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I've re-opened the comments section for this one. Keep the race card in the deck. - Chris
It's been a while since we heard from Donovan McNabb, who the Minnesota Vikings acquired in a trade prior to the 2011 NFL season and was released by the team in December after not being very good.
Uh-oh, did I say he wasn't very good in Minnesota? D'oh. . .it appears that I may have just proven the point McNabb attempted to make on ESPN's First Take on Friday. The topic was about Tim Tebow's trade to the New York Jets and the criticism that Tebow has taken from numerous sources.
Skip Bayless, another member of the First Take crew and a huge Tebow supporter, said that Tebow was "the most unfairly over-criticized quarterback in the history of the league." Now, that's ridiculous enough as it is. . .quite frankly, Tim Tebow probably isn't even the most over-criticized quarterback on his own roster right now. But apparently the instinct tripped in McNabb's mind to attempt to top Bayless' ridiculous statement with one of his own. He managed to do it in just three small words.
"Negative. I am."
Yes, Donovan McNabb. . .in front of cameras during a television show that was broadcast to a real, live audience. . .actually made the declaration that he was the most over-criticized quarterback in the history of the National Football League.
Yeah, Donovan, like I already mentioned. . .Mark Sanchez would like to have a word with you. Jay Cutler would like to have a word with you. Hell, Eli Manning might even want to dispute this, and that guy has won two Super Bowls.
Sure, Donovan McNabb has taken some criticism from people, particularly over the past couple of years. But most of it, particularly the flak he took here in Minnesota was deserved. While he talks about work ethic and getting prepared during the off-season in a video, according to Viking Update, that apparently didn't apply to him.
While Vikings coach Leslie Frazier defended McNabb’s work ethic, one player told Viking Update that the playbook actually expanded when rookie Christian Ponder moved into a starting role and replaced McNabb.
"Not to say anything on McNabb, but from when [Ponder took] over, the expansion our playbook that they were able to add just because of his knowledge and him being able to take so much in at once and being able to turn it onto the field – he’s one of the smartest guys," the player said.
Yes, during the 2011 NFL season the Minnesota Vikings made the switch at quarterback from a 13-year NFL veteran to a fresh-faced rookie. . .and that meant the playbook actually got more diverse. Generally, you would think the reverse would be the case, but not in Minnesota last season.
Donovan McNabb needs to realize that there's a reason he wasn't picked up by anybody after his release from Minnesota, and that it's nobody's fault but his.