Hating Donavan McNabb: Venom from Nonviolence group rep and Sports announcers Very Disturbing.
(...You say that's the NAACP right, not the NCAA...?...OK, NAACP... right, not the AARP?... huh? What's the guy's name, Maxwell Worthington Stuffinhoufer or something?...Oh, it's Jerry Whyatt Mondesire, look I was just asking, don't get mad... OK you're sure he's the head of the NAACP... not the NRA?)
01.05.06 Ladies and gentlemen, as you may know, the leader of the Philadelphia Branch of the NAACP wrote an essay criticizing Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb in a 12/4 column in a newspaper he owns, the Philadelphia Sunday Sun. The Sun is one of several Black papers in what is one of the most racially divided cities in the nation. The immediate question on my mind is, what is the leader of a local civil rights group doing criticizing an NFL quarterback, much less one who is Black. I prefer my NAACP leaders to be out chasing abusive cops, the occasional cross-burner, and church bombers. It's not that I oppose leaders of these groups keeping us abreast of current events, or their political opinions, Marc H. Morial, the Urban League President, pens a pretty good column, but this Mondesire guy goes too far.
The column in question, titled "Donavan McNabb Mediocre at best," is a tack-headed, disrespectful piece of football ignorance that accuses McNabb of saying or implying things that I hardly noticed. What seems to be fairly obvious is that Mondesire-a successful Black businessman-has some personal animosity with McNabb's business success. He starts his rant off with "Hey McNabb!... Yo-Donny! I'm calling you man... Hey, soup guy (one of 4 soup attacks), over here!" Mondesire then throws a sidearm reference towards a well-known Black quarterback of yesterday; "For a whole lot of years now (McNabb hasn't been in the league 'a whole lot of years'), we've heard you crying aloud about being taken seriously as a Black quarterback who can camp out in the pocket and deliver rifle shots across midfield right into the fingertips of the fleetest of wideouts and tight ends, say, like a Doug Williams, the brilliant Grambling star quarterback of a generation ago who went on to break a Superbowl record for touchdown passes in 1988... Donovan E. McNabb you're no Doug Williams." Has this guy gone off the deep end or what?! I reserve the right of people to have their own opinions, but the NAACP should put this clown on injured-reserve.
What Jerry skips over is that in all probability Williams-being the consummate Black quarterback advocate-is very proud of McNabb and his accomplishments in his relatively short years (7) in the NFL 134 TD passes, for 19,433 yards and only 66 interceptions, and a completion percentage of 58.4 and a career 84.1 QB rating (his 104.7 rating was 2nd last year) is nothing to sneeze at. He is also the fourth fastest QB to hit 50 wins out of 71 starts, not to mention 5 pro bowl appearances and one MVP season. Some of you may see "mediocre," I see Hall of Fame. I can even appreciate an opinion based on the glass being half empty, but since McNabb, the Eagles' glass is as close to full as it's been in a long time. Perhaps Mr. Mondesire wants to return to the days of Ray Rhodes and his two-headed interception-throwing-monster known as the Detmer brothers, or maybe he yearns for the strange antics of Randall Cunningham, who possessed a world of talent, but refused to bond with his players because he was just the "company man" that some people accuse McNabb of being. Though McNabb has run for 2,514 career yards, this year he has rushed for only 55, it is this low number which no-doubt sparked Jerry's charges.
Jerry's commentary goes on to Blame McNabb for the team's bad season, and he seems to suggest that this one losing year is the real indicator of McNabb's career: "In fact this whole dismal season so far has really been a testament of fallen dreams and lost opportunities most of which belongs at your feet (or should I say your hands) and that your coach, Any Reid who has allowed you to perpetuate a fraud on the field while hiding behind excuses dripping in make-believe racial stereotypes... there is a lie you have tried to use to hide the fact that in reality you actually are not that good. In essence Donny, you are mediocre at best. And trying to disguise that fact behind some concocted reasoning that African American quarterbacks who can scramble and who can run the ball are somehow lesser field generals than one who can summon up dead-on passes at a whim, is more insulting off the field than on." Wow! Mondesire deciphered a Black QB's airtight conspiracy just by watching him play some football games, he's either a mind-reader, or a blithering idiot. Isn't that a case of the pot calling the kettle less Black?
Where does the NAACP find these guys? Jerry, the next 2 paragraphs are for you, in case you haven't noticed, the Eagles' troubles of late are perpetuated by one player, and it's not McNabb. That would be Terrell-the Team Destroyer-Owens (T.O.), unfortunately it's not the opposing team that he does the most damage to. You even manage to Blame McNabb for T.O.'s behavior by suggesting McNabb failed as a leader off the field, what could he do? T.O. is the product of a society that pounces disturbing messages to Black youths from all directions, that it's alright to be a moron, you're keeping it real. It takes a skilled sociologist to unravel that mental can of worms, not a pro QB. Terrell, and apparently you, don't seem to understand that McNabb has always been keeping it real through his positive behavior, winning attitude, and always has been. One sports announcer said of McNabb's maturity level, that when he came out of Syracuse, he was "21 going on 40." Jerry, you of all people should know and appreciate the level-headedness of a product of a two-parent working-class family is the only "keeping it real" that counts.
As for your jones to see McNabb scramble to make himself more of a treat (pundits are saying you accuse Donavan of "playing the race card" by refraining from this as of late), I immediately recall two other strong-armed NFL Qbs who loved to run, but eventually suffered career-threatening injuries because of too much scrambling; Cunningham, and Steve Grogan of the Patriots. Is it possible that McNabb's coach ordered him to pass more because in the long run this would preserve his career? Sure, the Eagles don't have the best offensive line right now, and that has contributed to his injuries. The truth is, they have been riding both McNabb's arms and legs into the playoffs almost every year.
But it may not be Limbaugh or Mondesire, or Terrell Owens who seems to have it out the most for McNabb. When it's over and done with, the man who may go down as being Donavan's biggest gadfly could be former Dallas Cowboy wide receiver, and current crack-pipe-toting ESPN sports analyst Michael Irvins. It was Irvins who chose to lend his loud garbled voice to an interview with T.O. by suggesting that if the Eagles had Green Bay QB Brett Farve at the helm they would be undefeated, with Owens agreeing. A dash of salt to a team already wounded, and completely ignorant of Owens' part in the downturn, or even Farve's role in the Packers' dismal season. Irv, listen, do you remember something called 4th and 26 a couple years back? McNabb over the years has pounded the Pack into, well... dust. You may have been too busy at the time to notice, but Farve is anything-but undefeated vs. McNabb, where was his great play even last year when Donavan lit up the Pack defense for 464 yards and 5 TDs in the first half alone? Yes I feel McNabb's play in the final minutes of the Superbowl was bad, but it was his first, he'll be back there.
Back in '03 when ESPN's other space cadet, talk radio's Rush Limbaugh, was making racist excuses for McNabb's success, Irvins failed to come to McNabb's defense, which prompted McNabb to ask why. Limbaugh of course was dropped by ESPN over those comments, but oddly enough he came to McNabb's defense over the Mondesire article, as well as the NAACP's national leader. What's strange is the varied nature of McNabb's critics, Limbaugh and Irvins I understand, both are street guys, most street people have always resented decent people. Jerry is a blue-blood, him chastising McNabb is Twilight Zone stuff.