We're on an Island

Donovan McNabb, number 5, Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback. If you’ve been under a rock for the last few days, or if you simply tune out your brain whenever you start to hear conversation about Philly sports, then you might not have heard the latest interview on ESPN with our man ‘5’.

I’ll give you a few moments to catch up and read the interview by Michael Smith.

Now that you’re caught up, I’ll pose this simple question to you. What the hell are people so mad at McNabb for this interview? If you can make me understand this then you’re smarter than me.

We all know the story with what happened during this season. Now Donovan is a quite leader. He leads by example, in the locker room and on the field. Rather than lower himself to the level of TO and cause an even bigger distraction to the team, he sucked it up and tried to focus on the task at hand, winning games. When no one from the locker room stood up for him, and others showed support for TO, he sucked it up. When team “leaders”, and I use this term loosely, went in front of the camera and said that TO wasn't hurting the team, he kept his eye on the prize.

With all the theatrics, injuries, and failure going on around him, Donovan did his job and tried his best in the face of adversity to right a sinking ship. So now, when the season is over and training camp still in the future, Donovan finally comes out and says what, I believe, most of the fans wanted to hear . . . his opinion.

He doesn’t take any blame off himself, he doesn’t throw any team members under the bus and he doesn’t even put all the blame on the man responsible for starting all this bullshit. He answers questions straight, and to be frank, says almost nothing that isn’t true about what happened in the locker room this year.

Teammates failing to stand up for him is a fact. Players failing to step up and say if they have a problem with the situation is a fact. Owens never approaching Donovan for help or for answers is a fact. Team disunity is a fact.

So after people complained about Donovan for always giving the “corporate” answer, now we're going to lynch him for telling the truth. Many people think he should have just kept his mouth shut and let this last year die, but when is it his turn? TO can do any press conference he wants, and Trotter can have his weekly show on WIP and give support for Owens. Isn’t it fair to let him have a turn? I think so. Give the man credit; he at least did it at the right time. He’s not doing it in the middle of the season, and he’s not doing it just before camp starts. If he wanted to speak out, now was the time, and he stepped up right on cue.

With all my support I’m showing, I admit that his race comments were off the mark. Terrell didn’t purposely choose Brett Favre for the color of his skin. In fact, the interviewer picked Brett Favre because of something said earlier in the week by my least favorite retired WR, Michael Irving. In this aspect of the interview, Donovan is wrong.

For some reason, I feel like I’m on an island on this issue. Practically everyone is calling for the head of Donovan, both in Philadelphia and around the sports nation. It’s almost laughable to me what people claim they wanted from Donovan. Confronting people if he hears whispers behind backs, fighting head on with Terrell, using the media to lash back, being emotional and pigheaded . . . . . is this really what you wanted?

Wait, I get it. It’s not that Donavan is wrong, it’s just that I’m not as informed as others. I don’t have the insight. I don’t know the truth. Donovan McNabb isn’t black, he’s not even human. He’s one of the crab-people! Yes, that must be it. They all know his master plan to make money and slowly infect the human race with his hatchlings, so one day the crab-people can one day reclaim their rightful place in the world.

Oh never mind, I forgot. People are idiots, assholes, or both. That’s a more logical explanation.

I stand behind a guy who carries himself honorably. I’ve been lead on teams by people who don’t speak up with words or confront in anger, and don’t feel that aggressive leadership is the only way. I respect people who are honest at the right time, in the right way. I want the guy who will lead me in battle, and then laugh with me in the foxhole.

Donovan, I’m a bigger fan now than I ever was.