Donovan McNabb is about to enter his 8th season in the NFL. The last two, more or less, he has had the luxury of throwing to the best receiver in the game - Terrell Owens. That won't be the case this year.
In 2004, when Owens first arrived in Philadelphia, he made an immediate impact on both the team and McNabb's numbers. For the first time in his career McNabb threw more than 25 TD passes, completed more than 60% of his passes and threw for well over 3400 yards.
In '05, while McNabb missed the last 7 games of the season and Owens was suspended for the final 9, they still played together for 7 games. McNabb's season statistics proved to be respectable (he did have an 85.0 QB rating afterall and threw 16 TDs in just 9 games), but he also had a few stinkers in there and didn't seem like the same QB of just a season ago. With that said, it's worth mentioning that McNabb was playing with a sports hernia for much of the year before finally being sidelined the rest of the season with the injury following the Week 10 game against Dallas.
Before Owens ever joined the Eagles, McNabb was still a force in the league and in fantasy football. While 2003 was one of his worst seasons - just 3216 yards, 16 TDs and 11 Ints in a full 16 games (he also ran for 3 TDs and 355 yards) - 2002 was a different story. Before missing the remainder of the regular season following a broken ankle in Week 11, McNabb was on pace to throw for 3662 yards and 27 TDs. He also ran for 460 yards and 6 TDs in the 10 games he was healthy enough to play. His receivers that season? James Thrash, Todd Pinkston, Antonio Freeman and Freddie Mitchell with Chad Lewis at TE.
In 2000 (McNabb's first as a starter) and 2001, McNabb averaged roughly 3300 yards and 23 TD passes a season. Outside of his rushing totals (621/6 in '00 and 482/2 in '01), along with a slight boost in TD passes thrown (21 in '00 and 25 in '01), his final statistics in those two seasons were a near identical split.
Entering the 2006 campaign, McNabb will again find himself with a less than stellar cast of receivers. Terrell Owens is gone and attemtping to fill his shoes will be promising 2nd year wideout Reggie Brown. Todd Pinkston will return after missing all of last year with an ACL injury and Jabar Gaffney has been added to the mix via free angency. The other receiver spots will be determined in camp and throughout the pre-season. Brian Westbrook, good for 65-80 receptions a year, will also be on the field along with tight end L.J. Smith.
The bigger question here might be how often will McNabb run the ball. In his first 5 seasons McNabb averaged 448 yards rushing and 3.5 rushing TDs a year. Since Owens arrived those averages have dropped to just 137 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs per year.
Will a healthy McNabb step-up and deliver in the same fashion he did before Owens arrived, or will his reluctance to run continue and his recent brush with injuries carry over into the '06 season causing fantasy owners to regret drafting him?
In 2004, when Owens first arrived in Philadelphia, he made an immediate impact on both the team and McNabb's numbers. For the first time in his career McNabb threw more than 25 TD passes, completed more than 60% of his passes and threw for well over 3400 yards.
In '05, while McNabb missed the last 7 games of the season and Owens was suspended for the final 9, they still played together for 7 games. McNabb's season statistics proved to be respectable (he did have an 85.0 QB rating afterall and threw 16 TDs in just 9 games), but he also had a few stinkers in there and didn't seem like the same QB of just a season ago. With that said, it's worth mentioning that McNabb was playing with a sports hernia for much of the year before finally being sidelined the rest of the season with the injury following the Week 10 game against Dallas.
Before Owens ever joined the Eagles, McNabb was still a force in the league and in fantasy football. While 2003 was one of his worst seasons - just 3216 yards, 16 TDs and 11 Ints in a full 16 games (he also ran for 3 TDs and 355 yards) - 2002 was a different story. Before missing the remainder of the regular season following a broken ankle in Week 11, McNabb was on pace to throw for 3662 yards and 27 TDs. He also ran for 460 yards and 6 TDs in the 10 games he was healthy enough to play. His receivers that season? James Thrash, Todd Pinkston, Antonio Freeman and Freddie Mitchell with Chad Lewis at TE.
In 2000 (McNabb's first as a starter) and 2001, McNabb averaged roughly 3300 yards and 23 TD passes a season. Outside of his rushing totals (621/6 in '00 and 482/2 in '01), along with a slight boost in TD passes thrown (21 in '00 and 25 in '01), his final statistics in those two seasons were a near identical split.
Entering the 2006 campaign, McNabb will again find himself with a less than stellar cast of receivers. Terrell Owens is gone and attemtping to fill his shoes will be promising 2nd year wideout Reggie Brown. Todd Pinkston will return after missing all of last year with an ACL injury and Jabar Gaffney has been added to the mix via free angency. The other receiver spots will be determined in camp and throughout the pre-season. Brian Westbrook, good for 65-80 receptions a year, will also be on the field along with tight end L.J. Smith.
The bigger question here might be how often will McNabb run the ball. In his first 5 seasons McNabb averaged 448 yards rushing and 3.5 rushing TDs a year. Since Owens arrived those averages have dropped to just 137 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs per year.
Will a healthy McNabb step-up and deliver in the same fashion he did before Owens arrived, or will his reluctance to run continue and his recent brush with injuries carry over into the '06 season causing fantasy owners to regret drafting him?
