Teammates Feel McNabb Is Above Scrutiny
Written by Garry Cobb Wednesday, 19 September 2007 According to an Eagles teammate, there’s a perception among team members that Donovan McNabb doesn’t receive the same level of scrutiny from the coaching staff as the rest of the team.
I’m told that the perception that McNabb isn’t called on the carpet for bad plays in the same way his teammates are, has created a separation between Donovan and his teammates. He’s looked on as being the teacher’s pet. It’s the reason McNabb didn’t receive support from his teammates during the Terrell Owens saga.
The Owens saga pulled the covers off the relationship between McNabb and his teammates. I have never seen a situation where a teammate was attacked by another teammate the way McNabb was by Owens, and not one of the other teammates steps up to defend that criticized teammate. It gave us a look into the strained relationship between McNabb and his teammates.
I’m told that there is a dysfunctional relationship between Donovan McNabb and the Eagles coaching staff, especially Andy Reid. I’m told that Eagles players don’t feel Andy corrects McNabb’s errors. He chooses to send his subordinates to the quarterback when he needs to be reeled in. As you know Donovan loves kidding around and I understand that he goes too far with it sometimes in practice. When this happens, I’m told that Reid will send assistant coaches to McNabb to tell him to shut down the clowning during practice. This perception amongst the team is the reason Eagles players got on board with enthusiasm when Jeff Garcia was at the helm. They liked the fact that Garcia was not above the correction of the coaches.
I'm disturbed by this because a coach isn't doing his job if he doesn't correct a player when the player makes a mistake. McNabb's teammates don't feel Andy corrects him like he corrects the rest of the team. This has spread to off the field situations where McNabb has a strained relationship with his teammates. This is the reason for all the "McNabb has lost the locker room" comments of a year ago.
I don’t see any way Donovan McNabb will return to quarterback for the Eagles in the 2008 season. It’s very apparent that rookie Kevin Kolb will take over as the Birds starting quarterback. I’m told the Eagles want to rid themselves of McNabb because the team chemistry is off when he’s running things.
Andy Reid has created a troubling situation by refusing to correct McNabb’s mistakes and created resentment amongst his teammates. Players are tired of being called on the carpet when they make mistakes, then sit by and watch Eagles coaches refusing the correct McNabb.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 19 September 2007 )
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