Post by scorpion42 on Jun 16, 2009 12:30:55 GMT -7
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Did Donovan "Earn" Raise?
That's what the Eagles said on Friday after giving Donovan McNabb approximately a $6 million bump in pay over the next two seasons, taking his potential earnings through 2010 from the nice neighborhood of $19 million to the incrementally nicer neighborhood of about $25 million.
Hey, it's their money and they can spend it as they please, even if the raise comes after a brief offseason spell during which the front office grumbled in the background and talked tough about holding the line on players with multiple seasons remaining on their contracts.
Quarterbacks are different, though, and Donovan is different even by quarterback standards. He's a little goofy, talks in circles, pouts on occasion, all of that, but he still represents the shortest distance at his position for the Eagles to reach a Super Bowl. Coming off a season in which he remained healthy and just missed the first 4,000-yard season of his career -- would have had it except for that 30 minutes of rest in Baltimore -- they had no intention of replacing him. And, in order to make things smoother, they had to give some money so it could appear he won the battle of wills. Who says he can't win the big one?
So, McNabb gets to save face, the Eagles get a happy quarterback and there's not much to see here. Some players have leverage, some don't, and you can ask Sheldon Brown about that if you like.
But, returning to the original question, did McNabb "earn" the raise. The organization said on Friday that over the course of his contract McNabb's earnings, compared to other QBs, has slipped from the top of the list to somewhere around 10th on the list. The raise put him back among the top three or four best-paid quarterbacks in the league.
Last season, McNabb's passer rating was tied for 14th in the NFL. His completion percentage was 18th. His TD percentage was 12th. The average gain on his passes ranked 19th. He threw 11 interceptions, and it has been seven seasons since he threw more than that.
He did operate without a reliable running game for much of the season, and with an offensive line that held together but just barely. Given the number of balls he threw -- a career-high 571 -- his interception percentage was still good. He got the team to the NFC championship game, won it once, but couldn't win it again after the defense gave the game away. Pretty good effort.
But was it the performance of one of the best three or four quarterbacks in the league? The Eagles either think so, or have to say they think so as a price of doing business. It's their money, but it would be nice if you could trust their explanation for why they spent it.
Posted by Bob Ford @ 1:32 PM Permalink | 46 comments
Comments
Posted by bobf123 01:37 PM, 06/13/2009
Mr. Ford is the only job you have to try and fire up the McNabb haters? I don't come on here everyday but it sure seems that every article you right is mostly nonsense and nothing but either jealousy or hatred towards McNabb...... Is it something personal with you and him?
Posted by lonewolf 4 01:46 PM, 06/13/2009
bob,yes donovan did earn the money,but with more money comes more pressure,,this was a brilliant move by the front office,they transferred all the pressure to win a superbowl onto donovan's back,,so if donovan plays like a second tier QB in nov. and dec. the media and fans will point there frustration at donovan,,it was a brilliant move by banner and lurie...
Posted by FreakinMOron 02:00 PM, 06/13/2009
Bob you constantly grind your ax against McNabb with you false articles of scum. Why not write about how dense @ amateurish your articles are. How you have nothing to write about unless it is negative. Gotta believe your a real small man at home where you wife wears the pants and controls the purse strings. Real small Bob
Posted by steelydad 02:13 PM, 06/13/2009
OMG, lonleywife must have gone off his meds. No McSoftee? No Kolb? No Eli comments (what a joke)? I'm not a 5 hater but I was really disappointed to see him acting very un-leaderlike in the weeks leading up to getting paid. But if he uses the upgraded protection and weapons he has been given to win a Supe, all will be forgotten. Go Phils!
Posted by lonewolf 4 02:17 PM, 06/13/2009
bob,if these nitwits hate your journalism that much,why do they read it,just to bash you,what a sad life they lead......bob,your columns are fair and balanced with both sides of the issues covered,columnist are not supposed to wave pom poms for the eagles or any other team bob,i'm a 4 for 4 guy but i don't wave pom poms for any team...
Posted by MJPD345 02:17 PM, 06/13/2009
I'll bet you #5 would take the SB Ring over the pay raise.
Posted by MJPD345 02:17 PM, 06/13/2009
I'll bet you #5 would take the SB Ring over the pay raise.
Posted by jtj06 02:24 PM, 06/13/2009
He hasn't played like a top 5 QB, but the Eagles couldn't risk him disrupting the season again like he did in 2005.
Posted by jimqk 02:33 PM, 06/13/2009
He deserved the pay raise. One other thing: People in Philly need to understand there are some people who post on here who are not Eagles fans. For instance, lonewolf is not a fan of the Eagles. Sources tell me lonewolf is a Cowboys fan who comes on here simply to create bad vibes. Bob Ford, meanwhile, is merely trying to earn a paycheck. Bad news places more eyeballs on the ads. The more controversial the news, the more eyeballs on the ads. He's just digging up controversy so advertisers continue to pay money for ads.
Posted by rickah88 02:43 PM, 06/13/2009
Bob, what will make you happy? Brady or Manning or Big Ban? Last I checked they were signed on other teams. Ditto for: Brees, Rivers, and now Cutler(no Superbowls for these guys). So now what is so wrong with paying the face of the franchise. He's had to deal with idiotic Philly media(and National media Rush Limbaugh) from draft day to present day. That right there deserves a pay raise. Mr. Ford, do you even remember the years AFTER thingy Vermeil, and BEFORE Andy Reid?? They were horrible!!
Posted by kcruel 02:56 PM, 06/13/2009
Bob Ford epitomizes the seemingly unbiased journalist who tries to shroud his negativity with back handed praise. Even the sarcasm of quote-unquote EARN in the title belies his clearly disdainful opinion of the play of McNabb. Bob, did you question whether Kurt Warner "earned" his 2 year $24 million contract because the Cards made an appearance in the SB? If no, I would say that he set the market value for the top 4 QBs in the league of which McNabb would have to be included as an NFC Championship rival. If yes, I would say McNabb has outplayed him on both occasions and over the last few years while playing with lesser WR talent. Unbiased journalism Bob. Do that and "earn" your paycheck at least for as long as the newspaper industry lasts.
Posted by Elbarad 03:06 PM, 06/13/2009
The price of QB's has gone up since he signed his deal. Simple as that imo.
Posted by MCaesar 03:11 PM, 06/13/2009
Drew Brees is one of the most overrated QBs in the NFL. He puts up tons of yards and lots of losses. He can't play for squat outside of the SuperDome. There are not 5 QBs better than McNabb. Cutler? What a joke. He is 17-24 in his career and couldn't even win one game in December to earn a playoff spot after being up 8-4!
Posted by Kumaryu 03:12 PM, 06/13/2009
Bob, you must be deaf and blind. The best QB in Eagles history and he doesn't deserve a raise? Look what he did with what he had last year. Wake up and write something worthwhile.
Posted by VanessaJ 03:58 PM, 06/13/2009
McFraud did not earn his raise. He is a pathetic two-time loser, lacks leadership, a cry baby, and will never lead the Eagles to a Superbowl victory. So to Eagles fans and sheep enjoy the next few years as McChoke as their QB!
Did Donovan "Earn" Raise?
That's what the Eagles said on Friday after giving Donovan McNabb approximately a $6 million bump in pay over the next two seasons, taking his potential earnings through 2010 from the nice neighborhood of $19 million to the incrementally nicer neighborhood of about $25 million.
Hey, it's their money and they can spend it as they please, even if the raise comes after a brief offseason spell during which the front office grumbled in the background and talked tough about holding the line on players with multiple seasons remaining on their contracts.
Quarterbacks are different, though, and Donovan is different even by quarterback standards. He's a little goofy, talks in circles, pouts on occasion, all of that, but he still represents the shortest distance at his position for the Eagles to reach a Super Bowl. Coming off a season in which he remained healthy and just missed the first 4,000-yard season of his career -- would have had it except for that 30 minutes of rest in Baltimore -- they had no intention of replacing him. And, in order to make things smoother, they had to give some money so it could appear he won the battle of wills. Who says he can't win the big one?
So, McNabb gets to save face, the Eagles get a happy quarterback and there's not much to see here. Some players have leverage, some don't, and you can ask Sheldon Brown about that if you like.
But, returning to the original question, did McNabb "earn" the raise. The organization said on Friday that over the course of his contract McNabb's earnings, compared to other QBs, has slipped from the top of the list to somewhere around 10th on the list. The raise put him back among the top three or four best-paid quarterbacks in the league.
Last season, McNabb's passer rating was tied for 14th in the NFL. His completion percentage was 18th. His TD percentage was 12th. The average gain on his passes ranked 19th. He threw 11 interceptions, and it has been seven seasons since he threw more than that.
He did operate without a reliable running game for much of the season, and with an offensive line that held together but just barely. Given the number of balls he threw -- a career-high 571 -- his interception percentage was still good. He got the team to the NFC championship game, won it once, but couldn't win it again after the defense gave the game away. Pretty good effort.
But was it the performance of one of the best three or four quarterbacks in the league? The Eagles either think so, or have to say they think so as a price of doing business. It's their money, but it would be nice if you could trust their explanation for why they spent it.
Posted by Bob Ford @ 1:32 PM Permalink | 46 comments
Comments
Posted by bobf123 01:37 PM, 06/13/2009
Mr. Ford is the only job you have to try and fire up the McNabb haters? I don't come on here everyday but it sure seems that every article you right is mostly nonsense and nothing but either jealousy or hatred towards McNabb...... Is it something personal with you and him?
Posted by lonewolf 4 01:46 PM, 06/13/2009
bob,yes donovan did earn the money,but with more money comes more pressure,,this was a brilliant move by the front office,they transferred all the pressure to win a superbowl onto donovan's back,,so if donovan plays like a second tier QB in nov. and dec. the media and fans will point there frustration at donovan,,it was a brilliant move by banner and lurie...
Posted by FreakinMOron 02:00 PM, 06/13/2009
Bob you constantly grind your ax against McNabb with you false articles of scum. Why not write about how dense @ amateurish your articles are. How you have nothing to write about unless it is negative. Gotta believe your a real small man at home where you wife wears the pants and controls the purse strings. Real small Bob
Posted by steelydad 02:13 PM, 06/13/2009
OMG, lonleywife must have gone off his meds. No McSoftee? No Kolb? No Eli comments (what a joke)? I'm not a 5 hater but I was really disappointed to see him acting very un-leaderlike in the weeks leading up to getting paid. But if he uses the upgraded protection and weapons he has been given to win a Supe, all will be forgotten. Go Phils!
Posted by lonewolf 4 02:17 PM, 06/13/2009
bob,if these nitwits hate your journalism that much,why do they read it,just to bash you,what a sad life they lead......bob,your columns are fair and balanced with both sides of the issues covered,columnist are not supposed to wave pom poms for the eagles or any other team bob,i'm a 4 for 4 guy but i don't wave pom poms for any team...
Posted by MJPD345 02:17 PM, 06/13/2009
I'll bet you #5 would take the SB Ring over the pay raise.
Posted by MJPD345 02:17 PM, 06/13/2009
I'll bet you #5 would take the SB Ring over the pay raise.
Posted by jtj06 02:24 PM, 06/13/2009
He hasn't played like a top 5 QB, but the Eagles couldn't risk him disrupting the season again like he did in 2005.
Posted by jimqk 02:33 PM, 06/13/2009
He deserved the pay raise. One other thing: People in Philly need to understand there are some people who post on here who are not Eagles fans. For instance, lonewolf is not a fan of the Eagles. Sources tell me lonewolf is a Cowboys fan who comes on here simply to create bad vibes. Bob Ford, meanwhile, is merely trying to earn a paycheck. Bad news places more eyeballs on the ads. The more controversial the news, the more eyeballs on the ads. He's just digging up controversy so advertisers continue to pay money for ads.
Posted by rickah88 02:43 PM, 06/13/2009
Bob, what will make you happy? Brady or Manning or Big Ban? Last I checked they were signed on other teams. Ditto for: Brees, Rivers, and now Cutler(no Superbowls for these guys). So now what is so wrong with paying the face of the franchise. He's had to deal with idiotic Philly media(and National media Rush Limbaugh) from draft day to present day. That right there deserves a pay raise. Mr. Ford, do you even remember the years AFTER thingy Vermeil, and BEFORE Andy Reid?? They were horrible!!
Posted by kcruel 02:56 PM, 06/13/2009
Bob Ford epitomizes the seemingly unbiased journalist who tries to shroud his negativity with back handed praise. Even the sarcasm of quote-unquote EARN in the title belies his clearly disdainful opinion of the play of McNabb. Bob, did you question whether Kurt Warner "earned" his 2 year $24 million contract because the Cards made an appearance in the SB? If no, I would say that he set the market value for the top 4 QBs in the league of which McNabb would have to be included as an NFC Championship rival. If yes, I would say McNabb has outplayed him on both occasions and over the last few years while playing with lesser WR talent. Unbiased journalism Bob. Do that and "earn" your paycheck at least for as long as the newspaper industry lasts.
Posted by Elbarad 03:06 PM, 06/13/2009
The price of QB's has gone up since he signed his deal. Simple as that imo.
Posted by MCaesar 03:11 PM, 06/13/2009
Drew Brees is one of the most overrated QBs in the NFL. He puts up tons of yards and lots of losses. He can't play for squat outside of the SuperDome. There are not 5 QBs better than McNabb. Cutler? What a joke. He is 17-24 in his career and couldn't even win one game in December to earn a playoff spot after being up 8-4!
Posted by Kumaryu 03:12 PM, 06/13/2009
Bob, you must be deaf and blind. The best QB in Eagles history and he doesn't deserve a raise? Look what he did with what he had last year. Wake up and write something worthwhile.
Posted by VanessaJ 03:58 PM, 06/13/2009
McFraud did not earn his raise. He is a pathetic two-time loser, lacks leadership, a cry baby, and will never lead the Eagles to a Superbowl victory. So to Eagles fans and sheep enjoy the next few years as McChoke as their QB!