Vince Young and Jason Campbell chime in on McNabb

[TunaFan33]

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

Another of the five other African-American starting quarterbacks in the NFL has chimed in on Donovan McNabb's recent comments regarding the differences in criticism of white quarterbacks and black ones.

And, whether Titans quarterback Vince Young intended it or not, we get the feeling that he's telling McNabb to quit whining.

"I really feel like myself, black or white quarterbacks, we all go through something because that is the life of a quarterback,'' Young said Wednesday, according to the Nashville Tennessean. "You have to be able to handle all the pressure and you have to be able to handle the losses and you have to be able to handle the media saying this about you.

"If you can't handle it, then you have to get off that position and go play something else."

Possible translation: "Donovan, you're not handling the pressure very well. Maybe you should be a tight end."

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http://www.washingtontimes.com/arti...097/1005/sports

Responding to comments by Donovan McNabb that black NFL quarterbacks are held to a higher standard than their white colleagues, Jason Campbell said yesterday he hasn't found that to be the case.

"Early in my career in college, I felt like people looked at me differently and expected a lot more," said Campbell, the Washington Commanders' starter since November. "I felt I had to do a little extra. At that point, I did feel that way. I don't feel that way now in the NFL."

In an HBO interview first aired Tuesday, McNabb, the longtime Philadelphia Eagles franchise player, said black quarterbacks "have to do a little bit extra" because there are so few starting at the position, adding, "people didn't want us to play this position."

McNabb and Campbell are two of six black starting quarterbacks in the NFL, joining Baltimore's Steve McNair, Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson, Jacksonville's David Garrard and Tennessee's Vince Young.

Even in a winning performance, McNabb said people will say: "Oh, he could have made this throw here. We would have scored more points if he would have done this."

McNabb said Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer aren't held to the same standard as black quarterbacks.

"Let me start by saying, I love those guys. But they don't get criticized as much as we do. They don't," McNabb said.

Campbell has long admired McNabb, and he outplayed the veteran in the Commanders' 20-12 win Monday night in Philadelphia.

"That's his opinion, and as an African-American quarterback, I have to support other African-American quarterbacks," Campbell said. "But it's something I can't get caught up in. I look at all quarterbacks as the same. I support every guy who's playing the position.

"It's the hardest position to play in professional sports, and you get graded differently than any other position on the field. Nine times out of 10 the ball is in your hands, so everybody is watching you. Since you're in the spotlight, the mistakes get recognized. You need thick skin and a short memory."

McNabb, meanwhile, did not back off of his comments.

"I don't regret it," McNabb told reporters in Philadelphia yesterday. "I don't regret it at all. I stand by my comments."

 

[WoodysGirl]

It's good they spoke out, but to me, they're coming from two different perspectives. They're both young QBs, with a max of 5 years experience between them, and whose careers are on the upswing, who haven't experienced the pinnacle of success as McNabb nor the failures.

It was interesting Campbell said he doesn't feel the same way he felt in the NFL as he felt in college. I'd be real curious to know what he felt and why he doesn't feel that way now.

Vince is like 58-9 as a starting quarterback dating back to highschool. When he experiences more losing and fans turn on him, then I'll be interested in hearing what he thinks then.

 

[CoCo]

It's good they spoke out, but to me, they're coming from two different perspectives. They're both young QBs, with a max of 5 years experience between them, and whose careers are on the upswing, who haven't experienced the pinnacle of success as McNabb nor the failures.

It was interesting Campbell said he doesn't feel the same way he felt in the NFL as he felt in college. I'd be real curious to know what he felt and why he doesn't feel that way now.

Vince is like 58-9 as a starting quarterback dating back to highschool. When he experiences more losing and fans turn on him, then I'll be interested in hearing what he thinks then.

WG,

Not exactly sure what you're saying here?

I certainly understand that criticism that comes with losing can wear on players. But one of DM's key points was that even winning isn't enough to satisfy when its an African-American QB.

As you've pointed out, VY has done plenty of winning, and simply doesn't agree with DM.

 

[WoodysGirl]

WG,

Not exactly sure what you're saying here?

I certainly understand that criticism that comes with losing can wear on players. But one of DM's key points was that even winning isn't enough to satisfy when its an African-American QB.

As you've pointed out, VY has done plenty of winning, and simply doesn't agree with DM.

McNabb was once the golden boy of African-American quarterbacks and I think the torch is passing on to Vince. Right now Vince is a very likable young man. Not the most articulate, but has oodles of potential and no major character flaws that I know of.

All he's done is win. Not a bad quality to have. I guess I'd like to see what his response would be if he had faced more adversity on the football field.

I think the main point McNabb makes is that while he accepts criticism, it cuts a little deeper for him as an African-American.

 

[Hoov]

McNabb was once the golden boy of African-American quarterbacks and I think the torch is passing on to Vince. Right now Vince is a very likable young man. Not the most articulate, but has oodles of potential and no major character flaws that I know of.

All he's done is win. Not a bad quality to have. I guess I'd like to see what his response would be if he had faced more adversity on the football field.

I think the main point McNabb makes is that while he accepts criticism, it cuts a little deeper for him as an African-American.

I can see that. I think the point he is trying to make is that all QB's get criticism for bad play, but on top of that, AA QB's also get another form of criticism (from some) so there is an extra element to deal with and that for now at this point in time, that extra element is always there in your mind.

The majority of criticism that McNabb gets IS based on his actual performance, but to say that there is a little something extra for AA QB's to think about that makes them want to push or prove something - i think that is a fair statement.

But at the same time, this comment - while being true in some form, did not really come out well with the way it was presented. And on top of that, his timing is awful because he is playing bad now and he is obviously in a situation where his future is uncertain with this team, apparently he is not well liked by his teamates and he has a histrot of being overly dramatic.

I would bet that if the comments made by McNabb had been made by Young and maybe in a slightly different manner or wording, the reaction would have been entirely different.

 

[WoodysGirl]

I can see that. I think the point he is trying to make is that all QB's get criticism for bad play, but on top of that, AA QB's also get another form of criticism (from some) so there is an extra element to deal with and that for now at this point in time, that extra element is always there in your mind.

The majority of criticism that McNabb gets IS based on his actual performance, but to say that there is a little something extra for AA QB's to think about that makes them want to push or prove something - i think that is a fair statement.

But at the same time, this comment - while being true in some form, did not really come out well with the way it was presented. And on top of that, his timing is awful because he is playing bad now and he is obviously in a situation where his future is uncertain with this team, apparently he is not well liked by his teamates and he has a histrot of being overly dramatic.

I would agree with this.

I would bet that if the comments made by McNabb had been made by Young and maybe in a slightly different manner or wording, the reaction would have been entirely different.

I don't know about that. Race is a touchy subject. And anytime someone addresses it, it becomes a more volatile topic than it probably has to be.

And again, Vince Young is not the most articulate of young men, so I'm sure his comments would've come out worse than McNabb's. Like I said earlier, I would love to hear Campbell's thoughts about his college experience. Because it sounds alot like McNabb's feelings.

 

[Verdict]

I guess I don't understand McNabb's point of view. I don't see the critics criticizing him because he is black, they are criticizing his play.

Since I am white, I may not be capable of understanding McNabb's self perceived plight, even if it were justifiable. To put this into a perspective that I can understand, since I am white, I have wondered how I might perceive the same comments if they were from Rex Grossman (who I think is a very marginal white QB, who similarly led his team to the SB and lost).

If Rex Grossman were to say, I am being scrutinized more because I am white, I would want to gouge his eyes out of his head, because, inter alia: 1. He is not a very good QB, 2. His race has nothing to do with the rightful criticism of his play, 3. his obvious attempt to bring race into play and 4. it would make white people look like they were playing the race card as a crutch. That is like a white person saying don't expect me to run fast, I am white for goodness sakes.

I do not understand people wanting to see a person succeed because of his race any more than wanting a person to fail because of his race. To me it is a non issue.

I would really be interested to hear if the black members of this board find McNabb's comments to be offensive to them, in any context.

I would clearly state that it is not my intent to offend any member of this board of any race, so please do not take it that way.

 

[Hoov]

But for a white male to say i am being criticised because i am white bears no merit whatsoever because when have white males been oppressed in this society.

Females and minorities have been unfairly judged and treated due to race and gender, but white males have been the dominant of this american society so there is no room for that.

 

[Pokes28]

However silly, it is still a viable comparison. Like seeing a white RB or DB playing in the NFL. Jason Seahorn spoke about how he was perceived in a weird way because he was the only white corner the NFL had had in a LONG time.

McNabb brings up the contrast of the game between himself and Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer. The thing is that isn't a fair comparison. You have the two purest passers in the NFL today. They are both textbook drop back passers. Perfect form and great accuracy to go along with strong arms. Those are not things that McNabb has ever had. People's perception of what a QB should be is the Manning/Palmer type of player. The QBs job is to throw the ball. When you bring in guys that aren't as accurate (like McNabb) but make up for it with their overall athletic ability to make plays with their legs, then you will always have people making comparisons. McNabb throws the ball 40 times a game. Of those, he'll miss his target on very short passes several times a game. People can bring up completion percentages as a way to show how accurate a QB is and that is inherently wrong. West Coast offense QBs should always have a higher completion percentage than teams that throw the ball more down field.

In my view, this is a case of McNabb not being able to accept the shortcomings of his game (which were very evident the first two weeks of this season when he's pretty immobile) and the only thing that he can consider for the vitriol is race. It is far more likely to be a hundred other things, but when you have a sports ego the size of a Mac truck, it is very easy to think the other way.

Now I won't say that there are no racial oddities out there. A good friend of mine and I were talking about the race issues in the past (and as he puts it, he's never been to Africa, so he's not African American, he's black) and the things that really irritate him is that when you see a black QB, they always talk about his "athleticism" if he can run at all. But if you get a white QB that can move around and pick up yards and they talk about him being shifty or fast. You never heard the same type of talk about Steve Young that you did Randall Cunningham. It isn't racist, it is however a perception issue.

David Harrell - Pokes
dwh

 

[Garland powerplay]

But for a white male to say i am being criticised because i am white bears no merit whatsoever because when have white males been oppressed in this society.

Females and minorities have been unfairly judged and treated due to race and gender, but white males have been the dominant of this american society so there is no room for that.

The key words are have been. I've been discriminated against my whole working career in the military and civilian world. There has been a huge swing. White males now have less rights than any other race or gender. I'm not racist its just the facts. Some of my best friends are black.

Race has nothing to do with his skill. Anybody who does Michael Jackson dances in the end zone sucks anyway.