Donovan Jamal McNabb (born November 25, 1976) is an
American football quarterback who is currently on waivers. He was the
Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from
1999 to
2009 and spent the
2010 season with the
Washington Redskins and a portion of the
2011 season with the
Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played
football and
basketball for
Syracuse University. The Eagles selected him as the second overall pick of the
1999 NFL Draft.
McNabb led the Eagles to four consecutive NFC East division championships (
2001,
2002,
2003, and
2004), five NFC Championship Games (
2001,
2002,
2003,
2004, and
2008), and one
Super Bowl (
Super Bowl XXXIX, in which the Eagles were defeated by the
New England Patriots). Perhaps his most memorable play has become known as "
4th and 26", which took place against the
Green Bay Packers in the final minutes of a
2003 NFC Divisional playoff game.
He is the Eagles' all-time leader in career wins, pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns.
[1]
Early years
McNabb was born and raised in
Chicago, Illinois, and he attended
Mount Carmel High School
where, as a sophomore he was a teammate of future NFL Players Simeon
Rice and Matt Cushing, as they helped Mount Carmel win the 1991 State
Championship over Wheaton Central.
[2][3]
As a senior, he led the team to a Chicago Prep Bowl championship.
McNabb also excelled in track and field during his high school years,
and played on the school basketball team with
Antoine Walker.
In a controversial move, McNabb played volleyball his junior year,
helping to establish the program in its first year at the school.
Though McNabb was approached by recruiters from numerous colleges, only two schools—
Syracuse University and the
University of Nebraska—offered him
scholarships to play as quarterback.
[4] He initially leaned toward attending Nebraska, as he relished the idea of being coached by
Tom Osborne.
Eventually, however, he decided to attend Syracuse, principally because
he wanted to prove he was a competent "pocket passer", but also for
academic reasons.
[5]
After
redshirting in 1994, his first year at Syracuse, McNabb went on to start every game during his college career, compiling a 35–14 record.
[6]
As a freshman, he completed the longest touchdown pass in Syracuse's
history—a 96-yard throw against West Virginia University—in a game where
he accounted for 354 total yards of offense;
[7] he was named the
Big East Conference's rookie of the year at the end of the season.
[8] McNabb amassed 2,892 yards of total offense in his junior season to set a school record.
[9] As a senior, he led Syracuse to a berth in the
Orange Bowl against Florida as he completed 157 of 251 passes (62.5%) for 2,134 yards; he also pushed the eventual champions, the
1998 Tennessee Volunteers,
to the limit in a very close game. His 22 touchdown passes tied the
school's single season record, set by former Eagle Don McPherson in
1987. McNabb also rushed 135 times for 438 yards and 8 touchdowns. He
ranked sixth in the nation with a 158.9 passing efficiency rating and
22nd in total offense, with 233.8 yards per game. He tied a school
record with 4 touchdown passes against Cincinnati, and scored 5
touchdowns against Miami (3 rushing and 2 passing).
McNabb was named the Big East's offensive player of the decade for the 1990s,
[10] and
Big East Offensive Player of the Year an unprecedented three times from 1996–98,
[8]
as well as the first-team all-conference vote earner in each of his
four seasons. Later, he was named to the Syracuse All-Century Football
team.
[11]
He also spent two years as a reserve on the school's nationally ranked
basketball team, including the 1996 squad that lost to Kentucky in the
National Championship game.
McNabb was also a
walk-on for two seasons for the Syracuse basketball team under legendary head coach
Jim Boeheim.
[12]
- Big East records
- 1st - touchdown passes (77)[13]
- 2nd - touchdowns responsible for (96) behind Pat White[14]
- 5th - passing yards (8,389)[13]
- 3rd - total offensive yards (9,950)[14] behind Matt Grothe and Pat White
- 1st - total offensive plays (1,403) [14]
- Syracuse University records
- 1st - total yards per game (221.1)
- 1st - passing efficiency (155.1)
- 1st - yards per attempt (9.1)
McNabb was drafted second overall by the Eagles, behind first pick
Tim Couch, in the
1999 NFL Draft, a choice which was famously
booed by Philadelphia fans present at the draft, most of whom were pushing for their team to draft
University of Texas running back
Ricky Williams.
[15]
McNabb was the second of five quarterbacks selected in the first 12
picks of a quarterback-rich class that was at that point considered the
best quarterback draft since the famous
Class of 1983. However, only McNabb and
Daunte Culpepper would go on to have successful careers in the NFL; Tim Couch struggled with the
Cleveland Browns and officially retired in 2007 after being cut by the
Jacksonville Jaguars in a failed comeback bid, while
Akili Smith and
Cade McNown were out of the NFL by 2002. By 2006, only McNabb was still with the team that originally drafted him.
McNabb saw his first NFL regular season action in the second half against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
in a 19-5 home loss on September 19. He made his first career start at
home against Washington on November 14, completing 8 of 21 passes for 60
yards in a 35-28 win. He also had nine carries for 49 rushing yards and
led the team to a pair of successful two-point conversions (one rush
and one pass). He was the first Eagles rookie to start at quarterback
since
Brad Goebel, and the first Eagles rookie draft pick to start since
John Reaves in 1972. With the win, McNabb became the first Eagles rookie quarterback to win his first NFL start since
Mike Boryla (December 1, 1974 against Green Bay) and the first Eagle quarterback to win his first start since
Ty Detmer (October 13, 1996 against
New York Giants).
[16]
McNabb threw the first touchdown pass of his career (six yards to
tight end Chad Lewis) vs.
Indianapolis in a 44-17 home loss on November 21, 1999.
[17]
McNabb went on to start six of the Eagles' final seven contests
(missing the December 19 home game against New England, a 24-9 victory,
due to injury).
In his first full season as a NFL starter in
2000, McNabb finished second in the
Associated Press MVP voting (24-11) to
St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk, who set the NFL record for most touchdowns scored in a season.
[18] McNabb made his
prime time debut on
ESPN against
Atlanta at home on October 1, with his first 300-yard passing game in a 38-10 victory and the Eagles' first 300-yard passer since
Bobby Hoying against the
Cincinnati Bengals at home on November 30, 1997. McNabb's 55 pass attempts at
Pittsburgh
in a come-from-behind 26-23 overtime victory on November 12 were a
career high and the fourth-highest total in team history. He was named
the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after accounting for 90.7% of the
offense in a 23–20 victory at Washington on November 26. His 125 rushing
yards were the most by an NFL quarterback since the
Chicago Bears'
Bobby Douglass (127 on December 17, 1972) and was the sixth-best rushing effort by a quarterback since 1940 when the
T formation was introduced. He threw for a career-high 390 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 35-24 victory at
Cleveland
on December 10 en route to NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
McNabb led the Eagles to their first playoff appearance since 1996,
where they defeated the favored
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21–3 before losing to the
New York Giants 20–10.
McNabb was selected as a first alternate to the
NFC Pro Bowl squad in 2000 (behind
Daunte Culpepper,
Jeff Garcia, and
Kurt Warner).
When Warner was unable to participate due to injury, McNabb took his
spot and led the NFC on a touchdown scoring drive in his first series.
He accounted for 74.6% of the team's total net yards in 2000. Only
Carolina's Steve Beuerlein (75.3%) and
San Francisco's
Garcia (75.1%) had a higher percentage. His 629 rushing yards in 2000
were the highest among NFL quarterbacks and, at the time, the
fourth-highest total ever (968 by Bobby Douglass in 1972; 942 by
Randall Cunningham in 1990; and 674 by
Steve McNair in 1997.
Michael Vick
has since eclipsed that total three times). His six rushing touchdowns
in 2000 were the most by an Eagles quarterback since Randall Cunningham,
who also had six in 1988. McNabb broke the club's single season record
for most attempts (569) and completions (330) in 2000, marks previously
set by Cunningham (560 and 301 respectively) in 1988. He was named 2000
NFL Player of the Year by CBS Radio and the Terry (Bradshaw) Awards on
Fox Sports and was named to the All-Madden team.
McNabb led the Eagles in fourth-quarter comebacks in two wins vs. the Giants in
2001. At the Meadowlands on October 22, his 18-yard pass to
James Thrash
with 1:52 remaining gave the Eagles a 10-9 victory. He wiped out a
21-14 deficit on December 30, engineering two fourth-quarter scores as
the Eagles clinched the NFC East title with a 24-21 over archrival
New York Giants. His eight career playoff touchdowns trails only
Ron Jaworski
(9). He was named NFL Offensive Player of the Week after the NFC
Divisional Playoff game at Chicago on January 19, 2002, completing
26-of-40 for 262 yards and two touchdowns passing and adding 37 yards
and a touchdown on the ground, which was also the final touchdown at the
old
Soldier Field. He became only the fourth quarterback in Eagles history to pass for 3,000 yards in consecutive seasons -
Sonny Jurgensen
(1961–62), Ron Jaworski (1980–81), and Randall Cunningham (1988–90)
were the others. McNabb's Eagles advanced to the NFC championship game
for the first time since 1980, losing to the heavily favored
St. Louis Rams.
McNabb earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl (was originally elected
as an alternate) following the 2001 season after combining for 3,715
yards of total offense and establishing career highs in touchdown passes
(25) and quarterback rating (84.3). Including playoffs, he threw
touchdown passes in 15 of 18 games and two-or-more in 12 of those games.
He was named by his teammates as the club's offensive MVP in 2000 and
2001. During the off-season, McNabb signed a new contract with the
Eagles worth $115 million over 12 years, with a $20.5 million signing
bonus.
In week 11 of the
2002 season, McNabb suffered a broken ankle. On the third play of the game against the
Arizona Cardinals, he was sacked by the Cardinals'
Adrian Wilson
and LeVar Woods. He fumbled the ball, fell to the ground, and held his
right leg. He went to the locker room to have his ankle taped, but
returned for the Eagles' second drive. His injury was reported to be a
sprained ankle, but X-rays after the game revealed that McNabb had
broken his fibula in three places. During the game, however, he was
20-of-25 passing, with 255 yards and four touchdowns. McNabb was out for
the last six weeks of the regular season. A dominant defense helped
A. J. Feeley and
Koy Detmer go a combined 5-1 to finish the season. McNabb returned to face the
Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs, but he recovered slowly. The Eagles defeated the Falcons 20–6, but were upset at home by the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27–10 in the NFC championship game.
In late September 2003, McNabb was the subject of very controversial comments made by
Rush Limbaugh,
who worked as a commentator for ESPN at the time, stating that McNabb
was overrated and that, "I think what we’ve had here is a little social
concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black
quarterback do well".
[19]
The comments came after the Eagles began the season 0–2, losing to
defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers and eventual champion
New England, both losses coming in their newly opened stadium,
Lincoln Financial Field.
There had been much discussion about the merit of these comments, which
resulted in Limbaugh's resignation from ESPN. Football writer Allen
Barra argued that Limbaugh's comments were in line with McNabb's
statistical performance at the time.
[20]
Despite the slow beginning in the
2003 season,
McNabb again led his team to the NFC Championship game. Although the
slow start hindered his overall statistics for 2003, McNabb had the
highest quarterback rating (97.5) in the NFL for the second half of the
season and also completed over 62% of his passes for over eight yards
per attempt. With Philadelphia's 14–3 home loss to the underdog
Carolina Panthers in the 2003 NFC championship game, McNabb became the first NFL quarterback since
Danny White of the
Dallas Cowboys
(1980–1982) to lead a team to three consecutive defeats in conference
title games, prompting some observers to conclude that McNabb "
chokes" in big games (his cumulative
passer rating
in the three conference championship games was 50.5 - a figure that is
approximately 10 points lower than what the worst quarterback in the
league earns over the course of a typical year). McNabb was knocked out
of the NFC title game after being hit on the ground by Panthers'
linebacker
Will Witherspoon after he had been tripped up on a broken play.
McNabb's defenders, however, argue that Philadelphia had the worst contingent of
wide receivers in the NFL throughout McNabb's tenure with the team up to that point,
[21] and perhaps in modern professional football history.
[citation needed]
In 2003, for example, Philadelphia's wide receivers caught only five
touchdown passes - tying the record for fewest in a season since the
regular-season schedule was lengthened to its present 16 games in 1978
and that, by going the entire months of September and October without
having a wide receiver catch a touchdown pass, the 2003 Eagles became
the first NFL team since 1945 not to have gotten a touchdown pass from
any of its wide receivers in the first two months of a season.
McNabb finally amassed the kind of numbers that placed him firmly as
one of the elite NFL quarterbacks statistically. He averaged 8.26 yards
per attempt, completed 64.0 percent of his passes, threw 31 touchdown
passes (he also ran for three more), and only eight interceptions. These
numbers translated to a
passer rating
of 104.7. Furthermore, he became the first quarterback in league
history to throw over 30 touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions in a
single season. This dramatic improvement coincided with a massive
upgrading of the Eagles' receiving corps, namely the arrival of
Terrell Owens,
who caught 14 touchdowns. As a result, the Eagles won their first seven
games of the season for the first time in franchise history, clinched
first place in their division with five weeks still to play in the
regular season (becoming only the third team in modern NFL history to do
this) and won the NFC's Eastern Division by a record-tying seven-game
margin in posting a 13-3 record, the franchise's best 16-game season
ever.
McNabb's finest moment of the season and of his career came that year in a week 13 game with fellow Super Bowl contenders the
Green Bay Packers.
After starting the game completing his first 14 passes (an NFL record),
he led the Eagles to a 47-17 blowout victory. McNabb passed for an
Eagles record 464 yards and 5 touchdowns, which all came in the first
half. In 2010, it was ranked #1 by Eagles fans as the 'game of the
decade.'
[citation needed]
In the playoffs, McNabb led the Eagles to their second
Super Bowl trip ever, with victories over the
Minnesota Vikings 27-14 and
Atlanta Falcons
27-10. Owens was not in the lineup during the two playoff victories,
and was recovering from a broken ankle. McNabb became only the third
African-American quarterback to start in a
Super Bowl after
Doug Williams in the 1987 season and
Steve McNair in 1999.
[22]
McNabb led his team against the
New England Patriots in
Super Bowl XXXIX. McNabb struggled at times, throwing three crucial
interceptions.
Two of these were thrown in New England territory, and one of those two
was inside the twenty-yard line. The final interception was during a
last-gasp
Hail Mary at the end of the game. He was also sacked four times. Controversy surrounded the end of the game, as center
Hank Fraley claimed that McNabb was seriously ill.
Wide receiver Freddie Mitchell
claimed that he had to call a few plays due to McNabb's illness.
However, in an interview with NBC, McNabb said he was not sick and did
not throw up. He just said he was tired.
[23]
Some reports claim that McNabb had the wind knocked out of him by an
earlier hit while others assert that he was unduly fatigued
(interestingly, McNabb also suffered from a bout of nausea at the
conclusion of a 2002 regular-season game played at Alltel Stadium, where
Super Bowl XXXIX
was contested). An article written by a staff member of the
Philadelphia Inquirer refuted allegations of McNabb throwing up during
the Super Bowl and even labeled the alleged incident "a myth".
[24] Both head coach
Andy Reid
and McNabb have denied any physical problems that led to the puzzlingly
slow pace of play, but they did not address mental problems. McNabb
finished the game with 30 completions for 357 yards, the third highest
total for both categories in Super Bowl history, and three touchdowns.
The Eagles lost 24–21.
McNabb's
2005 season began with turmoil and ended on the
injured reserve list.
Terrell Owens had called out McNabb repeatedly since the
Super Bowl XXXIX
loss and refused to speak with McNabb. Despite not speaking with his
main target and all the distractions that came with the Owens
controversy, McNabb managed to be named the NFC's
Player of the Month for September. That month, McNabb threw for 964 yards, eight
touchdowns and only two
interceptions
in three games, leading the Eagles to a 2-1 record. McNabb carried that
momentum into October as he went 33-for-48 (68.8 completion
percentage), threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns en route to
leading the Eagles to a memorable come-from-behind victory at an
unfriendly
Arrowhead Stadium against the
Kansas City Chiefs. McNabb could not keep the momentum rolling, however, as the Eagles lost four straight games. Over that span, McNabb posted a
quarterback rating higher than 72 only once, on November 6, at the
Washington Redskins. After playing with a
sports hernia
and sore thumb, McNabb's season was finally over after a disastrous
effort at home on November 14 on Monday night against the rival
Dallas Cowboys. McNabb was intercepted by
Roy Williams towards the end of the game, and tried to tackle the defender when
Scott Shanle came in and tackled McNabb to the ground. McNabb had injured his groin on the play and was placed on the
injured reserve list later that week.
[25] Mike McMahon
replaced him at quarterback, and went 2–5 as a starter, with the Eagles
finishing the season with a 6–10 record overall. Though low for his
standards, McNabb put up respectable numbers in 2005. In nine games, he
threw for 2,507 yards, 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. To go along
with that, he completed 59.1% (211-357) of his passes. Prior to his
season-ending injury, McNabb was on pace to throw for 4,457 yards, which
would have easily eclipsed his career high of 3,875, set in 2004.
McNabb and the Eagles began the
2006 season at 5-4 heading into a week 11 game with
Tennessee Titans
on November 19. At that point, McNabb had been having an up-and-down
season. His weekly passing ratings ranged from a lofty 113 all the way
down to 65. Overall, the team was struggling. During the game, McNabb
tore the
anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) and meniscus in his right knee while jumping out of bounds,
ending his season, the third time in five years McNabb had gone down
with six or more games remaining in the regular season.
[26]
Eagles officials stated that his rehabilitation would likely last eight
to twelve months, which completely ended his 2006 season and even
raised questions as to whether he would be ready to begin playing by the
beginning of the 2007 season. In the meantime, veteran backup
quarterback
Jeff Garcia
took McNabb's place as the Eagles' starting quarterback. Garcia had
success, leading the Eagles from 5-5 after the Tennessee game to 10-6
and winners of the NFC East Division. The Eagles went on to win their
home playoff game in the Wild Card round of the playoffs against the
New York Giants, 23-20, with Garcia under center. However, in the following divisional round they were beaten by the
New Orleans Saints in the
Superdome, 27-24.
Having played nearly up to full speed in the preseason games, it was
decided that McNabb would return to the field several months short of
the full year-long recovery expected of an ACL injury. In the
season-opener at
Green Bay,
the Eagles and McNabb suffered a 16-13 loss. McNabb had his share of
problems, completing less than half of his passes for 184 yards and one
touchdown. The Eagles lost their first home game of the season to the
rival
Washington Redskins,
20-12, though his numbers improved. As week 3 approached, skeptics had
already wondered whether McNabb still had his skill that propelled him
to success in the past. The Eagles defeated the
Detroit Lions
in a 56-21 win in week 3. McNabb completed 21 out of his 26 attempted
passes for 381 yards. Four of those passes went for touchdowns (three of
them went to
Kevin Curtis).
His brilliant performance against the Lions was highlighted by his
first perfect (158.3) quarterback rating game. However, week 4 did not
prove to be as good as the Eagles thought it would be. The Eagles
endured yet another loss, this time to the
New York Giants. The Giants' defense, led by
defensive end Osi Umenyiora, sacked McNabb a record-tying 12 times.
[27] McNabb completed 15 out of 31 attempted passes for 138 yards and no touchdowns. In the week 6 game against the
Jets,
McNabb completed 22 out of 36 attempted passes for 278 yards total.
McNabb also had a touchdown pass to Curtis, plus one interception. With
the help of
placekicker David Akers,
the Eagles went on to win, 16–9. McNabb had stated before the Dallas
Cowboys game that the NFC East title went through Philadelphia, so
Dallas responded with a 38-17 win on
Sunday Night Football.
Against the Redskins, McNabb completed a high percentage of passes and
ended with a quarterback rating of 138.5 in a tough win. In the week 11
game against the
Miami Dolphins,
McNabb sprained his ankle and injured his right (throwing side) thumb.
As a result, McNabb had been ruled out for the game against the
New England Patriots, and was replaced by
A. J. Feeley,
who, although gave a valiant effort through two games, came up short.
Feeley threw seven interceptions in two games (four coming in the
opening and closing drives of both games). During a win against the
Cowboys, sideline reporter
Pam Oliver
reported during the game that McNabb indicated that he did not expect
to be back in Philadelphia for the 2008 season. McNabb later indicated
that this was not true, and stated that although he believed rookie
Kevin Kolb's time would come, he would be an Eagle the next season.
[28]
McNabb drops back to pass during training camp in August 2008.
At the conclusion of the 2007 season, McNabb faced criticism for asking for "playmakers" on his yardbarker blog.
[29] He did, however, deny he was taking a shot at anyone in particular, saying "We were 8–8. There is room for improvement."
[30]
McNabb caused another mild stir in camp when he suggested that the
Eagles should not have lost a game to any of their NFC East opponents
the previous season. He felt that they were just a few plays away from
being a playoff team. He even went on to say, "I still put us at the top
of the NFC."
[31] In week 1 of the
2008 NFL season, McNabb threw for 361 yards (the most of any quarterback that week) and three touchdowns which included a 90-yard toss to
Hank Baskett at the end of the second quarter. This performance led to him receiving the
FedEx Air Player of the Week award. In week 3 against the
Steelers, McNabb threw his 176th career touchdown, passing
Ron Jaworski and becoming the Eagles' all-time touchdown pass leader.
McNabb set a career-high with 58 passing attempts (completing 28),
and tied a career-high with three interceptions in the NFL's first tie
game in six years, when the Eagles played the
Cincinnati Bengals
and ended up with a 13-13 tie. McNabb later admitted that he was not
aware that an NFL (regular-season) game could end in a tie, leading to
controversy because this could have affected game strategy.
[32]
After the tie, McNabb struggled in a game against the
Baltimore Ravens,
going 8-of-18 for 54 yards with two interceptions, a fumble and being
sacked twice. In the second half, Andy Reid decided to go with
Kevin Kolb,
who was in his second year in the league. This was McNabb's first time
being benched for something other than injury or a meaningless game. In
the game, Kolb threw an interception that was returned 108 yards for a
touchdown by safety
Ed Reed, breaking the record he previously held for longest interception returned for a touchdown.
In the next game against the
Arizona Cardinals
on primetime on Thanksgiving, McNabb was able to come back, completing
27-of-39 passes for 260 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions,
defeating the Cardinals 48–20.
On December 7, McNabb went 19-for-30 with 191 yards and one touchdown
and also rushed for 20 yards in a 20–14 win over the New York Giants.
Despite his up-and-down season, McNabb helped the Eagles reach the
playoffs for the seventh time in his nine seasons as a starter. He also
set a career-high with 3,916 yards passing and led the Eagles to a
franchise-record 416 points. The Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 44–6
in the final week of the regular season to clinch the final playoff
berth in the NFC.
McNabb audibles during the 2008 NFC Wild Card Game
In the wild card round, McNabb threw for 300 yards, including a 71-yard touchdown to
Brian Westbrook, to lead Philadelphia to a 26–14 win over the
Minnesota Vikings.
On January 11, 2009, McNabb led the Eagles past the Giants in the
divisional round of the playoffs. The Eagles won 23–11 (it was the first
ever NFL game to finish with the score of 23-11) and advanced to the
NFC Championship game against the Arizona Cardinals, whom they had
beaten earlier in the season. In the game, McNabb was penalized for
unsportsmanlike conduct when, after being tackled into the Giants' sideline after a lengthy run, he picked up the Giants' coaching phone in jest.
On January 18, McNabb and his Eagles were defeated by the Arizona
Cardinals 32–25 in the NFC Conference Championship, ending their season.
McNabb threw for 375 yards on 47 attempts, with three touchdowns, and
one interception off a deflected pass, most of this in the second half
after his Eagles only managed 6 points to the Cardinals' 24 in the first
half. McNabb also ran for 31 yards on two carries. Despite his
excellent second-half performance, McNabb was criticized by the
television broadcast commentators and other media sources for accuracy
problems during downs and series of consequence.
[33]
In the
2009 NFL Draft, the Eagles picked
Missouri Tigers star wide receiver
Jeremy Maclin to add to McNabb's receiving corps, with
Kevin Curtis and
DeSean Jackson.
In the season-opener, McNabb led the Eagles to a 38-10 win over the
Carolina Panthers.
McNabb completed 10 of his 18 passes for a total of 79 yards and two
touchdowns. However, Andy Reid said the following Monday that McNabb
broke a rib while rushing for a touchdown in the third quarter. The
Eagles were hopeful McNabb would start in the week 2 game against the
New Orleans Saints,
however he was kept on the sidelines in both week 2 and week 3. Kevin
Kolb replaced him, and the Eagles lost to the Saints, but beat the
Chiefs the next week. Following the Eagles
bye week in week 4, McNabb returned in the week 5 game against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
completing 16 of his 21 attempts for 264 yards and three touchdowns and
being responsible for 210 of the 219 yards that the Eagles offense
managed in total in the first half.
McNabb reached 200 career touchdowns and 30,000 career yards passed in a win against the
Washington Redskins on October 26, 2009 with a 45-yard touchdown pass to
DeSean Jackson.
In week 11, McNabb returned to his hometown of
Chicago for a
Sunday Night Football matchup against the
Chicago Bears.
McNabb went 23-for-32, throwing for 244 yards, two touchdowns, and an
interception as he led a fourth quarter comeback to win the game 24-20
and keep the Eagles playoff hopes alive as they improved their record to
6-4.
Again, in week 12, the Eagles faced the
Washington Redskins
as McNabb led yet another fourth quarter comeback, improving the Eagles
to 7-4 with a 27-24 win. McNabb passed 21-for-35 with 260 yards and a
touchdown.
In week 13, McNabb led the Eagles to a 34-7 rout of the
Atlanta Falcons, passing for 238 yards and TD and helped reintroduce
Michael Vick
to the league, allowing him to score a passing and rushing TD. The
following week, McNabb led the Eagles to another close victory over the
New York Giants, passing for 2 TDs and 275 yards in a shootout, leading the Eagles on top 45-38.
In week 15, McNabb secured a playoff bid for the Eagles with a
victory over San Francisco, throwing for 306 yards, but also threw two
poor passes for interceptions, which raised questions about his accuracy
and decision-making.
In week 16, McNabb was able to win yet another close game against the
Denver Broncos led by the return of former Eagle
Brian Dawkins,
throwing for 322 yards and 3 touchdowns, in which he put on a strong
first half performance and put on a significant lead over Denver, but
struggled the second half as Denver was able to tie the game at 27-27.
However, McNabb was able to execute a final game-winning drive, finished
off with sideline pass and impressive catch by
Jeremy Maclin to set up the game winning field goal, winning the game 30-27 for Philadelphia and improving their record to 11-4.
In the season finale against the
Dallas Cowboys,
the Eagles were presented with a golden opportunity to improve their
record to 12-4, clinch the NFC East, secure the 2nd seed, and earn a
first round bye. However, starting Center
Jamaal Jackson went down with a season-ending torn ACL. McNabb found it difficult to adjust to Jackson's replacement
Nick Cole and it showed, as he fumbled a snap to take the Eagles out of a scoring drive. He also overthrew
DeSean Jackson
on a fly pattern that would have given Philadelphia an early touchdown.
The Eagles would lose the season finale in a humiliating blowout of
24-0 to Dallas, ending their 6 game winning streak, giving the division
to Dallas and falling to the 6th seed, with a record of 11-5. McNabb was
criticized for missing crucial opportunities and was speculated to be
on the hot seat in next week's rematch with Dallas in the wild-card
round of the post-season.
However, the wild-card rematch with Dallas would prove to be just as
disastrous, if not worse. McNabb struggled early on and was unable to
get the offense into a rhythm until it was too late. His lone score came
in the second half off a meaningless touchdown to
DeSean Jackson.
Philadelphia would fall 34-14 to Dallas, marking the first time McNabb
had ever lost a first-round playoff game. Despite there being many
factors in Philadelphia's loss, such as the horrible play of the
defense, lack of sufficient protection along the offensive line, and
costly turnovers by
Michael Vick and
Leonard Weaver,
McNabb was heavily criticized for the loss for failure to rally the
team early and holding onto the ball for too long. Despite having had
arguably one of his best seasons statistically in 2009, McNabb began to
face criticism and speculation about his future with the Eagles. Many
also criticized a scene of him emerging from the Cowboys stadium tunnel,
dancing and playing air-guitar and concluded that he was not a serious
leader and contender and called for his replacement by the seemingly
more serious
Kevin Kolb.
In the press conference following the Eagles' loss to Dallas, and even up to April 1,
Andy Reid stated that McNabb would remain the starting quarterback in Philadelphia for the 2010 season.
[34] However, on April 4, the Eagles traded McNabb to the
Washington Redskins in return for a second-round (37th overall) pick in the
2010 NFL Draft and a conditional third- or fourth-round pick in the
2011 NFL Draft.
[35]
In the first week of the 2010 season, McNabb and head coach
Mike Shanahan led the Redskins to victory over the
Dallas Cowboys. In week 2, McNabb nearly engineered a victory over the
Houston Texans,
passing for 426 yards (second most of his career), but came up just
short of a victory when the Texans prevailed 30-27 in overtime. In week
4, on October 3, McNabb played against the Eagles for the first time,
returning with the Redskins to
Lincoln Financial Field
in Philadelphia. Although McNabb posted only pedestrian statistics, the
Redskins won 17-12. During pre-game introductions, McNabb received a
standing ovation from Eagles fans, then hugged former coach
Andy Reid at their post-game handshake.
[36]
In week 5, McNabb struggled for the first three quarters, but rallied the Redskins to a 16-13 overtime victory against the
Green Bay Packers at
FedEx Field.
He was 26-49 for 357 yards with one touchdown and one interception. In
week 6, McNabb was 29-45 for 246 yards. He threw one touchdown and was
intercepted twice, with the second interception coming on fourth down in
the last minute of the fourth quarter against the visiting
Indianapolis Colts. The Redskins fell to the Colts 27-24. McNabb's passer rating was 67.5.
[37]
In week 8, the Redskins played against the
Detroit Lions.
When the Redskins were losing 30-25 in the fourth quarter with 3:12
left, Shanahan benched McNabb for the two-minute drill in favor of
backup quarterback
Rex Grossman. On his first play Grossman fumbled the ball, which was recovered for a touchdown by Lions defensive tackle
Ndamukong Suh,
sealing the Lions' victory of 37-25. Shanahan stated in a press
conference that McNabb would remain the Redskins' starting quarterback.
On November 15, 2010 McNabb signed a five-year extension worth $78
million ($3.5 million guaranteed) with a chance to make it $88 million
by completing incentives. If McNabb is not cut by the completion of the
2010 season the Redskins will owe Mcnabb a $10 million bonus.
[38]
The same day his Redskins suffered an embarrassing 59-28 defeat by his
former team, the Eagles, at home on Monday Night Football. On December
17, 2010, head coach Mike Shanahan relegated McNabb to the 3rd
quarterback position for the rest of this season, stating that he wanted
to evaluate backup Rex Grossman in game play.
McNabb had perhaps one of his worst years of his career since 1999,
going down in touchdowns and up in interceptions. However, at the time
McNabb was demoted to third string, he was on pace to total 4,156
passing yards for the season, which would have broken the Redskins'
all-time franchise record, and been the first time he had exceeded the
4,000 yard mark in his career.
[39]
On July 27, 2011 the Washington Redskins and the
Minnesota Vikings came to an agreement on terms for a trade.
[40]
After restructuring his contract, Washington traded McNabb to Minnesota
in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2012 and a conditional
sixth-round draft pick in 2013.
[41]
McNabb had been rumored as a possible addition to the Vikings for the
past three years, in part due to his relationship with then-coach
Brad Childress, the former Eagles Offensive Coordinator.
[42] Vikings punter
Chris Kluwe
agreed to give McNabb his no. 5 jersey, in exchange for a $5,000
donation to Kick for a Cure, McNabb to promote Kluwe's band "Tripping
Icarus" during a press conference, and an ice cream cone.
[43]
On October 18, it was announced that McNabb would no longer be the
starting quarterback for the Vikings as the job was given to rookie
Christian Ponder for the remainder of the season.
[44] On December 1, 2011, he was released upon request.
[45]
| Year |
Team |
Games |
Games Started |
Attempts |
Completions |
Completion % |
Yards |
Yards/Attempt |
Touchdowns |
Interceptions |
Rating |
| 1999 |
PHI |
12 |
6 |
216 |
106 |
49.1 |
948 |
4.9 |
8 |
7 |
60.1 |
| 2000 |
PHI |
16 |
16 |
569 |
330 |
58.0 |
3,365 |
5.91 |
21 |
13 |
77.8 |
| 2001 |
PHI |
16 |
16 |
493 |
285 |
57.8 |
3,233 |
6.56 |
25 |
12 |
84.3 |
| 2002 |
PHI |
10 |
10 |
361 |
211 |
58.4 |
2,289 |
6.34 |
17 |
6 |
86.0 |
| 2003 |
PHI |
16 |
16 |
478 |
275 |
57.5 |
3,216 |
6.73 |
16 |
11 |
79.6 |
| 2004 |
PHI |
15 |
15 |
469 |
300 |
64.0 |
3,875 |
8.26 |
31 |
8 |
104.7 |
| 2005 |
PHI |
9 |
9 |
357 |
211 |
59.1 |
2,507 |
7.00 |
16 |
9 |
85.0 |
| 2006 |
PHI |
10 |
10 |
316 |
180 |
57.0 |
2,647 |
8.36 |
18 |
6 |
95.5 |
| 2007 |
PHI |
14 |
14 |
473 |
291 |
61.5 |
3,324 |
7.00 |
19 |
7 |
89.9 |
| 2008 |
PHI |
16 |
16 |
571 |
345 |
60.4 |
3,916 |
6.90 |
23 |
11 |
86.4 |
| 2009 |
PHI |
14 |
14 |
443 |
267 |
60.3 |
3,553 |
8.00 |
22 |
10 |
92.9 |
| 2010 |
WAS |
12 |
12 |
437 |
253 |
57.9 |
3,377 |
7.2 |
14 |
15 |
77.1 |
| Totals |
|
154 |
148 |
5,054 |
2,977 |
58.9 |
35,139 |
7.0 |
225 |
111 |
85.8 |
| Playoffs |
|
12 |
12 |
419 |
249 |
59.4 |
2,630 |
6.26 |
18 |
12 |
80.1 |
McNabb has totaled 3,341 yards on 587 carries and 28 touchdowns
rushing in his career, along with 362 yards on 63 attempts and three
touchdowns in the playoffs.
McNabb holds the record for most consecutive pass attempts completed
with 24 over two games in 2004 against the New York Giants (his final 10
passes on November 28, 2004) and Green Bay Packers (his first 14 passes
on December 5, 2004).
[27] Mark Brunell and
David Carr hold the record for most consecutive completed passes in a single game with 22.
[46] McNabb also completed 25 consecutive passes against the
San Diego Chargers
on October 23, 2005, but this record is not counted by the NFL as it
included a spiking of the ball to stop the clock at the end of the half.
The 2005 game was also noteworthy for Coach Reid calling for McNabb to
have 25 pass attempts in a row, without interruption by a running play.
[47]
Through the 2010-11 NFL season, McNabb ranks fourth best all-time in
career interception percentage (2.20%) among NFL quarterbacks. Among
quarterbacks with at least 1,500 pass attempts, only
Aaron Rodgers (1.99%),
Neil O'Donnell (2.11%), and
Tom Brady (2.19%) have a lower career interception percentage than McNabb.
[27]
- Most consecutive pass completions, 24; vs New York Giants, Nov. 28, 2004; vs Green Bay Packers, Dec. 5, 2004
- First NFL Quarterback ever to throw for more than 30 touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions (2004)
- Most Career Attempts (4,303)
- Most Pass Completions (2534)
- Most Passing Yards (29,320)
- Most Passing Touchdowns (203)
- Most Single-Season Completions (345, 2008 season)
- Most Single-Season Yards (3,916, 2008 season)
- Most NFC Championship Appearances (5)
McNabb and his college sweetheart, Raquel Ann Sarah "Roxie" Nurse, were married in June 2003.
[48] They have four children: daughter Alexis, who was born in 2004,
[49] twins Sariah and Donovan Jr. who were born in 2008
[50] and Devin James who was born in 2009.
[51][52] The family splits its time between homes in
Moorestown Township, New Jersey,
[53] an affluent suburb of Philadelphia, and
Chandler, Arizona.
[54]
In 2002, McNabb, who holds a
Bachelor of Science
degree in speech communication from Syracuse University, was named to
the institution's Board of Trustees; he is one of the youngest trustees
to have served there.
[55]
It is stated on his website that he plans to use his speech
communication degree when his playing days are over to become a
broadcaster.
McNabb's parents, Sam and Wilma McNabb, have gained fame appearing as themselves in a series of
Campbell's Chunky Soup commercials. Actress
Marcella Lowery
has played McNabb's mother on occasion. Wilma is also a vice president
of the NFL Mothers' Association and the executive director of the
Donovan McNabb Foundation, and runs McNabb Unlimited, which oversees
Donovan's endorsements.
McNabb also played basketball at Syracuse University as a reserve guard. In the
1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament national championship game against the
University of Kentucky Wildcats, McNabb played against his former high school teammate
Antoine Walker.
[56]
