.O.'s comments to being a "black-on-black" crime, and obviously is burned up that the NAACP tried to interject itself by criticizing him for not running more. I happen to agree with him: it is a stupid charge to level at him because he was obviously injured last year and has refined his game. Donovan ran a lot during the 2000 season because they didn't have any sort of a running game at all. Over time the team has come to rely more on Donovan's arm rather than his legs, so whatever he can do to preserve his health is a smart decision. Remember: Donovan was injured when he ran in '02 against the Cards and missed six games.
I thought one thing of interest was that McNabb believed that the rift between them started during the 2004 season against the Giants when McNabb barked at T.O. to get back into the huddle after an incomplete pass and then spread onward. The idea that the rift began in '04 supports the idea that the addition of T.O. killed the team's chemistry from the start, and that the team was talented enough on its own to make the Super Bowl in 2004. The team won, in short, despite T.O., not because of him.
The clearest thing from Donovan's interview is the fact that the team needs an overhaul and that there are big problems out there. Key players on the team- Jevon Kearse, Jeremiah Trotter -lobbied for T.O. These guys can't be gotten rid of or replaced. The possibility that the team will remain divided well into 2006 and beyond is a definate possibility. Donovan needs to take control of the team again.
If he doesn't then the ghost of T.O. will haunt this team forever.
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The racial component is obviously the big, thorny issue here: McNabb likened T.O.'s comments to being a "black-on-black" crime, and obviously is burned up that the NAACP tried to interject itself by criticizing him for not running more. I happen to agree with him: it is a stupid charge to level at him because he was obviously injured last year and has refined his game. Donovan ran a lot during the 2000 season because they didn't have any sort of a running game at all. Over time the team has come to rely more on Donovan's arm rather than his legs, so whatever he can do to preserve his health is a smart decision. Remember: Donovan was injured when he ran in '02 against the Cards and missed six games.
I thought one thing of interest was that McNabb believed that the rift between them started during the 2004 season against the Giants when McNabb barked at T.O. to get back into the huddle after an incomplete pass and then spread onward. The idea that the rift began in '04 supports the idea that the addition of T.O. killed the team's chemistry from the start, and that the team was talented enough on its own to make the Super Bowl in 2004. The team won, in short, despite T.O., not because of him.
The clearest thing from Donovan's interview is the fact that the team needs an overhaul and that there are big problems out there. Key players on the team- Jevon Kearse, Jeremiah Trotter -lobbied for T.O. These guys can't be gotten rid of or replaced. The possibility that the team will remain divided well into 2006 and beyond is a definate possibility. Donovan needs to take control of the team again.
If he doesn't then the ghost of T.O. will haunt this team forever.
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