David Maialetti | Philly.com

Donovan McNabb, unceremoniously benched last night, has
become a lightning rod for the Eagles’ woes this season. The Birds were a team that was expected to
contend for the Super Bpwl — SI predicted they would represent the NFC in Tampa,
and ESPN
had them rated as high as third in their power rankings — but, for many reasons, they will not. Many have tabbed McNabb as one of the biggest problems. 5
has seven turnovers in his last seven quarters, has been unable to get on track
early and has seemed unwilling to pick up yards on the ground. Last week, when he admitted he didn’t know
that an NFL game could end in a tie, he essentially handed his haters the last
nail to his coffin as QB1 for the Eagles.

Still, while McNabb may be the superficial reason the team
has struggled, the Birds’ problems go far deeper than the skin. After the jump, 10 reasons why Donovan shouldn’t be blamed for the
Eagles’ wasted season.

1. He’s still pretty good. Even after the last two throwaway weeks, McNabb
has more passing yards that Brett Favre and back-to-back 400-yard-man Matt
Cassel. He has over 400 more yards than
both Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers, and more yards per attempt than Peyton
Manning. Football Outsiders has him
rated as the seventh most effective QB in the league. Is he the quarterback he once was? Absolutely
not — but let’s remember he once was an perennial pro bowler and league MVP
candidate.

2. Brian Westbrook.
Say what you want about McNabb, but
for years, the offense ran through Westbrook, his all-pro tailback.  Westbrook has been the one true
offensive weapon McNabb has had
since T.O. left, and has been the
only guy on the field capable of changing a game every time he touched the ball. He has let McNabb be McNabb. The Birds used him all
over the field, and he was the QB’s safety
value on almost every play. This year
injuries have caught up with the running back from Villanova and he’s been just a
shell of his former self. There are two
things that McNabb does as well as
anybody in the league — sell the play fake and run the screen. With Westbrook
out, neither can be effective.

3. Correll Buckhalter
and Lorenzo Booker.  Behind Westbrook are two tailbacks who are either criminally misused or awful. Buckhalter
has produced every time in which he’s gotten the chance this year, but still remained stymied
on the bench. Yesterday, when it looked
he might actually get some carries, he injured himself two runs in. Despite Buck’s injury history and Westbrook’s current status, Lorenzo Booker, whom the Eagles’ traded
for this offseason, was inactive. Again.

4. The wideouts.
Who was active yesterday? Six Birds wide receivers. The Eagles are not only carrying six wideouts, but are playing them all. McNabb
has been excellent at spreading the ball around, but the fact that he has to be on top
of six guys’ habits, routes and hands has to be draining. Beyond that, it isn’t like the sextet is populated by superstars — two of them, including former first round pick Reggie Brown, were unable to catch even
a single pass yesterday, and even DeSean
Jackson, who may end up being a gamebreaker, misread several
routes. Donovan hasn’t been accurate this year, but his primary options
haven’t given him much help, either.

5. Intangibles. More often than not, Donovan gets picked on because he doesn’t seem like a quarterback. You
don’t dislike McNabb because of his production — you dislike him because of his
demeanor.  McNabb’s awkward supportive
claps, mistimed smiles and too-self-aware self-points make him seem like a
poor leader — and he might be — but he’s also a productive QB. Some blame can go to 5 for not being a dynamic personality, but if his teammates aren’t performing, far more fingers need to pointed at the coaching staff. 

6. Shawn Andrews. The Eagles’ all-pro right guard went crazy,
returned and promptly injured his back. People ignore injuries on the offensive line
because they’re easy to forget about — watching the game, you’re watching the
ball, and by rule these guys can’t touch it. But still, I’m not breaking news when
I say that the Eagles’ well-documented woes on third and short wouldn’t be nearly
as pronounced if the team has the best RG in the league to pick up a foot
behind.

7. The tight ends. L.J. Smith, mercifully benched yesterday, has been awful. He can’t catch, he makes mental mistakes, and
worst of all, he’s an awful blocker. All
of the Birds’ tight ends are actually awful, which explains why the team can’t
complete on third and shorts and why they’re never left in for protection. Why they can’t catch passes is another
matter entirely.

8. No fullback? Look,
I like Dan Klecko as much as the next guy, but he’s a defensive tackle and
shouldn’t be relied upon to catch passes. The fact that Andy Reid thought it’d be a good idea to come into camp with a defensive
tackle and a tailback as his fullbacks is ignorance at its best.

9. The draft. In 2007, the Birds traded their first-round
pick, opting to move down in the draft and select a backup quarterback who was
sure not to help them this year. In 2008, the Birds traded their first-round pick again,
seemingly confident that they had no holes that needed to be addressed
immediately. Before the season, the Eagles were a team with
playoff aspirations, playing in a loaded division — they needed all the help
they could get and, again, they didn’t take it.

10. Coach Andy Reid.
The media spent a full week mocking Donovan
McNabb for not knowing a rule. Yesterday, Andy Reid tried to challenge two
plays that, by rule, were unchallengeable. He’s also the GM.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 24th, 2008 at 11:44 am and is filed under 5, Birds, fire Reid?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.