Mcnabb Is Pissed (1 Viewer)

[Leeroy Jenkins]

McNabb reportedly has several gripes with Eagles

McNabb reportedly has several gripes with EaglesESPN.com news services

Will Jeff Garcia be back in Philadelphia next season? More importantly, does Donovan McNabb want to be back?

Citing people close to the injured star quarterback, The Trenton Times reported Tuesday that McNabb is unhappy with several things that have happened with the Eagles since his season ended with a torn ACL in his right knee.

Some of McNabb's reported gripes:

• McNabb reportedly is unhappy that Eagles coach Andy Reid didn't allow him to travel with the team to New Orleans for the team's playoff game against the Saints. The Eagles have a rule that players on injured reserve don't travel with the team.

• McNabb also reportedly might be getting the feeling that some with the Eagles might prefer Garcia as the team's starting quarterback after Garcia led Philadelphia to the playoffs and a postseason victory after McNabb's injury.

• And McNabb also reportedly isn't happy with how his mother has been portrayed in the media and by Eagles fans for comments on her blog on his Web site. She wrote that watching the Eagles win without McNabb was "bittersweet."

Garcia is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March. One former teammate told the newspaper that he doesn't envision Garcia returning to the Eagles as a backup.

"I know Jeff and I know how he is," the unnamed former teammate told The Times. "After the way he played -- what was he, 6-1? -- and then he won a playoff game. He's not going to be happy being a backup again. He's way too much of a competitor for that. He should be going to the Pro Bowl the way he played. He knows that. Now, you want him to be a backup, and get paid like a backup. That's not going to happen."

Last week, Reid canceled a news conference scheduled for McNabb because he wanted him to concentrate on his rehab.

McNabb hasn't spoken at length to reporters since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Nov. 19.

"He's been working like crazy right now and I don't want anything distracting him," Reid said on WIP-AM last week. "I want him focused in on taking care of his knee, and that's what he's doing. He came out [Thursday] and ran in the pool for the first time and he didn't have a limp when he ran in there. Those are all positive things."

During the season, the Eagles said McNabb had decided not to speak to the media after undergoing surgery because he did not want to be a distraction to the team. Although the 30-year-old quarterback did a couple of brief television interviews, his situation was not discussed in any sort of depth.

"I saw nothing that would be beneficial for him to stand up there," Reid told WIP-AM last week. "I'm the head coach and I get to make those decisions."

Reid said last week that, provided McNabb is healthy, there will be no quarterback controversy at the start of next season.

"It's Donovan," Reid told WIP-AM. "I think Jeff [Garcia] has told you that and I've told you that before. I don't think there's any question. It's a matter of Donovan just takes care of business now."

The Eagles' rollercoaster of a season ended with a gut-wrenching 27-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints in an NFC second-round playoff game, leaving Reid, his staff and players to ponder so many near-misses and what-ifs.

Philadelphia's season began with so much promise after a 4-1 start. McNabb was back to playing at an MVP level after Terrell Owens and a sports hernia disrupted his 2005 season, and the rest of the team hopped on his broad shoulders.

Then came a three-game losing streak, including a last-second loss on a 62-yard field goal by Tampa Bay's Matt Bryant. It seemed to get only worse when McNabb tore a knee ligament in Week 11. Hardly anyone expected much from the Eagles after a 24-point defeat at Indianapolis a week later left them at 5-6.

But Garcia rallied his teammates to five straight wins, the NFC East title for the fifth time in six years, and an 11-7 finish.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Not letting the franchise QB travel to NO for the game? Talk about an Andy Reid power trip. Maybe TO was right.

 

[redman]

Not letting the franchise QB travel to NO for the game? Talk about an Andy Reid power trip. Maybe TO was right.

Rules are fine, but when they defy common sense it starts getting counterproductive. I can understand the rule during the regular season, but for the playoffs get your guys there. This is much ado about nothing overall. McNabb is rehabbing and the real question will be whether he's fully healthy come the start of the season.

 

[diesel7982]

Not letting the franchise QB travel to NO for the game? Talk about an Andy Reid power trip. Maybe TO was right.

You think Reid should have changed a team rule just for McNabb?

 

[Raider Nation]

This is garbage. Wake me when you see a QUOTE by McNabb expressing his displeasure.

And as far as this:

"I know Jeff and I know how he is," the unnamed former teammate told The Times. "After the way he played -- what was he, 6-1? -- and then he won a playoff game. He's not going to be happy being a backup again. He's way too much of a competitor for that. He should be going to the Pro Bowl the way he played. He knows that. Now, you want him to be a backup, and get paid like a backup. That's not going to happen."

Garcia repeatedly stated this season that "Donovan is the man and I'm here to back him up."

 

[Wooderson]

I'm fine with McNabb not traveling with the team. A rule is a rule. He should not get special treatment.

 

[Donny Loved Bowling]

Perhaps McNabb is the one on the power trip, thinking that a teamwide policy barring IR players from team travel shouldn't apply to him...

And why the hell does Mama McNabb have a blog on Donovan's website? Shilling soup with your mom is one thing, but this level of parental involvement historically is not well received in the sports world.

 

[Wooderson]

Also agree nothing to see here. Reid has always had McNabb's back and he will start as soon as healthy. If Garcia decides to stay in Philly he will be no distraction he knows his place on the Eagles team.

 

[simsarge]

Citing people close to the injured star quarterback

the unnamed former teammate told The Times.

McNabb reportedly is unhappy that Eagles coach Andy Reid didn't allow him to travel with the team to New Orleans for the team's playoff game against the Saints. The Eagles have a rule that players on injured reserve don't travel with the team.

Some quality souces here. This sounds like a serious from the local rag.He couldn't afford a plane ticket to New Orleans?

 

[trader jake]

Basically, McNabb has been pampered for so long he doesn't like when the rules also apply to him. He's certainly not the first superstar that this has happened to. Right now he'd be wise to bust his ### in rehab and get back on the field...everything else is trivial right now.

 

[dickey moe]

This is garbage. Wake me when you see a QUOTE by McNabb expressing his displeasure.

And as far as this:

"I know Jeff and I know how he is," the unnamed former teammate told The Times. "After the way he played -- what was he, 6-1? -- and then he won a playoff game. He's not going to be happy being a backup again. He's way too much of a competitor for that. He should be going to the Pro Bowl the way he played. He knows that. Now, you want him to be a backup, and get paid like a backup. That's not going to happen."

Garcia repeatedly stated this season that "Donovan is the man and I'm here to back him up."

What do you expect Garcia to say? Anything else and he would have been labeled a cancer.Garcia is a hell of a competitive guy. I don't see him returning to the Eagles next year unless he's miraculously named the starter next season. Since I don't see that happening, and good QBs are in such high demand in this league, my bet is that he'll wind up on a differrent team next season.

 

[Donny Loved Bowling]

Is Mama McNabb lining up to be the next Brenda Warner? She certainly looked old enough to be Kurt's mom...

 

[perry147]

McNabb will start when he is healthy next year and Garcia might be traded - hopefully to Tampa Bay.

End of discussion- nothing to see here.

 

[zadok]

The Trenton Times reported Tuesday

That means Mark Eckel and his derranged "opinions".See earlier this year when he predicted that Reid would be fired, McNabb would be traded and Matt Schaub would be brought in to be the new franchise QB. Bottom line, the only reason McNabb would be pissed is if he's behind in his rehab.

 

[Warhogs]

My personal opinion is that is a dumb team rule. My suspicion is McNabb may have expressed a similar opinion about the rule in general but I don't know that I would believe he thinks it should have been changed just for him. Most likely he did not like this team rule and somebody twisted it into how he wanted preferential treatment.

 

[zadok]

Garcia might be traded

Sign and trade?

 

[Banger]

Wow, some major issues here. Looks like McNabb's days as an eagle are numbered...

 

[PMENFAN]

McNabb will start when he is healthy next year and Garcia might be traded - hopefully to Tampa Bay.End of discussion- nothing to see here.

jTraded? Isn't he a UFA? I just see him as a perfect fit in Tampa, winning the starting job over Simms, who did not look sharp before the spleen popping. It's a similar offense, based on quick reads, where Garcia (a la Gannon) excels. Great fit, and improves the Tampa team immediately, just as he did Philly. I just can't envision him back in Philly, regardless of money.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

if Mcnabb is a leader on and off the field and leads both vocally and by example, why wouldnt you want him on the sidelines? Why wouldnt you want him as an extra set of QB eyes?

 

[Ron_Mexico]

if Mcnabb is a leader on and off the field and leads both vocally and by example, why wouldnt you want him on the sidelines? Why wouldnt you want him as an extra set of QB eyes?

I totally agree, especially in a playoff game.

 

[Hamstring]

They think Feely is as good as Garcia, Garcia is gone and he will fail on some other club. The best thing Garcia could do is sign with the Eagles for whatever money he can.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

if Mcnabb is a leader on and off the field and leads both vocally and by example, why wouldnt you want him on the sidelines? Why wouldnt you want him as an extra set of QB eyes?

I totally agree, especially in a playoff game.

It just seems like a slap in the face to me. It's like they are saying "we dont need Mcnabb." Now, that is fine and good and teams must be good and deep enough to survive through injuries, and Garcia and the Eagles certainly exceeded all expectations and showed that they indeed didnt "need" Mcnabb, but this really reeks of disrespect to me and is eerily similar to when TO was hurt and Mcnabb and Co. said that they "dont need TO."I think Mcnabb would have been helpful on the sidelines. Making your franchise QB feel unwanted and unneeded is just poor business. Reid is a totalitarian.

 

[massraider]

if Mcnabb is a leader on and off the field and leads both vocally and by example, why wouldnt you want him on the sidelines? Why wouldnt you want him as an extra set of QB eyes?

If he was a leader, he wouldn't let such a stupid thing upset him.I like McNabb, but if the team has a rule and expects him to follow it, he should. If they treat superstars different, and they allow him to go to the game, that's fine too.But this rule was in place, and because the Eagles expect him to follow it, you're wondering if TO was right?Give me a break.

 

[Banger]

if Mcnabb is a leader on and off the field and leads both vocally and by example, why wouldnt you want him on the sidelines? Why wouldnt you want him as an extra set of QB eyes?

I totally agree, especially in a playoff game.

It just seems like a slap in the face to me. It's like they are saying "we dont need Mcnabb." Now, that is fine and good and teams must be good and deep enough to survive through injuries, and Garcia and the Eagles certainly exceeded all expectations and showed that they indeed didnt "need" Mcnabb, but this really reeks of disrespect to me and is eerily similar to when TO was hurt and Mcnabb and Co. said that they "dont need TO."I think Mcnabb would have been helpful on the sidelines. Making your franchise QB feel unwanted and unneeded is just poor business. Reid is a totalitarian.

but what if there are 6 guys on i/r for the year? do you let them all go or just McNabb?

 

[ozark]

Idea: Why not call the ACLU ?

 

[perry147]

if Mcnabb is a leader on and off the field and leads both vocally and by example, why wouldnt you want him on the sidelines? Why wouldnt you want him as an extra set of QB eyes?

I totally agree, especially in a playoff game.

It just seems like a slap in the face to me. It's like they are saying "we dont need Mcnabb." Now, that is fine and good and teams must be good and deep enough to survive through injuries, and Garcia and the Eagles certainly exceeded all expectations and showed that they indeed didnt "need" Mcnabb, but this really reeks of disrespect to me and is eerily similar to when TO was hurt and Mcnabb and Co. said that they "dont need TO."I think Mcnabb would have been helpful on the sidelines. Making your franchise QB feel unwanted and unneeded is just poor business. Reid is a totalitarian.

but what if there are 6 guys on i/r for the year? do you let them all go or just McNabb?

 

[cstu]

if Mcnabb is a leader on and off the field and leads both vocally and by example, why wouldnt you want him on the sidelines? Why wouldnt you want him as an extra set of QB eyes?

If he was a leader, he wouldn't let such a stupid thing upset him.I like McNabb, but if the team has a rule and expects him to follow it, he should. If they treat superstars different, and they allow him to go to the game, that's fine too.But this rule was in place, and because the Eagles expect him to follow it, you're wondering if TO was right?Give me a break.

Again, find a quote of McNabb complaining. Frankly, I don't see the problem and I imagine that every one of us in McNabb's position would want to travel with the team - especially for a playoff game.

 

[Ghost Rider]

McNabb is being a baby.

It sounds like he was expecting to get special treatment, to be able to travel with the team. Okay, maybe it is a dumb rule, but it is a rule, nonetheless. And besides, couldn't McNabb travel on his own and still be with the team in New Orleans? I am sure he can afford it.

 

[massraider]

if Mcnabb is a leader on and off the field and leads both vocally and by example, why wouldnt you want him on the sidelines? Why wouldnt you want him as an extra set of QB eyes?

If he was a leader, he wouldn't let such a stupid thing upset him.I like McNabb, but if the team has a rule and expects him to follow it, he should. If they treat superstars different, and they allow him to go to the game, that's fine too.But this rule was in place, and because the Eagles expect him to follow it, you're wondering if TO was right?Give me a break.

Again, find a quote of McNabb complaining. Frankly, I don't see the problem and I imagine that every one of us in McNabb's position would want to travel with the team - especially for a playoff game.

Hey, if the story is true, then my comments don't matter.

 

[Snotbubbles]

What's worse if what if McNabb was on the sidelines and a play out of bounds re-injured his knee?

 

[Traders2001]

McNabb will start when he is healthy next year and Garcia might be traded - hopefully to Tampa Bay.End of discussion- nothing to see here.

That s not what comes out of Philly .Rumors are some leaders would want Garcia as the QB next season and they could trade McNabb not Garcia.So you had a quick nothing to see here, i think there will be a lot to see here about McNabb in the next few months.

 

[David Yudkin]

McNabb will start when he is healthy next year and Garcia might be traded - hopefully to Tampa Bay.End of discussion- nothing to see here.

That s not what comes out of Philly .Rumors are some leaders would want Garcia as the QB next season and they could trade McNabb not Garcia.So you had a quick nothing to see here, i think there will be a lot to see here about McNabb in the next few months.

They can't trade Garcia, as he is not under contract for next year (unless they re-sign him first).As for others suggesting that McNabb is a baby, there is nothing in the article itself that directly quotes McNabb. Who's to say that this is anything more than the reporter trying to still the pot?

 

[Hamstring]

McNabb took them to a SB. Garcia took them to nothing.

 

[redman]

I can't believe there's actually serious discussion here about Garcia replacing McNabb as the full time starter in Philly.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I'm fine with McNabb not traveling with the team. A rule is a rule. He should not get special treatment.

Then it's a pretty stupid rule. It's one thing to put a rule like this in place to encourage players to play hurt. It's another thing to use it to alienate your star QB.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

It sounds like he was expecting to get special treatment, to be able to travel with the team.

Oh by the way, yes, McNabb should get special treatment. It's kind of hard to say on one hand that you want McNabb to be a team leader and then turn around and cut him out of team activities.

 

[Banger]

I'm fine with McNabb not traveling with the team. A rule is a rule. He should not get special treatment.

Then it's a pretty stupid rule. It's one thing to put a rule like this in place to encourage players to play hurt. It's another thing to use it to alienate your star QB.

As I posted above, what if 6-8 guys are on i/r, do they bring them all or just McNabb? They need to fly the guys down there, put them in rooms etc. Do they do it just for playoff games or regular season? It's easier just to say if you don't play you don't travel. I can understand having the rule even though it may seem stupid.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I'm fine with McNabb not traveling with the team. A rule is a rule. He should not get special treatment.

Then it's a pretty stupid rule. It's one thing to put a rule like this in place to encourage players to play hurt. It's another thing to use it to alienate your star QB.

As I posted above, what if 6-8 guys are on i/r, do they bring them all or just McNabb? They need to fly the guys down there, put them in rooms etc. Do they do it just for playoff games or regular season? It's easier just to say if you don't play you don't travel. I can understand having the rule even though it may seem stupid.

1. I'm sure the Eagles organization can scrape together enough money for a couple of extra hotel rooms. Maybe they can get some kind of a rate at Super 8 if they're really hard up for cash. 2. I think Jimmy Johnson had the right idea about treating different players differently. Your star QB, who is presumably supposed to be your team leader, travels with the team. Period. If Joe Scrub, the team's 3rd-string fullback, wants to be treated the same as Donovan McNabb, maybe he should elevate his game so that he's as valuable to the team as McNabb is.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I'm fine with McNabb not traveling with the team. A rule is a rule. He should not get special treatment.

Then it's a pretty stupid rule. It's one thing to put a rule like this in place to encourage players to play hurt. It's another thing to use it to alienate your star QB.

As I posted above, what if 6-8 guys are on i/r, do they bring them all or just McNabb? They need to fly the guys down there, put them in rooms etc. Do they do it just for playoff games or regular season? It's easier just to say if you don't play you don't travel. I can understand having the rule even though it may seem stupid.

1. I'm sure the Eagles organization can scrape together enough money for a couple of extra hotel rooms. Maybe they can get some kind of a rate at Super 8 if they're really hard up for cash. 2. I think Jimmy Johnson had the right idea about treating different players differently. Your star QB, who is presumably supposed to be your team leader, travels with the team. Period. If Joe Scrub, the team's 3rd-string fullback, wants to be treated the same as Donovan McNabb, maybe he should elevate his game so that he's as valuable to the team as McNabb is.

 

[TheLastDispatch]

I can't believe there's actually serious discussion here about Garcia replacing McNabb as the full time starter in Philly.

Garcia played over his head this year and he'll be turning 37 or 38 next season. He'll return to garbage next year and he won't be starting anywhere. McNabb, if healthy, is liekly to have one of his best seasons next year under his first compotent offensive coordinator.IMO, McNabb should receive special treatment. He's the franchise QB who's been leading this team for years now. He should be there at big games.

 

[Sweeper]

What would we be saying if it was an injured TO that wanted to travel with the team?

Everyone would be calling for his head.

 

[zadok]

Has anyone noticed that there is no quote from McNabb, not even indirectly? Eckel MAKES STUFF UP.

 

[x260bm]

It is a bad rule. I doubt it is going to cost them any more to take some extra guys on a charter flight. When you have a 100 million plus payroll, I also doubt a few extra hotel rooms really matter to the bottom line. In my opinion, keeping the team together is worth the extra cost. You see players in street clothes on the sidelines all the time. If they were a disruption, you would think someone else would have noticed before Reid.

 

[paydrt]

if Mcnabb is a leader on and off the field and leads both vocally and by example, why wouldnt you want him on the sidelines? Why wouldnt you want him as an extra set of QB eyes?

I totally agree, especially in a playoff game.

I think Mcnabb would have been helpful on the sidelines.

Like that game where McNabb was running around the sidelines with the photos of the defense the Eagles were playing, Garcia had to chase after him to get them back. McNabb was getting in the bloody way.

 

[Jason Wood]

I haven't seen or read one quote from McNabb or another player giving these stories any weight whatsoever. Marck Eckel, a long-time Eagles columnist for the Trenton Times is one of the main drivers of this story and he is paid to state OPINION and when it comes to backing that up with weighty quotes or evidence from the locker room, he falls short quite often.

McNabb should be at home rehabbing, and not traveling with the team. What's he going to do on the sidelines? A team rule is a team rule. The reason good organizations succeed is because they stick to their policies.

When Tom Brady was on crutches during minicamps this year, Belichick didn't changes the rules for him and allow Brady to address the media inquiries, did he? And Brady never once complained about not being able to discuss his injuries.

You also need to think of what's best for the team. What could McNabb say in a press conference that would help the organization? Obviously he can't tell the world his rehab is going well, it's too early in the process. If he were to praise Garcia, that would be what's expected...but what if he puffed out his chest and said something like, "THIS IS MY TEAM"...when the Birds are in the middle of negotiating with Garcia? That could be a deal breaker.

Plenty of ways McNabb could hurt his or the team's image right now, not many ways I can see him helping them.

 

[Christo]

Not letting the franchise QB travel to NO for the game? Talk about an Andy Reid power trip. Maybe TO was right.

You think Reid should have changed a team rule just for McNabb?

All players are equal. But some are just more equal than the rest.

 

[Slider]

McNabb and his mom are whining babies. They still cry about how the pick was booed when he was drafted. Big deal, you think the $112 million might have soothed things? I sure hope they trade him.

 

[ninerfan]

They think Feely is as good as Garcia, Garcia is gone and he will fail on some other club. The best thing Garcia could do is sign with the Eagles for whatever money he can.

Garcia is a former Pro-Bowl QB. What, exactly has A.J. Feely done to distinguish himself in the NFL?

 

[Monkian]

What would we be saying if it was an injured TO that wanted to travel with the team? Everyone would be calling for his head.

Two years ago when TO scored his 100th career TD he was upset that the Eagles did not acknowledge this milestone. They claimed it was team policy not to and everyone said TO needs to shut up and live with that policy. Was TO not a superstar deserving of preferential treatment? Or maybe TO hating is just the popular thing to do.

 

[Jason Wood]

What would we be saying if it was an injured TO that wanted to travel with the team? Everyone would be calling for his head.

Two years ago when TO scored his 100th career TD he was upset that the Eagles did not acknowledge this milestone. They claimed it was team policy not to and everyone said TO needs to shut up and live with that policy. Was TO not a superstar deserving of preferential treatment? Or maybe TO hating is just the popular thing to do.

By the time TO got his 100th TD, the relationship was pretty much irreparable. There's no doubt in my mind they would have made a bigger deal about it had TO just already burned 99.9% of his bridges.

 

[scratcher]

Not that this will stop the McNabb haters but thought I would post this for some of the reasonable people out there.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ts/16529029.htm

Agent says reports about McNabb's discontent are untrue

By Bob Brookover

The Philadelphia Inquirer

PHILADELPHIA - Reports of Donovan McNabb's discontent with the Eagles aren't just greatly exaggerated, they are entirely fabricated, according to coach Andy Reid and the quarterback's agent, Fletcher Smith.

"I think people are making a lot of things up here that aren't true," Reid said Tuesday in a conference call from Mobile, Ala.

"None of it is true," said Smith, also in Mobile attending Senior Bowl workouts.

Since Reid canceled a McNabb news conference that had been scheduled for Friday, Internet and newspaper reports have said the quarterback is unhappy with the Eagles. One said McNabb was in "a squabble" with the team about his rehabilitation from the knee surgery that cut short his 2006 season.

A rumor reported on a football Web site said that McNabb was, at some point, behind in his rehab and that he blamed trainer Rick Burkholder. The Web site said, "There's a school of thought" that Reid canceled McNabb's press conference, in part, because of "concerns that McNabb would blab about the brouhaha."

The report also said veterans such as Jeremiah Trotter and Jon Runyan had expressed support for Jeff Garcia to remain the Eagles' quarterback next season.

A newspaper story Tuesday said McNabb was unhappy because Reid did not allow him to travel to New Orleans for the Eagles' NFC divisional playoff game against the Saints. The story also said McNabb "may be getting a vibe that some in the organization prefer Garcia over him" and didn't like the way the Philadelphia media portrayed his mother, Wilma, after she filed a blog that expressed concern about how fans would feel about her son if the Eagles won the Super Bowl with Garcia.

Reid already was on the record as saying McNabb is the Eagles' quarterback next season as long as he has fully recovered from his knee surgery. Garcia, of course, could leave via free agency.

The head coach said he had no regrets about canceling McNabb's news conference.

"That's how it works," he said in reference to the recent stories. "No, I don't feel any different. I just hate to see people have to make things up that really aren't true."

Reid said there was no need to remind McNabb that he had the support of the head coach and the organization.

"He knows what's the truth and what isn't the truth," Reid said.

"It was my choice and not Donovan's choice" to cancel the news conference, he added. "I'm disappointed people are making things up."

Smith trashed the recent stories.

"None of these stories quoted him," Smith said. "They're all quoting sources close to Donovan. They claim to know what he thinks and what he's feeling. Who are these people? I don't know. I think there should be some level of responsibility in getting his side of the story before printing some of this stuff. It's sensationalism, and I guess it sells newspapers."

Smith said he believed that McNabb would share his thoughts with reporters before or during the Super Bowl. McNabb is expected to attend the Super Bowl as part of a Campbell's Soup promotion. Smith said he hadn't spoken to McNabb since flying to Mobile, but he insisted that nothing that had been written was a true reflection of his client's feelings.

"I'm absolutely comfortable saying that," Smith said.