Pederson and Reid can see McNabb in Hall someday
PHILADELPHIA >> Donovan McNabb still doesn’t command much respect around here for turning an awful Eagles franchise into a perennial contender.
It’s obvious from the criticism he gets each year when he’s pitched for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which inducted another class Saturday, including no quarterbacks.
When Andy Reid drafted McNabb in 1999, the Eagles were a 3-13 mess. Bobby Hoying, Rodney Peete and Koy Detmer each scraped together wins. Remember the hue and cry for drafting running back Ricky Williams?
Near the end of his rookie season, McNabb gave the Eagles a chance to win every time he hit the field for much of his career. He guided the Eagles to a 101-56-1 (.642) record in 11 seasons with seven postseason appearances, including a trip to Super Bowl XXXIX.
McNabb threw for 37,276 yards, 234 touchdowns and just 117 interceptions and rushed for 29 scores. Add it up and that’s why Reid, a lock to be in the Hall of Fame himself, recently said McNabb deserves a gold jacket.
“I know he belongs there,” Reid said. “When you talk about the great players in the NFL, the five championship games, a Super Bowl, all those things.”
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson started at quarterback and mentored McNabb much of the 1999 season. Pederson later returned to the Eagles as McNabb’s quarterbacks coach. He’d give McNabb his vote.
“I think you look at the body of work, I mean, I think there is definitely, you can make a case, you can make an argument for him going in,” Pederson said after practice Saturday. “Obviously in our game, quarterbacks, especially the top-tier quarterbacks, are always thought of as, are they Super Bowl winners? I don’t think that has to be the final straw in any decision. How they lead their team for so many years, the numbers they put up, the amount of NFC championship games that he’s led this team to, you could definitely make an argument for it.
“Maybe one day he’ll get an opportunity.”
McNabb isn’t the only Hall hopeful quarterback on the outside looking in.
Ken Anderson has a pretty compelling gold jacket case according to Rick Gosselin, who has a Hall of Fame ballot. Anderson won four passing titles, including two in the 1970s and two in the
1980s. He was the first player to complete 70 percent of his passes in a season and led the Bengals into the Super Bowl. And he can’t get in.
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NOTES >> The Eagles’ injury list Saturday included Kamu Grugier-Hill (lower body), who exited practice in pain. Also there are wide receiver Mack Hollins (hip), who’s day to day, cornerback Jalen Mills (foot), still on the active/PUP list and cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc (foot sprain), out for multiple weeks. Also, tight end Richard Rodgers (foot) is day to day, linebacker Paul Worrilow (knee) week to week. Rookie running back Miles Sanders (foot) participated fully in practice. … A rookie fight broke out in the pass rush drills between undrafted offensive tackle Casey Tucker (Arizona State) and Shareef Miller (Penn State). Tucker stymied Miller, who got his hand into the grill of Miller. The duo wound up on the ground after punches were thrown.