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Donovan McNabb

City Life

What Donovan McNabb Says and What Donovan McNabb Means

Donovan McNabb is running late. It’s 11:30 a.m., and the ex-Eagles quarterback was scheduled for a photo shoot and interview at the Marriott Marquis Hotel […]

City Life

Iverson and McNabb: A Tale of Two Retirements

The tale of two retirements speaks volumes about Philadelphia and our relationship with our sports stars. Allen Iverson is finally calling it quits after running […]

City Life

The Whole World Is Watching to See if Philly Boos Donovan McNabb

This is about as brilliant a defense of Donovan McNabb’s tenure as Eagles QB as exists—a thorough, funny, and wide-ranging case that the major criticisms […]

Birds 24/7

McNabb-Philly Relationship Remains Complicated

The video montage that played prior to Donovan McNabb‘s retirement ceremony stirred old memories, and refreshed  you on how good No. 5 was when he was in his prime. The stats that flashed on the screen reminded you that he is the franchise leader in every major passing category, and may very well be the greatest quarterback in Eagles history. The glowing words from Brian Dawkins and Brian Westbrook and Jeffrey Lurie showed the kind of respect he has earned from some of the franchise’s keepers. And the tears that welled up in the quarterback’s eyes suggested that his time here meant more to him than he’d like to let on.

Viewed from this angle, it makes perfect sense that the team would decide to honor McNabb by retiring his jersey. They will do so on September 19 when the Eagles host Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs.

But as we know, McNabb’s time in Philadelphia can not be looked at from one angle alone. Like a prism, you can examine his career from a slightly different vantage point and a burst of new colors will be introduced.

Birds 24/7

Lurie: If McNabb Went 1st, James Would’ve Been the Pick

At the time, the 1999 draft was considered to be a great opportunity for teams to find their franchise quarterbacks.

Five of the top 12 picks were signal-callers: Tim Couch (No. 1), McNabb (No. 2), Akili Smith (No. 3), Daunte Culpepper (No. 11) and Cade McNown (No. 12).

But the way Jeffrey Lurie tells it, the only one the Eagles thought was worthy of the second pick was McNabb.

“I remember it like it was yesterday, the details, amazing,” Lurie said. “It was dubbed as sort of the year of the franchise quarterback. New Coach Andy [Reid] was here. We were interviewing all together and very intensely every one of these quarterbacks and the top pl

Birds 24/7

McNabb To Officially Retire As An Eagle

Donovan McNabb will formally announce his retirement as an Eagle on Monday, July 29th, the team announced. He and Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie will hold a press conference at the NovaCare Complex at 10 am.

McNabb is the team’s all-time leader in every major passing category, including attempts (4,746), completions (2,801), yards (32,873), and touchdowns (216). He led the team to 91 regular season and nine playoff wins over  11 years in Philadelphia.

The Eagles traded him to the Redskins after the 2009 season. In a recent interview with Philly Mag, he gave the impression that there are some lingering hard feelings.

Birds 24/7

McNabb: Return To Eagles’ Facility ‘Was A Sour Day For Me’

Philadelphia Magazine’s own Richard Rys recently sat down with Donovan McNabb for a wide-ranging Q&A that covers everything from the day he was drafted to the day he was traded — and the hard feeling that followed. Plenty of good nuggets in there. Here’s a sample:

Did your time with Washington and Minnesota give you a different perspective on the Eagles?

I never forgot what happened in Philadelphia. Those were great years. I would have loved to have had another couple years after that and just say “Thank you, I’m done.” But it didn’t happen that way. I sold my house when I got traded. Never even touched foot in Philadelphia until I played there as a Washington Redskin. I hadn’t even been back to the facility until Brian Dawkins retired. It was a sour day for me. I was pissed off to go, but [Brian’s] like my brother. I went for my brother. I felt the same as Brian—you turned your back on me. You basically pointed the finger at me. Things haven’t been right in Philadelphia since [I left].

Birds 24/7

Eagles Wake-Up Call: Playoffs In 2013?

When Jeffrey Lurie introduced Chip Kelly back in January, he described the new coach as a program builder.

The implication was clear. After a two-year run in which the franchise went 12-20, it was time to get back to long-term thinking and make wholesale changes at the NovaCare Complex. Coming up with a quick fix was no longer an option.

But the NFL is different than other leagues like the NBA. It’s relatively common for teams to rebound quickly after disastrous seasons.

Bill Barnwell of Grantland points out that better than one in four teams that finish 6-10 or worse come back to make the postseason the following year.

The question that’s relevant to the audience here is: Can the Eagles be one of those teams?

Birds 24/7

Eagles Wake-Up Call: The ‘Compelling’ 2004 Squad

Today, we take a trip down memory lane and remember a team that will either bring a smile to your face or elicit tears from your eyes: the 2004 Eagles.

ESPN.com is doing a series on the five most compelling NFL teams since 2000, and the 2004 Birds, led by Brian Dawkins, Donovan McNabb, Terrell Owens, Brian Westbrook and company came in at No.3, behind only the 2010 Brett Favre-led Vikings and the 16-0 New England Patriots (2007).

Birds 24/7

What They’re Saying About the Eagles

Buzz for Bryce Brown, ranking Jason Peters and Donovan McNabb on RGIII. Here’s the weekly roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles.

Birds 24/7

Eagles Wake-Up Call: What We’re Watching At OTAs

Another practice session open to the media today. Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on down at the NovaCare Complex.

Birds 24/7

What’s Left From the McNabb And Kolb Trades?

As recently as last offseason, it looked like the assets acquired in the Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb trades would play a major role in re-shaping the Eagles’ defense.

But looking ahead to 2013, that probably won’t end up being the case.

Birds 24/7

Eagles Wake-Up Call: McNabb Tells Vick To ‘Play Pissed Off’

Donovan McNabb knows what it’s like to hear the whispers. Has felt the sting of getting benched. And experienced the joy of proving his coaches wrong when he was inserted back in the lineup.

With Andy Reid loose in his commitment to Michael Vick lately, McNabb — a guest on Daily News Live Thursday — was asked about his benching against Baltimore in 2008 and high-end play upon his return.

“Well I played pissed off. I played pissed off because I felt like I was the Juan Castillo of the football team,” said McNabb.

Birds 24/7

Tuck: We Don’t Forget What McNabb, Jackson Did

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean JacksonThe fun part about the Eagles-Giants rivalry is that the players seem to genuinely dislike each other.

With players often switching teams and sharing agents, you don’t see a lot of that in sports anymore.

Yesterday, we wrote about the LeSean McCoyOsi Umenyiora ongoing back-and-forth. And now, defensive lineman Justin Tuck has offered his opinion on some past Eagles-Giants moments that still irk him.

Birds 24/7

McNabb Heading To NFL Network, Per Source

Donovan McNabb may be ready to give up any hope of returning to the NFL.

Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal first reported that McNabb is close to agreeing to a network job. A source close to McNabb tells Tim McManus that it looks like he will be doing a couple of shows for the NFL Network.

The former Eagles quarterback has been honing his television skills for years, appearing as a guest analyst on ESPN and other networks.